The Isle of Thanet Pageant of Remembrance involves an finish after greater than 70 years – The Isle Of Thanet Information

The Isle of Thanet Pageant of Remembrance annual occasion has come to an finish as a result of there is no such thing as a longer an appropriate venue.

For greater than 70 years the competition has staged the Royal British Legion’s second largest show of remembrance other than the nationwide commemorations held on the Royal Albert Corridor.

However the closure of the Margate Winter Gardens has left the competition committee with no appropriate venue for the annual occasion and the unhappy resolution to shut it down has been reached.

On Friday, 11 November, following a service of remembrance on the RBL Maurice Home  care dwelling in Broadstairs, the IOT Pageant Committee formally offered the house with a cheque for £1100 to mark the tip of an period.

The Pageant Committee says it could see no prospect for the refurbishment of the Winter Gardens happening within the foreseeable future.

The final Pageant of Remembrance was the 72nd and passed off in October 2019. There nonetheless had been a really massive variety of RBL requirements on parade though in recent times the variety of them had dropped owing to the formal closure of many RBL branches and veteran teams such because the Far East POW Affiliation, the British Korean Veterans Affiliation, Second World Struggle marketing campaign teams like the Burma Star organisation, in addition to the amalgamation of quite a few regimental organisations.

The final of the IOT Festivals in 2019 included a superb show by the Band of the Blues & Royals, maybe the greatest navy band efficiency ever held by the IOT Pageant. Earlier years additionally featured performances by the Gurkhas and their show group, and the bands of the Royal Marines, the Royal Air Drive, the Royal Artillery, the Coldstream Guards, and dozens of others through the years.

The Navy Wives Choir, the Legionnaires and native cadet teams additionally made common appearances. Chelsea Pensioners usually attended, to the delight of everybody current. The vicars of the Margate parish church buildings of St. Johns or All Saints usually led the service every year together with their choirs, and invariably every competition ended with a few hours of dancing and socialising amongst veterans, their households and associates.

The Isle of Thanet Pageant of Remembrance was properly supported by locals and others, together with coachloads who got here out to the Winter Gardens to see it.

The Pageant incurred heavy bills on securing the bands, many different of the featured occasions and rental of the constructing, and these prices rose over time, however in massive measure resulting from programme gross sales, raffles and beneficiant company and personal donations, the Pageant by no means sustained a loss.

Though initially based as an impartial organisation that supported a quantity of navy charities, over the lifetime of the IOT Pageant of Remembrance it raised many tens of 1000’s of kilos in help of the Royal British Legion.

The Pageant was an everyday fixture on the calendars for every successive Nationwide Chairman of the Royal British Legion, the Lord Lieutenant the County,  native MPs, mayors and different dignitaries.

A committee spokesperson stated: “ It’s with nice sorrow however no lack of dedication on the a part of the director and committee that the Pageant organisers have needed to relaxation from their labours at current.

“They hope to resurrect the Pageant ought to the chance come up to resume its work in an acceptable and reasonably priced venue. The current committee, all unpaid volunteers, primarily consists of ex-service males and others, who’ve honoured the service group all through lengthy lives, however members then might be in search of new volunteers to hold that work ahead. In the intervening time, we hope the group will proceed to help charities who serve the veterans’ group.”

The cheque at Maurice Home was offered by the Director of the Pageant, Peter Steele, picked by the earlier long-serving director, the late Austin Walker, MBE, who had dedicated himself to steer Pageant for greater than twenty years.

Alongside Mr. Steele on the presentation had been his deputy, John Pankhurst, and long-serving treasurer, Ela Lodge-Pritchard. Different members in attendance had been Brian White, Geoff and Gwen Mullender, Kevin Minnis, and R. John Pritchard.

Receiving the presentation cheque on behalf of Maurice Home had been supervisor Tracy Tremble and enterprise supervisor Sue Samuels.