An influx of artists to Margate since the opening of Turner Contemporary may have transformed the town into a cool cultural destination, but that hasn’t solved the problem of entrenched poverty and social exclusion, finds David Batty.
With its brightly coloured big wheel, helter-skelter and swing boats, Margate’s Dreamland offers visitors a trip back to British seaside holidays of yesteryear. But the amusement park offers the local community more than just nostalgia. Its 1920s ballroom plays host to a new support group for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transexual young people, set up by artists who were part of the London queer art scene and have moved to the town, part of a burgeoning arts scene that has seen it dubbed Shoreditch-on-Sea.
Started by artist Amy Redmond, drag name Amy Zing, a member of east London club collective Sink the Pink, Out Margate mixes traditional support services for young LGBT people, such as advice on coming out, health and online safety, with creativity. The group has also taken over the running of the local Pride parade... Keep reading on The Guardian
With its brightly coloured big wheel, helter-skelter and swing boats, Margate’s Dreamland offers visitors a trip back to British seaside holidays of yesteryear. But the amusement park offers the local community more than just nostalgia. Its 1920s ballroom plays host to a new support group for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transexual young people, set up by artists who were part of the London queer art scene and have moved to the town, part of a burgeoning arts scene that has seen it dubbed Shoreditch-on-Sea.
Started by artist Amy Redmond, drag name Amy Zing, a member of east London club collective Sink the Pink, Out Margate mixes traditional support services for young LGBT people, such as advice on coming out, health and online safety, with creativity. The group has also taken over the running of the local Pride parade... Keep reading on The Guardian