As Ramsgate county councillor I have been extremely privileged to be able to ensure my members grant has gone to great groups in our community.
I have made it the ‘spend’ over the last four years clear and transparent (as I always aim to do with my council activities). It is important that the electorate knows where that money has gone. I hope, if re-elected to continue this contribution in our community.
It’s worth remembering that my members grant money must be for the direct benefit of Ramsgate residents and, as a county councillor, I have to take very seriously, decisions on how that the money is used in a safe way. That was more important during the COVID-19 pandemic!
I give huge congratulations to those groups that stepped up to do their bit in 2020/21 and in such wonderfully creative ways.
One such group is the Ramsgate Mermads – who offered safe and socially distanced sea swimming which boosted exercise, prevented social isolation and lifted spirits. Trust me, cold water swimming does that!
Also the simply amazing ‘Looping The Loop’ street panto! Wow!
Then we saw Ramsgate Town Council working with Our Kitchen and Fare Share to take urgent action to feed so many people in Ramsgate who needed help.
The member grant has benefitted many and I hope it can continue to do so. The record of recipients, logged and made available by Kent County Council, is published below.
Any question at all I’m very happy to answer them!
Karen Constantine 2017 – 2021
| Year | Organisation | Amount £ | Purpose |
| 2017/2018 | Newington School | 500 | Newington Rocks |
| People United | 500 | Community Choir | |
| E Kent Mencap | 500 | Domestic Abuse | |
| Pavement Pounders | 600 | WW2 History project | |
| Friends of Ramsgate Seafront | 1150 | Volunteer Awareness | |
| Our Kitchen on Isle of Thanet CIC | 700 | Kitchen Pilot | |
| Thanet Volunteer Bureau | 445 | Thanet isolated older people befriending scheme. | |
| POW | 500 | POW18 | |
| Addington Street | 1000 | Addington Street Revival fair | |
| Margate Bookie – Literary Festival | 500 | Poetry Writing and Self-Esteem Workshops | |
| Oasis Domestic Abuse | 500 | Trauma Recovery | |
| Margate Pride | 500 | Parade | |
| Thanet District Scouts | 600 | Marshside Camp | |
| Aim4 Partnership CIC | 500 | Newington Chill Club | |
| Red Cross | 255 | Wheelchairs | |
| Ramsgate Skate Park | 560 | Revamp Basketball | |
| St Luke’s Church Hall | 800 | New Cooker | |
| Thanet CC Ramsgate & Newington | 250 | Christmas Party | |
| Fegans | 250 | Happy child happy parent | |
| Calling Time on Racism | 500 | Calling time on racism campaign | |
| Speak Up CIC | 875 | Family Circle Pilot | |
| Beyond the Page | 500 | Hands up project | |
| Thanet Winter Shelter | 500 | Thanet winter shelter | |
| Ageless Thanet | 500 | IT training | |
| Ramsgate International Film & TV Festival CIC | 1000 | The international festival | |
| Ramsgate Society | 400 | Heritage Open Days | |
| 2018/19 | Age UK Thanet | 500 | Outreach therapeutic activity project |
| Friends of Foreland Field School | 1300 | Shakespeare Theatre | |
| Chilton Primary School | 625 | Attendance Project | |
| Our Kitchen | 4830 | Trust your food | |
| Thanet Community Development Trust | 1650 | Heresden Centre Upgrade | |
| GRASS | 500 | Cliftonville games | |
| Art Exchange | 500 | Xchange studio | |
| St Luke’s Ramsgate | 500 | Heater | |
| Headway E Kent | 500 | Clients garden project | |
| POW | 500 | POW Thanet 2019 | |
| Thanet Children Centre (Priory) | 500 | Christmas celebrations | |
| Ramsgate Royal Naval Association | 750 | Stairlift | |
| Kiwi Communities CIC | 1950 | Parent workshops | |
| Highways | 610 | Cliffsend traffic survey | |
| 2019-20 | East Cliff Community Group | 700 | Mid-summer get together |
| Our Kitchen on the Isle of Thanet | 4000 | Summer kitchen episode 2 plus follow up for parents in primary schools for the next 2 months | |
| East Kent Mencap | 500 | Kitchen facilities in Ramsgate for people with learning disabilities & the local community | |
| Thanet Community Development Trust | 1000 | Food for life | |
| Pow! Thanet | 1000 | Pow! Festival 2020 | |
| Street Trees for Ramsgate | 1350 | Street trees in Thanet phase 1 | |
| Western Undercliff Regeneration Group | 400 | Container & tools for Westcliff Chine | |
| Your Leisure Kent LTD | 500 | Panto for Thanet primaries-Dame Janet | |
| Getting Thanet Community online | 250.65 | Digital inclusion project | |
| Project Motor House | 900 | UNESCO day of light. | |
| Thanet United Football Club | 1960 | Thanet United FC community project | |
| 2020/2021 | St Lawrence-in-Thanet CE Junior Academy | 500 | ACE support materials |
| Addington Street Community Group | 1000 | Addington Street revival fair | |
| Thanet Newsprint Company CIC | 1000 | Emergency COVID-19 print edition1 | |
| Ramsgate Town Council | 8000 | Emergency food collection/distribution for Ramsgate & Thanet | |
| Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School | 1000 | Visors for the NHS & frontline workers | |
| Age UK Thanet | 1500 | Welfare funds for our veterans needing assistance during Covid-19 | |
| Oasis Domestic Abuse | 475.80 | Corona virus loss of income | |
| Westcoast Kent Community Interest Company | 750 | Freedom road | |
| Ramsgate Festival of Sound | 750 | Busk at Dusk | |
| Thanet Bowls Club | 750 | Post COVID-19 development | |
| Looping the Loop CIC | 2000 | Pop up Panto | |
| Addington Street Community Group-Ramsgate Mermaids | 5000 | Mermaid cold water swimming group | |
| Ramsgate Town Council | 2310 | Radford House foodbank support project in conjunction with the Salvation Army | |
| Ramsgate Town Council | 2452 | Radford House foodbank support project | |
| Ramsgate Society | 540.35 | Street Trees for Ramsgate | |
| Highways | 650.87 | Honeysuckle Road-unsuitable for HGVs signs | |
| Highways | 1000 | Cliffsend village waiting restrictions |