We did it! Our young people won the prestigious Sheila McKechnie Foundation (SMK) National Young Campaigner Award for #SaveOurYouthCentre.
Our young campaigners – Miles, Molly, Jacob and Luke – headed to a glittering London ceremony last night where writer and comedian Viv Groskop crowned them national winners. Selected from hundreds of UK entries, our Thanet group was the only collective community campaign in their category.
The 16-month fight to #SaveOurYouthCentre
This national recognition marks the climax of a massive grassroots movement. When Kent County Council threatened to auction off Ramsgate Youth Centre – the district’s last dedicated youth centre – our young people refused to back down.
Through a gruelling 16-month campaign, they:
- Rallied the community through public advocacy and crowdfunding.
- Lobbied decision-makers to protect their space.
- Secured crucial funding from the Ramsgate Pride in Place programme via a grant from the Neighbourhood Board.
Thanks to their relentless drive, Pie Factory Music took full ownership of the youth centre site in February, safeguarding it for generations to come.
When receiving the award, our young campaigners said:
Miles – “Everyone in that building is going to say go ‘yeah we believe in you’. That’s the beautiful thing, it doesn’t matter what you like, where you’re from, who you are, as long as you come in with a smile and you’re polite to everyone you are welcome as part of the family at Pie Factory and that’s something that really needs to be cherished within the community.”
Luke – “This campaign was strongly young person led which I think is quite key when it comes to campaigning – not all young people and teenagers are careless, unbothered – they really do care. It wasn’t just us four it was many many other people – everyone got involved.”
Jacob – “We had a poem that we turned into a song – the poet used to go to Pie many years ago. Anything we could do, we did – like talking to local businesses.”
Molly – “Community – it brought everyone closer together. It’s about making sure that you get together as a community and help everyone.”
Watch the moment they won on our Instagram
Thank you Thanet! 💛
This award is a testament to the power of young people’s voices and collective determination. We are immensely proud of our young people, and deeply grateful to our community for backing us every single step of the way.
Let’s celebrate! Show our champions some love by sharing their achievement on social media and dropping them a congratulatory message on our Instagram @piefactorymusic!