“¿ I would like to support the need to continue our local museums. Personally I feel we need to involve local enthusiasts more. For example I met a gentleman recently with a huge collection of WW2 aeronautical artifacts who would love the opportunity to show them to the public, Despite asking, I understand he has had no consessions from the local authority to make this possible. My personal interest in "early man" and this corner of the country has artifacts of international inerest yet it is hard to find a place where any are displayed save a very few in Margate. This is "Education, Education, Education"! My interest was kinded by my local museum in Orpington which housed some of the Lubbuck collection. These artifacts had a great influenceon me from a very early age. Seriously we need to be thinking of displaying what we have. We need more museums, not less and new ideas of places whre we can display items. For example our wonderful new library.”

“I, and other members of our Society have used the museums for research into local history which is of greater importance than just this 'island' or county come to that.
We are currently investigating the location of a Roman building first excavated in the 1920's by a local man. The finds and records were dispersed over the decades mainly because there is no central location for storing and displaying the finds and records.
When heritage is of such ever growing interest, it is vital for the area to have a modern museum. The success of the Hadrian exhibition at the British Museum is an example of how popular history is if properly done - it was booked up for weeks. When I first moved into the area in the early 1970's I became interested in local heritage and history because of the excavations at Lord of the Manor with a subsequent display in the Tudor House. This lovely old building is not suitable for a general museum so we do need a modern building with all the required facilities - part of The Turner Centre? Kent County Council should be involved with this it's that important.
Keep fighting.
Chairman, Isle Of Thanet Archaeological Society. (IOTAS)”

“As a town we are keen to create tourism as a healthy industry.At the moment our tourist information office is in a fairly obscure non descript place.Why can't we place this valuable service to visitors alongside the iconic museum in the central harbour area. This along with possibly a coffee bar? would increase the number of visitors to the museum.There is an area to the rear of the museum which would be ideally suited to outside tables,with an excellent view of the harbour. After all the harbour is the first place visitors would come to.”

“I was born & bred in westgate and when I went to school we were taught all about thanet now schools do not do this anymore so our children need somewhere they can go to know their heritage,my great grandfather was harbourmaster of Ramsgate captain Joseph Catt and my grandad mr J Essex had a ot to do with Dreamland so Im lucky that I know my roots,I cannot understand why the Turner centre is more important,as we have had so many noted royal people and other great artists stay in Thanet”

“I cannot understand TDC's mentality in closing our museums. They need funding to update their facilities and revamp their displays not closure. I think the way Bob at Margate has been treated is shameful, similar to the way they treated Michael and his team at the Theatre Royal. For Ramsgate with the only Royal Harbour in the country not to have a maritime museum is shameful and dishonours the memory of all the sailors and fishermen and lifeboatmen from Thanet who lost their lives serving their country in both world wars. I think the Turner Contemporary should house a new state-of-the-art museum for the whole of Thanet telling our island's story from the bronze age to the 20th century. At a time when people are spending more holidays back in this country we can't afford to destroy all our heritage and close our museums. Madness!”