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Anti-racist community group seeks new home

Jadzia Samuel/BBC People gather in an art studio. Two men are looking at a book, while four people with easels watchJadzia Samuel/BBC
A free weekly art class is just one part of People Dem Collective's community outreach programme

A community group in Margate says it is having to leave its current base with nowhere to go.

People Dem Collective (PDC), an anti-racist arts organisation, has been based in a studio belonging to Dreamland for four years, but now the building is being sold.

A spokesperson for Dreamland said the tourist attraction has supported the group by giving it free access to the space for four years, and that they were warned of possible eviction in February.

But members of PDC say their organisation cannot survive without a permanent base.

Jadzia Samuel/BBC A woman stands in front of placards which reads Thanet against racismJadzia Samuel/BBC
The group was formed around the time of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020

"Already for the black, brown and diaspora community, there is distrust," said Victoria Burrow-Williams, the founder of PDC.

"We don't have spaces, especially not in Thanet."

PDC provides education workshops in schools, organises art exhibitions, and runs community groups.

PDC member Kane McArtur says the group has given him purpose.

"Growing up here all my life, I always felt very displaced. This has made me feel part of something."

Jadzia Samuel/BBC A man sits at a desk drawing a portrait. He is surrounded by art supplies and two people behind him are also drawing.Jadzia Samuel/BBC
Kane McArtur said he would have moved away from Thanet if it wasn't for PDC

When Thanet District Council received government funding for the Margate Town Deal in 2020, Dreamland was assigned £4m for projects including those to "diversify heritage assets".

As part of that, PDC was given temporary access to its current studio, with plans to create a permanent cultural hub.

When Dreamland was later sold, it pulled out of the Margate Town Deal and the council assigned the £4m budget elsewhere.

Ms Burrow-Williams says she feels PDC has been abandoned after being used in the application to attract government funding.

"It doesn't feel right and I feel like there should be some responsibility about how we're safeguarded through that process."

A spokesperson for Thanet District Council says the group has "benefited from four years of support from Dreamland in the form of a fully rent-free seafront space, with the cost of utilities and business rates covered".

They said: "In the absence of this continued support, the council has suggested alternative funding routes to support People Dem Collective and will do what is possible to support their continued endeavours."

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