By Samantha Glynn
I’ve been a volunteer with the Thanet Coast Project—which works to protect wildlife around the coast of North East Kent—since 2006. At the beginning of 2024, the Project held a meeting to discuss possible events to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Thanet Coastal Wardens (volunteers who “guard” certain stretches of coastline) that year.
I began to wonder whether there was a way to tie such an event in with my other passion: helping children with their confidence and aspirations. In my current full-time job as an assistant careers advisor for students aged 12 to 20, I’ve seen first-hand how important it is for young people to be self-assured as they move through the world. This allows them to recognize and understand their strengths, better express themselves, and have the courage to work towards their goals and ambitions.
In a previous role with the ACE Project (A Champion for Every Child), I worked one-on-one with children, assisting them with building their self-esteem. Part of this involved organizing school art exhibitions for Northdown Primary School, which is located in the seaside town of Margate along the Thanet Coast. I’d witnessed how effective those exhibitions had been, with children delighting in seeing their work on display to fellow students, staff, and parents.
Thinking back on how I saw these children blossom each time they submitted a piece of art to one of the school exhibitions, I realized the next step for them would be to display their art publicly. And so, I raised the idea of doing such an exhibition for the Thanet Coastal Project’s anniversary event—one that could take place at a local gallery in Margate, instead of at the school. I knew the Northdown children would be able to fill any space with their amazing work.
A few eyebrows raised at my suggestion, mainly due to the funds that would be required. Nevertheless, I was determined to try and move forward with the idea, so I started conducting some preliminary research to see what might be feasible.
That very day I asked the Margate School—a postgraduate arts school, community hub, and exhibition venue—about the possibility of hosting our potential exhibition. The School said they would be pleased to have us there, but unfortunately couldn’t offer the space for free. So, I went home and immediately began researching how to get Arts Council funding.
The online grant application form asked about virtual events and this got me thinking. It would make a lot of sense to add a virtual component to the exhibit as well, so that it could last longer and be accessible to a wider audience. I enlisted the help of Peter Ryder, a local photographer and videographer who had produced a virtual visitor experience called Dreamland.
A few weeks later, the funding was approved! We were officially able to move forward with the exhibition.
At this point I was able to visit the venue and take a look at the space we would be using. I realised that we had the option of incorporating a window display which would be visible from the street. This is when I had the idea to involve my current school, the Canterbury Academy, so that some older children could contribute to the exhibit as well.
It was decided that the art pillar group (made up of Year 7 and 8 students) would create the window display with the help of their art teacher, Miss El-Ansary. The group produced an amazing collection of marching common shore crabs, a species that plays a vital role in Thanet Coast’s marine ecosystem. Each child created a mesh crab sculpture with an individual pose, and the work as a whole made an important statement about pollution and environmental degradation.
Any child in Northdown Primary could enter artwork for the main exhibit. There was a piece of art based on The Simpsons, with the show’s characters integrated into local landmarks around Margate. There were drawings of the colourful beach huts that line our coast. Some of the work incorporated sand and shells and glitter. A giant jellyfish was produced by Northdown’s after-school art club, led by Dawn Parsons. One student even made a life-sized seal inspired by Dolly, a young harbour seal who was stranded on Margate beach a few years ago. All the artwork sent powerful messages about what children thought of our coast and its future.
Volunteers from the Thanet Coast Project visited both schools during this process, to see what the students were working on and to teach them a bit about what the Project does. These were rewarding visits for everyone, as the students were inspired by the volunteers’ knowledge of the Thanet Coast, and the volunteers enjoyed seeing what the students were creating.
Once all the artwork had been submitted, Uwe, the director of the Margate School, suggested we hold a framing workshop and use recycled materials to create unique frames to display it. Students, teachers, volunteers, and a trustee from the Margate School went about collecting materials from the beach, our houses, our schools, and nature areas—things like sandals that had washed ashore, pieces of fishing net, shells, plastic, polystyrene, cardboard, twigs, and driftwood. The resulting frames became art themselves, with the recycled and reclaimed materials offering a commentary on the environmental costs of consumption and waste disposal.
In a corner of the exhibition space, we set up a sensory table containing shells, fossils, egg cases, seaweed, and information leaflets. Two local artists, Ellie Tate and Louise Frances Smith, also contributed some of their own coastal-themed work, which was displayed beside the students’ art, along with explanations of how the pieces were created and how their artistic careers first began.
The exhibition was set to run for one weekend in November, and was advertised in the Margate Mercury, The Isle of Thanet News, and CommunityAd. We also used posters and flyers and social media to get the word out, as well as communication with the parents of students at Northdown Primary and the Canterbury Academy.
On the first day of the exhibition, the Mayor (Jack Packman) and the Mayoress (Karen Brinkman) of Margate came to mark its official opening, and spent time talking to the volunteers and children involved, which was really exciting for the kids!
One parent commented that this was the first time their child had shared art they’d made at home; the experience had done wonders for their self-esteem. Another student said, “Thank you for letting me take part in this, I enjoyed it very much!” Before the exhibition opened, Mikey, the student who created the life-sized seal, saw it through the window and kept saying, “It’s magnificent.” This still makes me proud.
We received plenty of positive feedback from other visitors about both the physical and virtual exhibition as well. One comment in the visitor’s book read: “What a joyful way to spend a Saturday. An amazing display of talent from Thanet’s new generation. Absolutely breathtaking.” Then, after the launch of the virtual exhibition, a stakeholder wrote: “What a good virtual tour of all the inspired art. Great to see local children involved with making this exhibition.”
If we were to create another exhibition in the future, I’d suggest having it on a school day too, so that it could be visited as a field trip. That way, more children from the schools could visit, as those that were able to attend this exhibit really benefited from seeing their work displayed and hearing the positive remarks from the public and volunteers. Luckily, the virtual component means that the exhibition can be celebrated in the schools as well. My school plans to showcase the artwork created by its students in upcoming school assemblies, and Northdown Primary showed their students’ art at the school’s Christmas fair.
After launching the virtual exhibition—complete with a celebratory slice of cake—I’m now wrapping up the final grant report. What started as a small idea turned into a year-long journey focussed on students and how they can use art to express their connection to our coastal environment. It wasn’t always easy, but seeing their creativity come to life and their pride shine through has made every challenge worth it.
If you’ve got a vision of your own, I say go for it! With the right team, some flexibility, and growing support for community and environmental projects, you might be surprised by what you can achieve. Projects like this don’t just raise awareness; they help students see themselves as artists, advocates, and changemakers. By bringing these ideas to life, we can give students the chance to imagine what’s possible for their own futures, and the confidence to start working towards those goals.
I would like to thank everyone involved in making the exhibition such a success—particularly my band of art volunteers from the Thanet Coast Project. Please feel free to check out the virtual exhibit, which can be viewed here.
Samantha Glynn worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 11 years and the education sector for another 18 (in various roles). She is now an assistant careers advisor, as well as a Teach First ambassador. Her passion is helping people with their well-being and aspirations.
