Born in Wales, my first connection to Thanet was when I was posted to RAF Manston in 1979. I worked there in air traffic control for the next three years during which time I met a local girl – now my Mayoress, Sarah Kemp. Over the next twenty years we bought our first house together in Wardour Close, Broadstairs, got married and had three children. I split my time between the family in Broadstairs and West Drayton, Heathrow and lastly Southampton where I worked for the CAA at the Air Traffic Control Centre. When the opportunity arose to work at Manston again I jumped at the chance to base myself fully in Thanet and I worked at the airport until it closed in 2014. During this time I also bought the café on the beach at the bottom of Harbour Street which I ran alongside and then after my CAA work until 2016.

It was the sudden closure of Manst ...