In November 2022, the Margate Creative Land Trust Board agreed its vision, mission, and values to achieve its charitable objectives. These are set out below.   Vision A thriving, resilient and innovative creative sector that provides inclusive enterprise, employment, and learning opportunities for people living and working in Margate and the surrounding areas. Mission To establish a variety of accessible and inspiring creative spaces that provides benefit to the community, creative sector, and local economy in perpetuity. Values

• Open & inclusive: We are friendly, approachable, accessible, and seek to work collaboratively and in partnership. We will design ways to ensure we meaningfully and regularly engage with the communities we serve
• Innovative: We know we have to play the long game to have a lasting impact, but we are not afraid to test or pilot radical ideas in the short term. We are ambitious and we will disrupt the status quo to ensure more underrepresented groups benefit from creative sector opportunities
• Sustainable: We are a commercially sound, environmentally and socially responsible organisation, and we will champion responsible practices within the sector.

The Margate Creative Land Trust has also agreed a clear set of clear aims for the organisation which provide the framework for its decision making and will guide its investments and activities.

• To protect, sustain, and grow Margate’s creative sector through improved security and sustainability, and by increasing the quantity of places for creative practice in the town
• To support the inclusive regeneration and economic growth of Margate and the district of Thanet
• To support the creation of new jobs and training opportunities within Margate’s creative enterprises, and to address barriers to entry for Thanet’s diverse communities
•  To celebrate Margate’s creatives and the achievements of the sector, and to support its growth and establishment as a regional creative hub
• To add value to existing market activity and to avoid displacement or crowding out of initiatives by others
•  To support moves towards a zero carbon and environmentally sustainable economy through our investment decisions and operations
• To be a fair employer and promote equality, diversity and inclusion in all that we do
• To be evidence based in our investment decisions to meet the specific needs of Margate’s creative community
• To be timely in our decision making and delivery
• To lead to enable the realisation of our vision
• To work in partnership and collaboration with others to achieve our mission.

The Trust is currently finalising the Grant Agreement with Thanet District Council and developing the associated strategies, policies and procedures necessary for the operations of a charitable organisation, making investments in property and carrying out outreach activity with the creative sector and local communities. Alongside, the Trust is developing recruitment strategies for its initial key hires, and intends to commence recruitment activity within the next month. The Trust is aware of a number of creative organisations facing insecure futures within their current premises and organisations. PRD (Partnering Regeneration Development) provide property advice to the Trust, and should be the first point of contact for any organisations seeking support with property from the Trust. The Trust has established a property subgroup to develop its investment criteria and approach which it intends to publish early in the new year.”   Paula Hirst Chair – Margate Creative Land Trust