August 25, 2017
Last weekend we all headed to Margate’s Dreamland for a fun-filled day out to celebrate the last working week of our much loved apprentice, Natalie. Having spent a year immersing herself in the business of customised notebooks, whilst simultaneously gaining her NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration, she was ready to leave us to start a new chapter. The college she studied with, 3AAA, were so impressed by her performance that they offered her a full time job as a Compliance Officer and the chance to complete her NVQ Level 4. Needless to say we are very proud of and absolutely delighted for her. And what better way is there to say farewell, good luck and thank you than a trip to a theme park?….None it seems. We had a blast.
As you may or may not know, Dreamland was recently re-imagined and opened to the public again in 2015 after lying defunct for years, thanks to a victorious campaign run by the local Thanet District Council. And we’re so glad that it was.
The vintage rides and seaside atmosphere conjure up nostalgia from a time long before now, when traditional coastal amusement parks were the height of popularity, and seeing them enjoyed still as much today resonated with me. I realised the essence of Dreamland shares much in common with the essence of Noted in Style; it’s heritage, traditional, British, fun, human, creative, real, and draws on our innate yearning for simplicity that does not rely heavily on new technology.
When you enter Dreamland, you dive into a sensory experience; the air wreaks of candy floss and hotdogs, music from one ride grapples with another and the Great British queue loops prominently around the funfair, inescapable and alluring at the same time. Unapologetically retro but functional, Dreamland is real. You can touch it, you can hear it, you can smell it.
Then the sun goes down and an air of enchantment flows in with the cool summer breeze. An open-air night time party begins, as young and old feel the magic of the dusky sky and twinkling lights, and the rhythm of the live music moves them to dance with abandonment (on our visit, a live broadcast from Soho FM.)
The park is a cocktail of simple pleasures. There are no technological smokescreens to disillusion you and everyone is enjoying themselves as if they were an excitable child again (you should have heard the belly laughter filling the air as we all took to the dodgems together!). This speaks volumes to us – if there’s one thing we love it’s authenticity, and that’s something we like to believe we both have in common.