I was back in my home town of Margate at the weekend for the now annual Dippers and Dunkers festival. It was great to see the old town area busy, even in the wind and rain. I enjoyed the evening show at the Theatre Royal, which is a fantastic theatre and one of Britain’s oldest. My hat is off to those who keep it running. That cannot be easy in a town that has spent the last 20 years on its backside, only getting up to have its teeth knocked out.

The old town area in Margate is regenerating slowly but well, though poor town planning and management by the council has seen the High Street go to rack and ruin. Like many of Britain’s High Streets, Margate’s main shopping street is suffering from the recession. But it was more or less empty even before the downturn kicked in. Poor parking, the development of an out of town mall and a lack of civic pride saw it heading for ghost town status around four years ago. It was recently reported as being the least occupied UK High Street. There seems no plan to bring it back to anything like its former glory, so it seems visitors to the new Turner Contemporary will spend a little at the old town restaurants and boutiques and then move on somewhere else. Probably Canterbury.

Years of corruption, letdown and uncompleted projects have left the people of Margate with a sense that nothing good will ever happen to the town. Even the cheerleaders for the Turner Contemporary temper their optimism with shades of doom. Given some kind of brains trust (or benevolent dictator) at the helm then the town could thrive. A few local businesspeople have the best interests of the town at heart, but as self-interest has largely ruled over the last 20 years it may be time to leave those with large business interests in the town on the decision-making sidelines. It may be one of the few ways to regain the confidence of the public. Something mixing outsiders with locals could work. There is plenty of creative and imaginative talent in the town that could be tapped. Though the benevolent dictator may make the HighSpeed trains run to Margate before Ramsgate.

Next Bank Holiday Monday (30 August) I take the short hop to Ramsgate myself, to judge a kind of literary X-Factor alongside local author Jane Wenham-Jones and Rebecca Smith, editor of local newspapers The Isle of Thanet Gazette and Thanet Times. I am not sure whether to pull my trousers up to my chest, affect an Irish accent or starve myself to Cheryl Cole proportions. But I am sure it will be fun. All you have to do is bring the first paragraph of your novel along to the event, which is part of the Summer Squall festival in the town. I promise not to make you cry too much.

One of my photographs (seen below) is in an exhibition in Margate that opens this Friday evening.

The picture is from a set I took when I went to Margate with Tracey Emin to talk about shared memories, arts regeneration and the seafront/Dreamland. You can pop along and buy it for a bargain price: framed and everything.