Thanet Has a Super-Hero: The Caped Comedian

A special announcement: this article will end with another special announcement

By day, Jay Harrison is an ordinary man, doing an extra-ordinary job, in a remarkable office, staffed by unforgettable people, working for the World’s Best Company (as voted for (following heavy bribery) by Jay Harrison and the unforgettable people he works with). But by night he becomes: The Caped Comedian.

At the age of 17 Jay’s life was transformed when he ate genetically modified mango chutney while watching old Abbott and Costello films. He woke up at 3.00 am with an urge he just could not control; an itch he could not scratch; a craving so strong he could think of only one thing; he had to find relief and he knew relief could be found in only one way: He had to be funny.

Five minutes later, Jay told his first joke- to himself. His craving was satisfied for the time being and he knew where his destiny lay: from now, his life would be dedicated to ridding Thanet of the evils of grumpiness. But first he had to learn how to control his super-power.

By day Jay wasn’t working. This is a problem for this article because it means that by day, as Jay Harrison, he wasn’t at this point in our story an ordinary man doing an extra-ordinary job. He needed to be, because we need to be able to say in this article – purely because it gives a narrative coherence to the article - that by day, as Jay Harrison, an ordinary man doing an extra-ordinary job he could never be funny or else his cover would be blown, and people, innocent people, might be harmed.

However, by night, as the Caped Comedian, he could use his super-power mercilessly and mirthfully against the forces of grumpiness. But controlling his uncontrollable urge would not be easy because it was uncontrollable.

He knew that with great power comes great responsibility (sorry that’s Spiderman). He knew he was the most powerful being on earth (oops no that’s Superman). He knew he was Bruce Wayne (Batman). Frankly, he knew very little, apart from the fact that he had to get a job so that by day he could be – and we can say he was - an ordinary man doing you know what.

And he did get a job. He became by day an ordinary man doing …something. He became Caremark Thanet’s Financial Controller.  At first, just one reckless, witty monosyllabic quip from his almost infinite store of reckless, witty monosyllabic quips could reduce a co-worker to a helpless, howling, undisciplined, uncontrollable, rolling, reeling, laughter junkie. The only cure for her would be to go cold turkey while listening to re-runs of the Money Programme, first aired on Radio 4 during the financial crash.

Over-time, Jay, an ordinary… has learnt to control his super-power. He uses it now only when he becomes the Caped Comedian and only against the grumpy people.  And only in Thanet.

And now a special announcement: 

The Caped Comedian will be appearing as Jay Harrison at the Charity Comedy Night at Bernie’s Chocolate Bar on 30 June 2017 starting at 7.30pm. This event is sponsored by Caremerk Thanet where an ordinary man named Jay Harrison works doing an extra-ordinary job. Money raised will go to East Kent Hospital’s Dementia Appeal. Jay Harrison an... invites you to attend. Be there or you’ll be somewhere else.

Another special announcement: 

This article ends with this special announcement. You’ve read the article; you’ll see the act, now, look out for the film: The Caped Comedian staring Daniel Radcliffe (in the most challenging role of his career) as the Caped Comedian in the film The Caped Comedian staring ….

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Can You Answer The Question: What Is Comedy?

What Is Comedy?

Working in domiciliary (home) care is a serious business; so a little light relief is always welcome: And there are few more effective ways of delivering that relief than through comedy. Have you ever wondered, though, what comedy is? if you have; you are in fine company. Stan Laurel is on record as saying: "A friend once asked me what comedy was. That floored me. What is comedy? I don't know. Does anybody? Can you define it?"

Stan Laurel, one half of one of the greatest comedy double acts in history, did not know what comedy is. Can you believe it? 

If that has got you thinking about what comedy is; let me tell you that I have the answer. Sadly, the great man died some time ago so I cannot share it with him. I can, however, share it with you. But why should you believe me? That is a very good point; a very good point indeed. You do not know me, and I must confess that my qualifications for answering the question do not rank highly.

Having confessed to one deficiency, I might as well go on a roll. I'm not actually able to tell you, in so many words, here and now, in this article, what comedy is. But if Stan Laurel didn't have the answer; I'm in good company

I'm not be able to tell you the answer; however, I can do something much better than that. I can show you what it is. At least, I can if you accept my invitation to a charity comedy evening. At this event, there will be a group of well qualified people who will demonstrate the art of comedy. This group of people will be performing at our charity comedy evening. Allow me, then, formally to invite you to:  A Charity Comedy Evening at Bernie's Chocolate Bar, sponsored by Caremark Thanet. The event starts at 7.30 pm on Friday 30 June 2017.

Now you know where to find the answer to the question "what is comedy?" why not come along? In doing so, you will not only have the balm of insight applied to the itch of curiosity you will also be helping the worthiest of causes:  East Kent Hospital's Dementia Appeal.  

Dementia

Dementia is not a disease; it is caused by other diseases.  Dementia respects no-one. It has no sympathy for illness, for gender or status. It is not a natural part of aging though age makes us more susceptible. Dementia will touch the lives of many of us. It is estimated that in Thanet there are over 2000 dementia patients and this figure will rise to approximately 3000 in 2026. In Kent the figures are over 22 000 current patients rising to over 30 000 in 2026.

Please Join Us

I hope you can join us on 30 June. We have a wonderful cast of comedy talent lined up. Some very experienced; some less so including one or two first time performers. We have old and young: there is a 60-year age gap between our oldest and youngest performers.

Whatever money is raised on the night Caremark Thanet will match up to £500.

The cost is £5 on the door. Please tell your friends. Please share this article with your friends. There’s no need to dress up, but you can if you want: and if you do dress up, as Stan’s partner Ollie didn’t say: “that’s another evening dress I’ve got you into.”

I promise the jokes on the night will be far superior to that.

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

The Great Get Together: A Great Success

The Great Get Together held at Bernie's Chocolate Bar on Friday 16 June 2017 was an enormous success. Caremark Thanet teamed up with Bernie's to show that we have more common than things that divide us.

The Great Get Together celebrated the values of Jo Cox who was horrifically murdered on 16 June 2016. The Great Get Together was not an isolated event but a series of events held throughout the country. The Great Get Together was all about sharing, and at Caremark Thanet we think that a great deal of sharing happened at Bernie's Chocolate Bar.

We'd like to say a very big thank you to everyone who joined us. We were delighted that some of our customers and care and support workers could join us to share conversation, cake, tea and coffee. We also shared conversation and time with old friends and new friends.

We made sure that each of our customers received a piece of Bernie's delicious cake. On Thursday and Friday a number of our care and support workers were out delivering cake.

Such was the success of our event that we are sure it will be repeated next year.

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Support Our Dementia Appeal

Did you hear the one about the circus lion who ate a clown? He said never again because the clown tasted funny. You thought that was a bit cheesy, did you? Personally, I thought it was grate.

There's nothing like high class comedy: And that was nothing like high class comedy. However, I'll let you into a secret: I know where you can find high class comedy in Thanet. It's a secret I'm sharing with you but keep it to yourself because places will be limited. The place is Bernie's Chocolate Bar, 12-14 High Street, Margate, CT9 1AT; the date: Friday, 30 June 2017; the time 7.30 pm.

You can be sure that  in this place (Bernie's Chocolate Bar), on this day (Friday 30 June 2017) at this time (7.30) there is a stand up comedy night where the quality of the jokes will be far superior to what is on offer in this article. But this event is more than just a showcase for some of the regions comedic talent. It is also an event that will raise money for East Kent Hospital's Dementia Appeal.

Dementia is an evil, hideous, horrible condition. Dementia is not itself a disease. It is an umbrella term that refers to symptoms caused by a number of illnesses, of which Alzheimer's disease is, perhaps, the most widely known. There are probably, however, a hundred or more illnesses that can cause dementia.

The shadow of dementia will touch many of us. It is estimated that in Thanet there are over 2000 dementia patients and this figure will rise to approximately 3000 by 2026. In Kent the figures are over 22 000 current patients rising to over 30 000 by 2026.

To raise money for East Kent Hospital's Dementia Appeal, Caremark Thanet has teamed up with Bernie's Chocolate Bar to bring you a a charity comedy night. Caremark Thanet will match the sum of money raised on the night up to a maximum of £500. We have requested that the money raised goes specifically to the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.

Come along and join us. The price of entry is just £5 on the door. We have a wide range of performers. Our youngest performer is 23 years old; our oldest is 86. Some of our comics are very experienced; some are not; one or two are first timers. Old or young; experienced or novice; all our performers want your support. And in supporting our comics you will also be supporting the most worthwhile of charitable appeals.

Alternatively, you could stay at home and wait for my next article on the subject of comedy. Did you hear the one about... .

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

Social Care Funding and Political Miscalculation

Health and social care funding is now well and truly a part of the political geography of the UK. As far as England is concerned, it has for years been a blot on the landscape that has undergone several attempts (actual and proposed) to hide it from view. Today, we have now discovered that the blot is built on a fault line and the plates have move. The tremors have been felt in Downing Street: the damage is serious.

During the week beginning 15 May 2917, the Conservatives published their election manifesto. Their plans for social care funding in England proved monumentally - and perhaps - disastrously controversial.  There are very few people who would disagree that something has to be done about social care funding. The question, though: is what should be done?

Social care needs more money; but where is that money to come from. The options are few. First, money can be taken from another area of public spending. That's not going to go down too well with the people in the departments affected.

Second, money can be raised from the public. The thorny point here is who should pay. At the moment, if you require social care you get no financial help if you have savings above £23, 500. Below this figure, you receive some financial help. If more money is to be raised, should it fall upon everyone to contribute even though not everyone will need social care during their lifetime. Alternatively, should those who need social care be required to pay for it.

At this election, the big division between the parties on the question of social care funding saw the Liberal Democrats and Labour in favour of distributing the burden more widely, and the Conservatives placing the burden on those who need social care. With the Tory proposals, if you required domiciliary care, your home would form part of your savings for means test purpose; whereas at the moment it is excluded. I should submit, that the Tory manifesto proposal for funding social care was electorally catastrophic for them. Teresa May's claim a few days later that there would be a cap on the social care fees you would have to pay - a cap not mentioned in the manifesto - just made things worse.

Labour called the Tory proposals a dementia tax. The grey vote was alienated. At the 2015 election, 47% of people aged 65 and over and 46% of property owners voted Tory.  I may be wide of the mark here, but I would not be surprised if the children of property owning parents voted to keep their inheritance. On Monday May 15 2016, a poll of polls but the Tories 17 percentage points ahead of Labour. Today, with the election results all but in, the Conservatives are the largest party in Parliament but have lost their majority.

With a hung Parliament, it is questionable whether social care is going to be high on any coalition government's agenda. On the other hand, perhaps there now exists an opportunity deal with the issue of social care funding: it is not going away, that is certain.

Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

The Great Get Together at Bernie's Chocolate Bar

                                                         

On 16 June 2016, the then MP for Batley and Spen, Jo Cox, was horrifically murdered. Jo possessed the rare qualities of being respected and liked by colleagues across the political spectrum. Jo's values resonate with many of us. She believed that "We have more in common than that which divides us": The Great Get Together celebrates this. From Friday 16 June to Sunday 18 June 2017, thousands of people at hundreds of events in towns across the country will meet up to share time together.

At Caremark Thanet, we are pleased to team up with Bernie's Chocolate Bar to bring you our own Great Get Together. You are invited to join us on Friday 16 June 2016 between 2.00 -4.00 in the afternoon at Bernie's Chocolate Bar, 12-14 High Street, Margate, CT9 1AT. If you've never been to Bernie's you will be amazed by the stunning views (if you have been there, you'll know what I mean), delighted by the hospitality and knocked out by the coffee and cakes (and chocolate).

The Great Get Together is all about sharing. It's about sharing what we have in common; sharing drinks and food; sharing conversation with friends - and strangers; sharing - and respecting - our differences; sharing being together; and together saying a defiant no to division.

Amongst many other areas social concern, Jo Cox was heavily involved with the campaign to end loneliness. Loneliness does not discriminate. It is a feeling that has no sympathy for illness, for gender, for status or age. Though it is a feeling to which age makes us more susceptible. 

The facts on loneliness and isolation make uncomfortable reading. There are about 3.5 million people in the UK aged 65 and over who live alone. Many of the 65 and over age group report that they have contact with family, friends or neighbours less than once a week; that they feel trapped in their homes; that they have no help to go out; feel socially isolated, and have no one to turn to for help.

You probably know someone who is lonely. If you do know someone who is socially isolated, why not invite him or her to join you at at our Great Get Together. The things we can do to help are often quite simple; as simple as inviting a neighbour to Tea at Bernie's Chocolate bar.


Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.

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