Ramsgate STEM outfit closes High Street doors - but it's not goodbye

Discovery Planet was set up in 2014 after three women set out to bring the stars to Ramsgate Town centre.

Along with Nikki Hildesley and Dr Vicky Mason, Xanthe Pitt planted an inflatable astrodome at the disused King Theatre in what would become Discovery Planet’s first pop-up STEM event. 

Representative of what was to come, the star show was science-y and educational, but also a lot of fun. Since then, Discovery Planet has carved out its name delivering fun and interactive STEM workshops for children in Ramsgate. 

The pop-up outfit made use of the various empty spaces across Thanet, before opening up on the Ramsgate High Street in 2021 to offer more STEM workshops more regularly. 

Four years on, the team shuttered up their premises earlier this month for good. However, they say this isn’t a goodbye and have plans to continue the project, albeit in another form. 

As the Discovery Planet High Street shop front prepares to become a tattoo parlour, Xanthe reflects on the team’s achievements and the decision to return to pop-up events - but not before taking the time to prop up the feet with a beverage in hand. 

Why set up Discovery Planet in the first place?
I moved to Ramsgate in 2012, having worked on community regeneration projects for several years in London. I saw that there was lots of potential to do some exciting small scale interventions on the High Street to liven things up and bring people together, and I knew how to access grant funding.

Inspired by the artist, Turner, having said that “the skies over Thanet are the loveliest in all Europe,” I spotted that there was a grant available from the Institute of Physics to involve adults in astronomy-based activities. A Google search also showed that the University of Kent had an inflatable astrodome that they could set up in the Town Centre. Luckily, I had a crazy friend, Nikki, who was willing to help, and Vicky at the University also saw that the idea was doable, if a little out there!

We treated over 400 people to a free star show. They were given deely-boppers to wear as they left so that the town would be filled with aliens. We also gave them cardboard planispheres so they could spot the constellations in their own back gardens later on. We got people to write wishes on wooden stars as they left and hung them on trees up and down the High Street so people could reflect on the project over the longer-term.

The whole thing was a huge success, so we formed a social enterprise and continued to operate on a pop-up basis for the next eight years from empty shops, market stalls, a café, theatre and even a disused nightclub. 

Why are you shuttering up the Discovery Planet shop?
Based on the positive impact our evaluator reported, we were able to get continuation funding to keep the shop open until this year. We were also able to secure several more grants and earn some income from sub-letting, so could have continued to keep it open. We decided, however, that we were spending too much time simply running the space as a venue and wanted to go back to our creative roots as a pop-up enterprise.  

What lessons have you learnt from running a bricks and mortar operation?
It’s been lovely having our own space, but we really underestimated the time and cost involved in practicalities like ongoing cleaning and maintenance, and just getting the bills paid each month. If other organisations are setting their sights on finding a venue, we’d say think long and hard about the commitment. It can be more beneficial for all concerned to share the burden with another organisation, or sub let as and when you need to.

How did having the shopfront help evolve Discovery Planet?
Having the shop front enabled us to build a deeper relationship with our local audience. School groups and members of the community were able to come in at least once a month, build up an understanding of STEM concepts over time, and get to know us and each other. We began to feel like one big family.

The shop also enabled us, and other organisations, to try new things. Happy Mondays, for example, is a fabulous creative community project which became a High Street fixture, and will continue to run after we’ve closed. A group of disabled artists were also able to hold a month-long open studios to gain exposure and build their confidence.

Discovery Planet will continue despite the shop's closure. What might this look like?
Popping-up is fun. It enables us to be more creative and to reach a wider audience across Thanet, so that’s what we’ll be doing in the future. Watch out, as we might be popping up somewhere near you!

Are there any other changes or initiatives the team are considering? 
We need to put our feet up, have a gin and tonic and reflect on the last few years in order to work out what’s next. We also have an active stakeholder group to consult with and establish what they want. One thing’s for sure - we’re never short on ideas.

What is a favourite memory from the Discovery Planet High Street HQ?
Too many to count: We’ve smashed bananas, eaten insects, shot a real gun at homemade spacecraft shields, put our heads in a cloud, debunked trickle down economics using a marble run, and danced an Ethiopian limbo. And there’s loads more to come.

To find out what's next for Discovery Planet, stay tuned to their website and Instagram.