A college principal has defended Margate after Bob Geldof said it was ugly.
The Live Aid campaigner slammed the seaside town in a feature written for a Kent County Council newspaper.
In it, Sir Bob, who lives in a quaint area of Faversham, was speaking about the contrasts the county can throw up. He said: “It’s a mad mystery, the battle of the ugliness of Margate against the charm of the beaches.”
He also attacked the county as a whole, saying: “I know it’s a bit scruffy and worn at the edges and some of its ugliness is inexcusable, but some of it is cute and some of it is so sublimely beautiful it’s ridiculous.”
The comments angered Andy Somers, principal of Margate’s Hartsdown Technology College.
He said: “This is just another slap for the kids of Margate, to be told by somebody they respect that their home is ugly.
“Many of them will not have the overall resources to move out of the town and will live and work here, settling down and raising families. His statement is a knock to the self-esteem that we work so hard to help them develop as teenagers.”
Mr Somers added: “It may have been an off-the-cuff remark in an interview but it was ill-considered.
“We have many intelligent, kind and generous young people at our college who regularly raise money for the kind of the charities that Bob Geldof encourages people to support. Our students do not come from privileged backgrounds and fund raising is hard for them but they do so without a moment’s thought through the generosity of spirit of themselves and their families.”
He has challenged Sir Bob to visit the college and meet the students.
Mr Somers said: “Bob Geldof has always challenged preconceptions of the world through his music and campaigning; now we are challenging him. We all hope he accepts.”
POSTED: 15/01/2008 16:11:49
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