Northdown House Northdown House is situated in Cliftonville, Margate, kent Presentation of Exhibition Suit, Northdown House A wedding breakfast at Northdown House, Cliftonville. Lunch Setting at Maison Dieu Dover Picture of a luncheon held at the Maison Dieu, Dover

The Winter Gardens has been managed by Thanet Leisureforce Ltd since November 1999.  Thanet Leisureforce is different from most employers in the Leisure and Hospitality industry in that it is a workforce owned and controlled Company.  The company is an independent "not for profit distributing" Society which is commonly known as an Industrial and Provident Society.

This means that Thanet Leisureforce is a fully commercial trading company but with the advantages of having charitable status with charitable aims.  This gives a major benefit to the community as all profits are re-invested in the business.

Thanet Leisureforce began trading on 1 November 1999, with two contracts providing both leisure and hospitality services in a variety of leisure facilities, catering and entertainment venues.  These include the following:

• The Winter Gardens, Margate
• Northdown House, Cliftonville
• Maison Dieu, Dover
• Little Stars Nursery
• Seagulls Nursery
• Ramsgate Swimming Pool
• Hartsdown Leisure Centre and Pool
• Hartsdown Health and Fitness Club
• Ramsgate Sports Centre
• Various outdoor sites providing games pitches, children's play areas, foreshore safety and lifeguards along 34km of sandy beaches stretching from Birchington around the coast to Pegwell Bay
• Beach chalets and huts for hire throughout the year

Thanet Leisureforce is managed by a team of professional managers and its policies are overseen by a workforce controlled Management Board.  It is the nature of the Society that receptionists, leisure attendants, catering and entertainment staff sit next to senior managers and co-opted Members at Board meetings to take important decisions affecting this multi million pound business.

As an organisation Thanet Leisureforce is  enthusiastic, dynamic, flexible and at the leading edge of both leisure and hospitality services in Thanet.  It aspires to become a benchmark for others in quality leisure and hospitality provision.  The company was recently accredited with the Investor in People Award.

Thanet Leisureforce aims to provide the best in facilities and customer service.  It is a customer driven service aiming to achieve standards that will ensure that our customers enjoy themselves and want to keep returning time and time again.

The Winter Gardens has a long and fascinating history dating back to 1911. The building itself is a fine example of Edwardian Architecture and has retained its charm and atmosphere.  The venue has always been an important attraction to Margate and has adapted itself to meet the changing needs of its customers over many years. 

The Winter Gardens is now looking forward to its 100^th birthday on  23^rd August in 2011.  Plans are already well under way for the complete refurbishment of the Winter Gardens.  This means it will remain as the largest and probably the busiest conference, theatre and banqueting facility in the area.  So if you are looking for a venue large or small, then please explore this website and then let us know your requirements.