Popular comedian Jason Manford has backed a campaign to save a beloved Kent venue.

Margate Winter Gardens - which has hosted countless stars in its 111-year history including Blur, The Beatles, and Laurel and Hardy - is set to shut next month.

As a question mark hangs over its future, about 200 protesters gathered outside the offices of its owner Thanet District Council last Thursday, calling for a public meeting on the venue's future.

Mr Manford, who performed stand-up at the Winter Gardens this week, has now endorsed the fight to preserve it as an entertainment space.

Sharing a clip of the protest's news coverage on Twitter, the former 8 Out of 10 Cats panellist wrote: "I hope somebody buys it! It’s a cracking venue".

Alongside the protest, almost 3,000 people have signed a petition calling calling on Thanet council to hold a public meeting "whereby the public can show their support for the venue, ask questions, and hear what the long term strategy is for the building before it is closed".

The petition was launched by a "concerned Margate resident" who wrote: "The Margate Winter Gardens has been open and supporting the Thanet community for 110 years. The last time it was closed was during World War II.

"The 2,000-capacity venue has created enormous value for the local area, supporting local jobs and entertaining hundreds of thousands over the years."

Thanet council says the petition has been referred to to its Cabinet, for discussion.

It was announced last August that bookings at the Winter Gardens will pause from August 14 this year, to allow for a full review of how best to reinvigorate the heritage asset.

The review will also explore ways in which its future as a venue could be preserved, to support footfall and income into the district.

As well as hosting big-name musicians and acts, the Winter Gardens has become a valuable community hub - for school performances and awards nights, for tea-dances and election counts.

But in at last the last four years, it has recorded an annual deficit running into six figures.

The financial year ending March 2021 saw the lockdown leave it with losses of £300,000.

Thanet council currently leases the management of the venue to non-profit Your Leisure, which also runs the district's leisure centres.

But on August 14 this contract will be ending three years early, as management is brought back in-house by the council.

Council leader Cllr Ash Ashbee said: “The Winter Gardens will return to council management in August 2022 at which point we will be in a position to discuss our next actions.

"The first step in the process will be to instruct an in-depth appraisal, where experts will look at the best, most sustainable options.

“We fully recognise the level of public support that there is in the district, and beyond, for the Winter Gardens, and we are committed to including significant amounts of public engagement as part of the appraisal.

“I can assure residents that we will do everything we can to build a long-term and viable future for this well-loved local venue.”

Mark Perris, the authority's director of property, previously told KentOnline that selling off the site is "not our primary goal".

He added "We've ruled nothing out, but all our energy and focus is going on saving the building; the council retaining ownership and getting an operator in there."

"It will close for a period of time as there's a lot of work to do to get it back to a standard where you can operate.

"That's inevitable to secure its long-term future. But we are going to be without it for a period of time."