Author Archives: HIP
Full of Life: Celebrating Older People
More than 100 events across the county will help celebrate ageing in East Sussex and mark a national Older People’s Day. Nordic walking, New Age Kurling, coffee mornings, gardening drop-ins,…
Marjorie’s Grand Day Out
Four generations of one family enjoyed a special day beside the seaside when aptly-named, 104 year-old Marjorie Seaman took a trip to Hastings. Marjorie, the oldest resident at Heathfield Court…
New DAB licence for Seahaven FM
Residents of Hastings, St Leonards and Bexhill can now tune in to a new local radio station from 1 September. Seahaven FM, already broadcasting to East Sussex for more than…
Hollington Community Spirit
CHRIS WATKINS Back at the start of this long, hot Summer, at The Bowl Play Park on Wishing Tree North, Hollington celebrated itself. The Hollington Community Spirit group worked with…
Aladdin’s Cave on the Ridge
CHRISTINE SANDERSON What’s the link between the tragic fields of Flanders in WWI and an unusual shop on The Ridge? Well, built around 1920, that iconic building was a workshop…
Ukrainian Independence Day
KHRYSTYNA MASHCHENSKA The 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence was marked with separate events in Hastings, Rye and Bexhill, bringing Ukrainians together with local residents, civic representatives and friends of Ukraine.…
PhotoHastings ’26
GARY WILLIS PhotoHastings’ collective of photographers aims to inspire an appreciation of contemporary photographic art through its annual festival programme. It is directed by Tracy Jones and Neale Willis, with…
Afrit Nebula: What Next?
An Afrit is a powerful demon in Arabian myths. A Nebula is an interstellar cloud of ; Local band Afrit Nebula have been gigging mainly around Hastings, St Leonards and…
Women, Work, and the Weight of Expectation
ANTHEA CARLING The Trouble With Women opens as part of Coastal Currents Festival on 5-6 and 12-13 September in the artist’s own home in Hastings Old Town. Lauren Joy KennettWriting…
Colouring to Heal
East Sussex-based author, artist and trauma-informed practitioner, Corina Stupu Thomas, has recently published We Tell Many Stories: A Therapeutic Colouring Book and Reflection Journal for Women’s Healing and Self-Discovery. The…
Fell: The Horror
ELIZABETH ALLEN Fell, ‘freely adapted’ from Anne Bronte’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, is a dramatic work which challenges both the audience and the actors. Writer and director Frances Viner…
Cabaret Franglais Comes to The Stables
BallyBest theatre production company is delighted to bring Café Franglais to The Stables. It’s a café-chantant celebration of French and English popular songs, with vocalists Tamara Leggett and Neil Sellman,…
Roger McGough with Penny Pepper at White Rock
St Leonards’ own writer, poet, and disabled activist Penny Pepper, hot from the world premiere of the D-Punk documentary film, is excited to be the support for legend Roger McGough…
Afri-Co-Lab September Events
On Saturday 19 September, for the next instalment of Creative Chill, their series of creative workshops, Afri-Co-Lab will welcome back local artist Elaine Mullings for a workshop called Care In…
Hastings’ Hidden Stories – and Pizza
On 18 September, Spun Glass Theatre launches Pizza & Plays – a new theatre night inspired by Hastings’ history, and created in partnership with Hastings Museum & Art Gallery. The…
Arts Forum News
Hastings Arts Forum, the long-standing quality arts collective, is staging two new exhibitions this month. The first, Smalls! HAF Small Works is on until 19 September, and reflects its title.…
The Future is being shaped in St Leonards and Hastings
DOMINIC O’REGANPrincipal, Mulberry West St Leonards Primary History is often something children read about in textbooks: distant, untouchable and confined to the past. But at Mulberry West St Leonards Primary,…
Gridlock misery for The Ridge until 2028
Drivers have been warned to expect more than two years of gridlock along The Ridge, as SGN (formerly Scotia Gas Networks) begins a marathon gas-pipe replacement project. The work –…
Gulzar Acquitted of Knife Crime
Sheikh Gulzar, owner of Hastings pier, emerged triumphant from a hearing before Brighton Magistrates last week after being cleared of unlawful possession of an eight-inch knife blade. The 80-year-old had…
WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?
Letter Food Waste Rollout Dear HIP I welcomed Hastings Borough Council’s food waste rollout with open arms and the earnest hope of a true eco-warrior. I was ready to save…
Huge boost to Tackle Hastings Homelessness
Local homelessness charity Seaview has been awarded a £200k funding boost to support their vital work in getting people off the streets. The funding, from the government’s £ million Ending…
Community Garden Calls for Volunteers – and Visitors
HELENA JONES Bexhill Community Garden is encouraging people to visit and discover what it has to offer – whether they want to volunteer, learn how to grow food or simply…
Free School Meals Opt-in
As children across Hastings return to the classroom after the summer holidays, Local MP Helena Dollimore has urged all parents to check their eligibility for free school meals after the…
A Taste of the Outdoors
CALEB GEARTY This year, the UK has experienced the most days over 30 degrees in its recorded history. With five near-continuous heatwaves that decided to concentrate most of their wrath…
A Close Shave for Emmaus
Residents and staff from homelessness charity Emmaus Hastings & Rother have shaved their heads in a powerful show of support for a much-loved counsellor who has helped many people in…
Dawn Walk for Samaritans
JAN TOMALINDirector of Hastings and Rother Samaritans Following the success of last year’s inaugural Dawn Walk, Hastings and Rother Samaritans is delighted to be doing it again this October –…
B&T Music
JUDE MONTAGUE Gazing longingly into the window of B&T Music at seductive guitars, cymbals, pedals… is part of Hastings life for budding musicians. So it was a blow to our…
Moonlight Walk – Get One Place Free
St Michael’s Hospice is encouraging people to gather their friends and family and sign up for the Moonlight Walk this September with a special 4 for 3 ticket offer, available…
CRICKET: The Great Escape
Priory win by two runs to retain Premier status 29 August: Hastings & St Leonards Priory; Three Bridges rained off5 September: Priory 251 for 8; Preston Nomads 249 for 9…
Architecture, Culture, and Community
Being Modern: Bexhill is a day-long event educating participants and celebrating the story of the Grade 1 listed De La Warr Pavilion, from its bold modernist beginnings through to its…
Hidden History in Heritage Open Days
Over 20 local venues will be opening their doors for free events during Hastings Heritage Open Days this year. Residents and visitors will be able to explore stories of the…
Town Centre to Lose Yates Pub
Yates pub and sports bar, which straddles Robertson Street and Havelock Road in Hastings Town Centre will close permanently from this Sunday 13 September. The lease of the premises is…
East Sussex Highways Robbery
The Independent Hastings Borough Councillor, Andy Batsford, has launched a campaign calling for East Sussex County Council (ESCC) to disclose how it allocates the nearly £1 million in lane rental…
BASEBALL: Pirates Play-off Bound
JAMES YOUNG Next Saturday the players and coaches of Hastings Pirates baseball club will wake up to some unfamiliar feelings. Nerves. Adrenalin. Excitement not just at playing a game, but…
Ronnie Scott’s Story comes to Hastings
Direct from London’s world-famous Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, The Ronnie Scott’s All Stars – led by the club’s artistic director - take audiences behind the scenes of one of the …
Tom Hunter: From Squat to Saatchi
VICTORIA KINGHAM Hackney in East London (nowadays a boho-arty des-res area, affordable only to higher-paid professionals) had a bad reputation in 1997. A number of its 1960s-built tower blocks were…
Seafood, Wine & Music Festival
Hastings Seafood, Wine & Music Festival is just a few weeks away, running from Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September 2026. ELLA LOWDEN gives a glowing preview. HBC Hosted in…
Help Foodbanks this Summer
Local foodbanks are calling for donations of everyday essentials as families face extra pressure during the school summer holidays. DANIEL GRAVESAldi Community Donation Point To help shoppers support their local…
SupermumsHelp Female Entrepreneurs Embrace AI
Hastings businesswoman Heather Black is launching a new national initiative to help women embrace AI and technology– whether they are running a business, freelancing, returning to work after having children…
Is a Disabled Facilities Grant for You?
Would a stairlift or level-access shower make it easier for you or a family member to stay in your home? Did you know that the council can offer disabled facilities…