Author Archives: HIP - Page 11
Warm Homes Discount Being Applied to Reduce Energy Debts
Local fuel poverty group Energise Sussex Coast (ESC) is calling on members of the public to contact them if they know anyone whose Warm Homes Discount has been used by…
William the Composter
William the Composter has been chosen as the name for the new food waste collection vehicles in Hastings, Rother and Wealden after a competition across local schools to name the…
Painted Pianos
Between 26 February and 7 March, three ‘Painted Pianos’ will be on display in Hastings and St ; The project forms one of the community initiatives which complement this year’s…
Landslides Grant
Hastings Borough Council has announced £20,000 in grant funding to help the community tackle the growing challenge of landslides. The new Landslides Grant invites applications from local organisations for projects…
Wake Up & Feelthe Colour
HELEN MURPHY AND NICK PELLING There is a particularly vibrant exhibition coming up at Unit 2 on London Road. The show is entitled Wake Up &. The artist is Sophie…
Convivial Pursuit
HELEN MURPHY AND NICK PELLING When you walk into what appears to be a cheese and wine shop, you don’t really expect it to be also a rather bijou little…
A Band of Brothers
Local charity A Band of Brothers is a community-based organisation that supports young men aged 18–25 who are at risk of involvement in the criminal justice system, currently involved in…
Forty Shades of Clay
HELEN MURPHY and NICK PELLING Recently, the ceramicist Liz Emtage passed a significant double milestone in her life-long creative career: her studio-shop has now been open on King’s Road for…
Random Acts of Kindness: Your Stories
Random Acts of Kindness Day is 17 February, so HIP is publishing some of the kind and thoughtful actions that our readers have experienced – both here and at sea.…
Put the Kettle on, Grab a Biscuit and Pop on the TV
TOBY BULA-EDGE I like to imagine that when John Logie Baird invented the television exactly a century ago, it was a bit like Frankenstein and his monster – in a…
The Beat Goes On
HELEN MURPHY AND NICK PELLING On 20 February, the polyrhythms of Afro-beat are coming to the Kino-teatr, in the form of the band Samaki. The band has a jazz-infused style…
Poetry Corner: winter shower
PETE DONOHUE the quietude takes willpower to abandon so distant from the rush of morning soundscape each movement drops the temperature with cruelty & routine pain kicks off this newest…
HIP BOOK REVIEW Escape Or Die: A Refugee’s Tale
The Right of PassageBy Julian Beecroft (with Sheri Blaney) Published by The History Press Hardback £25REVIEW BY HUGH SULLIVAN This book traces the endeavours of one German Jewish family to…
RUGBY: Kaleb Wiggan Gets International Call-up
MAX MOWBRAY Local boy Kaleb Wiggan earned international honours last Saturday with his second cap for national side Jamaica UK. Kaleb, who plays for Hastings & Bexhill RFC, travelled to…
Foxtrot Echo: ComfortablyOut of Stepwith the World
NICK TUCKER Less than three minutes into my interview with the roguish, counter-culture iconoclast, Foxtrot Echo, I realise that the word ‘interview’ isn’t going to contain what is clearly going…
Empty Words: Dollimore’s Record on Gaza
GABRIEL CARLYLE asks how Helena Dollimore responded to the horrors unfolding in Gaza since becoming our MP in 2024 Helena Dollimore’s record as MP for Hastings & Rye tells a…
CHILDREN’S SPORT: Kids Go Free at Half Term
Next Tuesday 17 February, an afternoon of free sports activities will be on offer for children aged between 7 and 14 at Summerfields Leisure Centre on Bohemia Road. Styled as…
Eagle House Re-opens its Doors & Invites You to Show the Love
“Show your love” events on 11th February and Valentine’s weekend will mark the opening of Eagle House and celebrate new spaces at 12 Claremont and the Observer Rooftop. Elsa SimmonsYouth…
Random Reorganisation
Former Hastings Council leader PETER CHOWNEY says repeated waves of piecemeal changeshave wrought havoc on local government in England Kent BarkerRoquebrun, France, population 606, has its own council The way…
Local Legend Named UK Professional Driver of the Year
A familiar face on the roads of Hastings, Bexhill, Battle and the surrounding areas has been named Professional Driver of the Year 2026 at the national QSi Awards, putting local…
Surplus Places in Hastings Schools
JOEL CHESHIRE Forecasts within East Sussex County Council’s School Organisation Plan 2025-2029 indicate that several primary schools in Hastings are operating with significant surplus capacity. As many of these schools…
Keep Your Love Alive
ALISON BUCHANAN extends some loving thoughts and suggestions for Valentine’s Day We’re getting in early so you’re not rushing to the local garage for flowers when our next issue is…
Random Acts of Kindness: Your Stories
HIP will be celebrating ‘Random Acts of Kindness Day’ on 17 February by publishing a selection of stories you wish to share with us. This global movement started in Denver,…
Death by a Thousand Cuts
HEATHER GRIEF, Secretary of the Hastings Local History Group, castigates successive councils for their neglect and ugly development of the once elegant Summerfields and Bohemia estates Summerfields House demolished by…
Sonics Boom
TOBY BULA-EDGE Emanating from French’s on 14 and 15 February will be a selection of unusual and surprising sounds. That is, very different noises to those that normally exude from…
Another Rousing Chorus, You Idiots!
HARRY HAWKINS catches up with some FAT TUESDAY musicians Fat Tuesday CICEse & the Vouduu People To whet your appetite for the town’s forthcoming Fat Tuesday festivities (the 16th such…
The Funky Side of the Street
HELEN MURPHY AND NICK PELLING He was, undoubtedly, pretty in pink. The busker playing his electric bass guitar, rather beautifully, on Old Town High Street was wearing a shocking pink,…
Going Wild at The Carlisle
JOEL CHESHIRE The Carlisle played host to a lively charity fundraising gig on the evening of 17 January, showcasing five local bands in a celebration of grassroots rock in ;The…
What’s The Story?
The Stables theatre is hosting an intriguing photography exhibition throughout February. Gary Willis brings us a series of images which hope to provoke a reaction; a sense of – what…
Potholes– More or Less?
JAMES PRENTICE Last year during my travels through the town, I began to notice fewer potholes. Also whilst walking around, I’ve noticed more road maintenance teams filling in potholes that…
Games Fest Returns to Hastings White Rock
Following a sold-out debut in 2025, Hastings Games Fest is back at the White Rock Theatre on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 February 2026 with gaming experiences for all ages. This…
Uber Eats Scam Reported in St Leonards
JOEL CHESHIRE Local residents have raised concerns over what appears to be a fake restaurant operating on Uber Eats, after a Hastings customer reported being left without food and unable…
Food Waste Collection, Starting Soon!
From March 2026, every council in England will be carrying out weekly household collection of food waste, a new legal requirement by the government. This new service will play an…
When Love Gets Tough
Anja Petitto is an extraordinary woman, and so was her beloved mother, Tuula. Anja has spent the past four years working hard to set up the brilliant independent record shop,…
FOOTBALL: Mud, Sweat and Cheers at the Pilot Field
17 January: AFC Croydon 4, Hastings Utd 1 20 January: Hastings Utd 1, Crowborough Athletic 2 24 January: Hastings Utd 0, Whyteleafe 0 HUGH SULLIVAN Hastings United scraped one point…
RUGBY: H&B’s Dominant Display
10 January: Dartford Valley 7, Hastings & Bexhill 45 MAX MOWBRAY Hastings & Bexhill’s finest travelled northwards on Saturday for a chilly but bright afternoon at Dartford. This was a…
What Next for Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve?
ANDREW COLQUHOUN shares the story of how we can trace back human activity on what is now Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve for thousands of years. But Brexit and local…
Our Town, Our Council
Former Council Leader PETER CHOWNEY says that more than a millennia of devolved local government administration in Hastings is about to be abolished, concealed within a disingenuous wrapper called ‘local…
Opportunities at Bexhill Jobs and Apprenticeships Fair
The Bexhill Jobs & Apprenticeships Fair will be back at the De La Warr Pavilion for the 10th time on Friday 6 March between and The fair, in association with…
Frozen Assets – Would a Town Council do Better?
HUGH SULLIVAN Following intended local government reorganisation, a future unitary council – whether it administers the whole of East Sussex or some other territory – will assume responsibility for the…