Channel Crossings: 1,000 arrivals on a single day
Border Force statistics show that, despite the rhetoric of politicians on both sides of the English Channel, passages of small boats carrying migrants/refugees from Europe to the Kent and Sussex coast have continued this autumn in record numbers. On one…
Pickleball in Bexhill
By Ben Cornwell Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports, claimed to be enjoyed by more than million players worldwide. It was first introduced in the UK around ten years ago, yet many people have never even heard of it…
Calling all Art Hounds
As everyone knows, the art and popular culture market is a fickle one. Often seeming irrational. Why, for example, is George Formby’s banjo-ukelele worth more than Noel Gallagher’s hand-written lyric book? Is ‘Wonderwall’ a lesser achievement than ‘I’m leaning on…
Fat Tuesday Team get the Ball rolling for 2022
By Ben Cornwell Bringing the colour, costumes and carnival spirit of New Orleans, Hastings Fat Tuesday, the UK’s largest Mardi Gras celebration, is returning in 2022. The festival is made up of several key events including the family favourite Umbrella…
The Refugee Buddy Project Christmas Fair
The Refugee Buddy Project will be holding their popular Christmas Fair on 4 December 2021. After a gap of one year, the event returns for 2021 hosted by the Hastings Museum and Art Gallery. There will be something for everybody,…
Changing Lives One Smile at a Time
By Ben Cornwell Many homeless and vulnerable people face huge obstacles in accessing dental care. They often haven’t seen a dentist for years and are suffering from severe dental pain. Sadly, 70 per cent of homeless people have dental problems…
Graffiti and Tagging: Art or Vandalism?
By Suzanne Kelly Public areas of Hastings are being ‘tagged’ – graffitied illegally with spray paint or permanent marker with stylised initials and other markings. Bottle Alley was a recent target as are other areas such as bus shelters, walls,…
Sea Change Stripped of North Queensway Funding
The promise of £ of public funds for development of a commercial “innovation park” on a site off the northern stretch of the Queensway link road has been withdrawn. SELEP (South Eastern Local Enterprise Partnership) had allocated this money out…
OPINION
Losing our green spaces By Peter Bailey How many more publicly owned green spaces are to be lost to housing in Hastings? Hastings Borough Council (HBC) wants to build 500 so-called ‘affordable’ homes by 2027, which is commendable. However, to…
Gifts that Last
For many people, the transition from November to December can come as something of a shock: they suddenly realise it’s nearly Christmas, and there are things to organise and presents to buy. To add to this, choosing presents has become…