Author Archives: Rod Webb - Page 2
Rat invasion?
I’ve already experienced the horrors of rats with two very large rats taking up residence in my house on two separate occasions. Both times it seems that a rat had…
A horse called Arthur
During lockdown Suzanne Bunton was inspired by Captain Tom Moore’s fundraiser for the NHS and decided that she and her wonderful horse, Arthur, could cover 50 miles of laps around…
Mandatory dog walking for the UK? Hastings has it covered
According to a BBC report, a new law in Germany, called the Hundeverordnung, will require dog owners to walk their pets twice a day. The report says: “They won’t just…
Local artist paints one of Hastings’ Everyday Heroes
Taking place across Southbank Centre, Everyday Heroes is an outdoor exhibition that celebrates the contributions that key workers and frontline staff have made during the pandemic. As part of this…
Go local for stress-free shopping?
The Covid lockdown has been good for some local shops. Not only were people avoiding crowded supermarkets and other chains, but they discovered that small shops could often supply things…
Be more bee
Many companies emerging from lockdown have changed in some way: Bee Potion, formerly run by Katharine O’Brien as a sole trader, became a community interest company (CIC). This was to…
Local Care Homes Keep Residents Safe
We don’t yet know why rates of Covid-19 are so low in Hastings, but it’s interesting enough to be the subject of a study at the University of Sussex. The…
The Circus Comes to Town
If you’re fed up with staying at home and the limited opportunities to go out and be entertained, perhaps you should consider a trip to the circus. Coming to Glyne…
Morrisons Fund Mobile Medical Care for Homeless
The St John Ambulance Hastings Homeless Service aims to be accessible, approachable, and inclusive. It supports marginalised members of the community who find it difficult to access the NHS. The…
Hospice Launches Virtual Fundraising Pack
Having recently experienced the wonderful service hospices provide, I wanted to add my own voice to the work carried out by the hospice movement. I was particularly touched that, having…
Hastings Takes Stand Against Israeli Annexation
Lockdown has diverted attention from many important issues going on in the world. One of these is ongoing illegal annexation of parts of Palestine culminating in the plan to annex…
Help Build a Nest for The Egg!
Like a cuckoo, the Eggtooth Project has been doing its amazing work without a place to call its own. Since 2012, its work with young people and families to tackle…
Fresh Look Museum
Over the past 18 months, Hastings Museum has undergone something of a transformation: first with the appointment of a new manager, Damien Etherington, and then a new team of curators.…
Post Pandemic Planning for Hastings
How to benefit the whole community In Issue 150 of HIP, HEART Looks Beyond Lockdown, we talked to Alastair Fairley, co-founder of HEART, about the organisation’s post lockdown plans and…
A Site Worth Seeing
At the beginning of the month, after extensive consultation, development and testing, the West St Leonards Forum publicly launched its website The objective of this website is to support the…
Telephone Befriending Service Takes Off
With so many free services on offer during the pandemic, it’s easy to miss out on the one you might find most useful. So here’s one you may have missed:…
Hypochondriacs To The Rescue!
Calling all hypochondriacs. There’s a quiz to take your mind off Covid-19 and the answers are all kinds of illnesses and health problems! The three entries with the highest number…
HEART Looks Beyond Lockdown
Huge numbers of selfless residents have stepped up to help isolated people cope with the Coronavirus pandemic according to Hastings Emergency Action Response Team (HEART). Established by volunteers Kim Batty…
Arts on Prescription Goes Online
Arts on Prescription (AoP) is a free service set up in June 2019 to reduce loneliness and isolation for those who face challenges accessing activities in the community – including…
Rough Sleeping In Rough Times
On Thursday 26th March, every council leader in England received a letter from Luke Hall MP, the Under Secretary of State for Local Government and ;It asked their councils to house all…
HEART Doesn’t Miss a Beat
As I wrote in my previous article (HIP Issue 48: Hastings’ Response to a Crisis), the Hastings Emergency Action Response Team (HEART) has emerged as a galvanising force for action.…
Hastings’ Response To A Crisis
One of the good aspects of a crisis is the way people come together. What we are not so good at is seeing things coming. But on Thursday 12th March,…
Having Fun With Words
The Hastings & St Leonards Priory Cricket Club has launched a writing competition with the aim of breaking down the barriers between literacy and sport. The website asks entrants to…
Help Build A Green Energy Hub
There has never been a shortage of community involvement in Hastings and St Leonards, particularly by those interested in creating a greener future. With recent funding from the Co-operative Foundation…
There’s A First Time For Everything
The two-part ceramics course is now complete, the pots have been glazed and distributed to participants to proudly display at home. This was all part of the First Time for…
Community Ledge #8: The Horse & Groom Pub
Although the Community Ledge set out to showcase people who deserve recognition ‘for being a stand-out member of our community’ we felt it time to extend our range to highlight…
HIP is online?
I recently bumped into Chris Richards of Band of Brothers and asked him what he thought of the article I’d written about the organisation he’s involved in (See Issue 141).…
Community Action Group To Set Up In Hastings
ACORN the Union is a member-led campaigning organisation supporting and empowering low-income communities across the country to fight for a better life. Founded in Bristol in 2015 as a local…
What To Do If You Can’t Get A Gp Appointment
East Sussex County Council have issued a helpful guide to making the best use of NHS services in a bid to prevent overloading local A&E services. However, the rise in…
The Lost Toys Find Their Mark
The Lost Toys’ Big Adventure! is an action-packed performance with never a dull moment – even before the performance had begun. The Sussex Hall, the downstairs auditorium of the White…
CHRISTMAS – The Joy of Giving
Hastings Independent Press wishes all our readers a very merry Christmas. Making Christmas special involves giving as well as receiving, so we are running a feature on things people do…
Helping Others Over The Festive Season
Surviving Christmas Surviving Christmas will be a visible presence during the Christmas period, with a Christmas grotto on 21st and 23rd December, , at the Salvation Army hall in St.…
A Night at the Grand Olde Opus
Discovering one of Hastings best music events Everyone knows that Hastings is a great place for music, nurturing lots of home-grown talent as well as a place for aging rock…
A Billion Ways To Save Our Planet
Kino Teatr, St Leonards Rod Webb went along to see the musical A Billion Ways and was blown away. A Billion Ways is a massive achievement; an idea sparked off…
Our NHS and Our Community
Graham Pearcy wrote eloquently about his experience of the NHS in Poetic Justice and the NHS (Issue 139). It’s interesting how one good experience can make you ‘almost’ question your…
Two days with XR in London
Two weeks ago I wrote about how I joined Extinction Rebellion. A week later I was making last-minute preparations to join the London rebellion with normal life on ; The…
Sister Suzie: A Musical Journey
We often hear about musical journeys, but for Hastings-based singer Sister Suzie it has been a literal and cultural journey as well as metaphorical one. Brought up in a small…