Archives for Community - Page 11
Disabled Woman Earns Flying Scholarship
A 35-year-old woman from Hastings has learnt the basics of flying after being awarded a scholarship by the disabled flying charity Aerobility. Ann-Marie ‘Az’ Baldwin, who is diagnosed with ADHD…
School Refusers
A Hastings-based teacher reflects on academy chain schools People are very sensitive about labels these days. Take to social media any day, and you’ll find people arguing about the language…
Local Housing Co-op to Purchase Gensing Manor?
JESS LUBY Built in 1880 for the MP of Hastings and his wife, but more recently leased to English language schools, Gensing Manor is up for sale and Hastings Rental…
Afri-Co-Lab: A Community Land Grab
Afri-Co-Lab are in the middle of a Crowdfunder to open their doors once a week for us in the community to gather and dream – but why? Who are Afri-Co-Lab…
Boycotts and Renationalisation – the Future of Water Companies?
FELICITY LAURENCE With national news focussing on the recent revelations about Thames Water’s likely collapse – and the huge profits they have been raking in for so long – people…
Co-Housing to Form Firm Foundations
MERLIN BETTS I have to start with a bit of an apology. Earlier this year my article (Between a Bomb, Some Rock and a Hard Place, HIP 220) pondered the…
Hastings Boxer Delivers Knock Out Training For The Town
LUCY BROWN Former professional boxer Paul Huggins puts his successes down to his home town of Hastings. Born and bred here, he says that the town and his loyal supporters…
Hastings Friends of Albany Taxi Charity Give School Children a Day to Remember
LUCY BROWN Wallace and Gromit may not have been in attendance at the Azur, St Leonards on Monday but that did not prevent 200 London school children from experiencing a…
Preserving the Life of St Helen’s
MERLIN BETTS There are a lot of magical places in Hastings that you just don’t notice until you’ve been here for a few years. Some of us gravitate towards the…
Hold On to Your Home-made Party Hats! It’s Festival Time
St Leonards Festival describes itself as “an annual celebration of art, culture and community” and this year plans a diverse line-up of weird and wonderful acts and shows. The theme…
St Leonards Resident Celebrates Monumental Milestone
Long-term resident of St Leonards, Diana Elvidge will celebrate her birthday on July 4 this year. A yearly celebration for all of us, but this year Diana will turn 100…
A Community Union for Hastings?
Acorn is a mass membership organisation and network of low-income people organising for a fairer deal – for communities left behind by companies, councils and parliament. It has thousands…
An A* for Author Visit to Local Schools
The pioneering reading scheme created by Hastings National Literacy Trust Hub and Bloomsbury Publishing proved itself to be highly successful yet again, with the final author visit of the year…
At the Heart of Hastings Future
The Education Futures Trust (EFT) has a mission. It, “aims to improve the life chances of children, families and vulnerable adults in Hastings and the surrounding area by helping them…
Surviving Christmas 40 Anniversary brings new chair!
By Simon HobsonSurviving Christmas, the Hastings and Rother registered charity, is now in its fortieth year providing hampers to over 700 nominated families, and offering a two-day event over Christmas…
Has Southern Water dumped its last load?
LUCY BROWN We’ve burnt effigies, we’ve protested, filmed illegal dumping – yes pun intended – even sought legal advice against bill paying, yet Southern Water plough on pumping raw sewage…
Inaugural Hastings Garden Festival
The Hastings Botanic Garden Project will host the inaugural Hastings Garden Festival from on June 18 at the bowling greens above Falaise Fitness Centre in the wonderful White Rock Gardens.…
Sanctuary Festival 2023
Community, Creativity and Compassion come together at this year’s Sanctuary Festival on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 June 2023 at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery. Festival organiser, and Co-Chair of…
Lightning Fibre Celebrates its Community Commitment
Broadband network provider Lightning Fibre recently hosted a stakeholder event in Eastbourne to present its latest impact report, covering community, employment and the environment. Among the speakers were chairman of…
BBC author to share literary passion with Hastings Students
By Lucy Brown Iszi Lawrence has so many job titles it’s a struggle to list them all, but here are a few: writer, comedian, podcaster and History presenter with countless…
Heartbreak Strikes After Lift Breakdown
SERENA FERRARI Chas Hambly, 46, has multiple sclerosis (MS), a lifelong condition that causes severe disability. He lives alone on the 9th floor of a high-rise block on Stonehouse Drive…
Refugee Week 2023
GARETH STEVENS This year’s Refugee Week in Hastings, Rother and Wealden will launch on Sunday 18 June at at the Hastings Contemporary. The sheer span of the events and activities…
Progressive FlagFlies Over Sussex
The Progressive Pride flag was flown over Hastings and Bexhill Town Halls earlier this month to mark the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). HRRA The iconic…
Shining a spotlight on East Sussex carers
Do you look after someone who couldn’t manage without your help, or know someone who does? Caring for a relative, friend or neighbour (unpaid) is often referred to as being…
Warming Up The Homeless Opens Drop-In Centre
TONY COLLINS takes a look at an impressive new frontline service now open in central Hastings Tony CollinsA place to relax and chat Dotted around the new drop-in centre are…
The Post Apocalyptic Romance Comes to Electro Studios Project Space
KEITH RODWAY Daniel Hartlaub is a filmmaker and visual artist specialising in fine-art comic-book design. His show The Post Apocalyptic Romance runs over the second May bank holiday, between Friday…
The Scandal that Keeps Giving
ROD WEBB We have an ambivalent attitude to scandals. On the one hand we might be shocked by the emerging details, but on the other feel some kind of voyeuristic…
Hastings, Are You Curious?
KATE WATTS There’s a new festival in town on a mission to put Hastings on the map as the world’s first ‘Curious Town’. New local social enterprise Curious Agenda CIC…
Solidarity With a Successful Socialist Vision
JOSEPH KELLY recently returned from a visit to Cuba as part of the XVI International May First Brigade of Voluntary Work and Solidarity with Cuba, breaking the US blockade against…
Battle of Boyley
A group of young skaters hosted a day of community celebration, skating and art at the Boyley Skatepark. All volunteers under 21, the Boyley Action Group worked with Xtrax and…
Changing Misconceptions
Brenda Finn, a charity ambassador who lives in Hastings is speaking out to encourage more people to respect and celebrate ; Brenda volunteers for Changing Faces, the UK’s leading charity…
Education Matters
Gareth Stevens introduces a new education section in Hastings Independent. The great American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer John Dewey once said that “Democracy has to be born anew every…
Hastings’ New Cat Mayor
ANITA KELSEY Since asking for mayor nominations of the feline kind I received a message from Connie Fox Richmond aged 10. She thinks her cat Mackerel should be mayor stating…
We Won’t Pay for Environmental Vandalism
KATY WEITZ They are the new refuseniks: individuals who have stopped paying private water companies for ‘wastewater services’ in protest at persistent sewage spills. They argue that while the water…
Tell Your Story for Hastings Refugee Week
This year marks the 25 anniversary of Refugee Week. To celebrate Story Time are accepting submissions of stories from refugees and people from migrant backgrounds on the theme of Compassion.…
Dance Charity Offers to Train New Recruits
Dance Hastings works to get the whole community engaged in fun social dance activities. They provide inclusive and accessible dance sessions with a focus on adults with learning and physical…
The Battle of Boyley
MERLIN BETTS A group of young skaters have organised a day of community celebration, skating and art at the Boyley Skatepark. All volunteers under 21, the Boyley Action Group has…
My First Date with Jack
SERENA FERRARI Ever since my partner and I moved to St. Leonards back in March, we’ve heard a growing buzz about Jack in the Green. From whispering rumours to outright…
Hastings Cat Mayor
ANITA KELSEY I think it’s time Hastings elected a cat as mayor. Our human mayor, James Bacon, thinks it’s a great idea! And there is precedent: in a quirky Alaskan…
Calling Blues Brothers and Soul Sisters
Sound Waves Community Choir is celebrating all things Blues, Soul and Motown at The Masonic Hall in East Ascent, St. Leonards, on Thursday 27 April, We will be bringing…