Archives for Community - Page 17
Painting with the Salts of the Earth
By Ben Cornwell January is often a month with little going on. Everyone is recovering from the chaos and celebrations of Christmas and New Year’s Eve: the weather is miserable,…
Highway to 2022
After reading newspaper article pointing out that two in three UK drivers were unaware of the imminent changes to the Highway Code, I did a mini poll at a New…
Borrowing Instead of Buying
Christmas is over and January sales are in full swing, but not everyone is rushing to the shops: some people are borrowing, giving or lending instead. One project at the…
Amazing Christmas Gift
Staff at a Bexhill-based holiday parks group have been described as “truly amazing” after they donated a whole van-full of gifts to a Hastings food charity. The comment was made…
Christmas Rituals
We all need rituals in our lives, and one that has been developing over our time in St Leonards is the Christmas Day swim from the beach – next to…
The Grocer’s Story
By Nick Glass Ken McClelland of St Leonards Grocery is retiring after 31 years. “Bloody Hell! That’s the end of era!” was the reaction of Brighton wholesaler, Andy Griffiths of…
Much-loved clubs need your support
The search is on for volunteers who can help bring stories to life and support others to access library services. Rhyme-time and Storytime sessions, homework club and code club are…
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…
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.…
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…
Horntye Park: Housing to pay for sports relocations
Hastings & St Leonards Priory Cricket Club and South Saxons Hockey Club have issued a joint statement in support of the proposed sale of land at Horntye Park for housing…
Enjoy a Medieval Christmas Concert
Sound Waves community choir presents A Medieval Christmas at All Saints Church in All Saints Street. What better setting to enjoy festive acappella singing than in this beautiful 15th century…
Hastings Musical Festival 2022
Entries Close 30 November 2021 Calling all amateur dancers, musicians, singers and spoken word enthusiasts in Hastings for the 2022 Musical Festival. Every year since 1908 there has been a…
Looking on the Bright Side Ten Years On
By Jane Metcalfe It’s widely acknowledged that singing is good for you: it lifts the spirits and brings people together. Being part of a singing group, small or large, gives…
Where to next for Hastings’ transition to Net Zero?
DR RALITSA HITEVA, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Sussex, looks at how Hastings fits into the ‘guilt-free utopia’ to Net Zero outlined by Boris Johnson. Just two weeks…
Music for Wellbeing
The Music Well provides music therapy and musical activities in the community and educational settings in Rye, Bexhill, Rother and Hastings & St Leonards. The aim is to improve outcomes…
Do you want to have your say?
There are many ways you can give your views and opinions on what’s going on locally. Hastings Independent is always happy to provide a platform, just email But there are…
Hastings Commons Diary
A semi-regular round-up of everything going on in the Hastings Commons By Andrew Myers WHAT IS HASTINGS COMMONS? It’s an ecosystem of organisations working together – Heart of Hastings, White…
Making the impossible possible
By Sherry ClarkChair, Transition Town Hastings Worried about how you’ll cope with post-COP26 blues now that two years of anticipation and two weeks of ‘blah, blah, blah’ draws to a…
Confused by COP 26?
By JULIA HILTON, Green Party councillor for Tressell and Old Hastings, and TONY COLLINS, Green Party campaigner The news is full of environmental doom as COP 26 unrolls. You may…
Barby Keel and Friends Save Animals
When his neighbour moved and abandoned their cat, BEN BRUGES knew he had to step in. His family already has an ultra-timid rescue cat who would never accept another, so…
Progress on Climate Change or just a Cop Out?
Scientists have known about the dangers of climate change for 50 years. Politicians were slow off the mark, but as far back as 1989, Margaret Thatcher had this to say:…
New Supported Accommodation for Young People
YMCA DownsLink Group, the South East’s leading youth charity, is opening a new 24-hour supported accommodation project for young people facing homelessness in Hastings. The new Hastings Foyer willprovide much…
Do Cars Dominate Your Street?
By Julia Hilton Green Party councillor Hastings has one of the lowest percentages of car ownership in the country: a third of Hastings residents don’t own a car and yet…
There’s a crack in everything
I find simple day-to-day things quite difficult, so having a car with a slow puncture was always going to be a challenge. But with prodding from my wife, I managed…
Dedicate a star to remember a loved one
With the festive season on the horizon, and 2021 drawing to a close, many of us will use this time to reflect on the year and remember family and friends…
What is Wonky WI?
By Jan Gray Simple answer. Wonky WI is your St Leonards based Women’s Institute! We meet on the first Wednesday of the month at The Taplin Centre on Upper Maze…
A Refugee Tale
By Christine O’Gara I volunteered at one of the Hastings Literary Festival events recently – the Kino 24th September – at which a panel discussed refugees in Britain and promoted…
West St Leonards: A Neighbourhood with a Plan
“The Localism Act 2011 is an Act of Parliament, passed during David Cameron’s period as Prime Minister”, explained Bryan Fisher of West St Leonards Forum, “And as far as I’m…
The Museum & Gallery needs your help
Hastings Museum & Art Gallery is looking for volunteers to help support the museum programme, working alongside the curatorial team to improve the care and documentation of the museum’s collections.…
Wayfinding Project to Launch
Hastings Borough Council is set to receive £200,000 to improve signage in Hastings. Called Wayfinding, it is part of the Hastings and Bexhill Movement Access Programme which is being funded…
A Local Magazine to Read and Reread
We’re certainly not short of things to read these days if we want to keep up with the news – what’s going on in the world around us or just…
Storytelling Festival emerges from the Zoomiverse
Hastings Storytelling Festival is back in the physical world this October with stories for all ages: it will be popping up in libraries, parks, cinemas, theatres, schools, pubs, halls and…
A Genuine Future for St Leonard’s Church?
St Leonard’s Church is a huge asset and yet it appears forgotten and forlorn set back from the seafront where regeneration is happening at an astonishing rate – whether in…
Climate Campaigners to deliver a Giant ‘Climate Fudge’ Cake to County Hall
County Council accused of declaring climate crisis as an emergency but failing to act on it after two years. Tuesday 12th October, , County Hall: Campaigners from across East Sussex,…
Hastings Tap Takeover
Lovers of exceptional beer and independent businesses have cause for great excitement this month, as the weekend of October 8th-10th sees the return of the town-wide, craft beer extravaganza Hastings…
Open Gardens 2021: A Huge Success
For anyone who missed St Michael’s Hospice Open Garden Season, it is well worth putting in your diaries for next year. Not only is it a wonderful opportunity to see…
Growing together at St Michael’s Hospice
ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: Live life as fully as possible with support from St Michael’s Hospice. Growing Together is part of the Wellbeing Programme at St Michael’s Hospice. The programme focuses on…
OPINION
Healthcare in Hastings The news is currently full of stories about food supply shortages – although I haven’t personally encountered that, perhaps because we tend to buy locally where there…
A Community Land Trust Without Land
The Hastings Older Women’s Housing team (HOWCH) bring you the latest on their struggle to set up co-housing in Hastings. For two years HOWCH has been negotiating with Hastings Borough…