She recalls, “I always loved swimming and, up until a few years ago, my husband and I would go to aqua aerobics together. Sadly, I lost Mike in 2021 and then having the stroke I thought my swimming days were over – but thanks to the team at Hastings Court I was wrong.”

Dee is one of a number of residents who take part in weekly sessions at Crowhurst Holiday Village, which has kindly opened its pool and specialist equipment to allow residents, including those with reduced mobility, to enjoy the freedom of floating in a pool once again.

It was the idea of Dan Peacock, Lifestyle Coordinator at the 80-bed home. Dan says: “I was at the pool myself one day and noticed a hoist, and it dawned on me what a great opportunity this would be for the residents at Hastings Court. There are so many health benefits that come with swimming, and it would be an ideal activity for us as a home.

“I approached the manager at Crowhurst Park who agreed we could bring groups from Hastings Court to use the equipment and go swimming – for many it was the first time in over a decade they had been in a pool.

“It has been a huge hit with many telling me it is a highlight of their week. Being so free in the water helps those with mobility issues and I have noticed residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s seem more lucid and calm after a session in the pool.”

Dee is now able to walk with two sticks thanks to the regular sessions. But she says she had to be persuaded to take the plunge: “I wasn’t the first to sign up for swimming as I was worried I would sink, but with the encouragement of the team and my fellow residents, I gave it a try and it was the best thing I ever did.

“At the pool there is a special chair to help me into the water and as soon as I get in I feel totally relaxed. With the help of a couple of buoyancy aids, called noodles, I’m free to move around wherever I want to go. I’d forgotten the feeling of weightlessness you get in water – but I soon remembered how to move around, and I was off!”

Dee admits, “Sometimes we stop off in the pub on the way home – I think we’ve earned it!”

By Lee Humphries

Next Thursday 21 July, award-winning partisan poet Matt Broomfield will visit Hastings’ St Mary in the Castle Café to perform work from his debut poetry collection. Brave little sternums: poems from Rojava was written in and about the remarkable women-led, direct-democratic revolution which is flourishing in Syrian Kurdistan.

You may have seen images of the ‘Kurdish women fighting ISIS’ who are the most visible icons of the revolution, or recall the devastating Turkish invasion and ethnic cleansing which followed the withdrawal of US troops in 2019. Broomfield witnessed and wrote about both of these conflicts.

As a professional writer and journalist, Broomfield’s role was to help co-found the Rojava Information Centre, the region’s top independent news and research source. Almost all the poems in the collection were written in and about his time and experiences in the revolution – as well as the two months he spent in detention in Greece. 

The poet told HIP: “I was fortunate to risk far less than many other local and foreign volunteers and to see the revolution from many sides, in many places, alongside many people. It was the most humbling, challenging and moving experience of my life.”

Kurdish-English translator David Shook says: “It’s clear that these poems were written on the ground, in community and conversation … an essential contribution to the literature of Rojava.”

Top Iraq war poet Brian Turner adds: “Beneath the cynic’s hard gaze is a deep and abiding love, one that arrives from the interior of history, one that speaks passionately about fundamental issues of justice and human dignity in verses so restless and disturbed the page can barely contain them.”

UK poet Anthony Anaxagorou simply says: “There hasn’t been a collection like this for years.” 

• Matt Broomfield will be performing at St Mary in the Castle Café, Hastings, at 6.30pm, alongside local poets Lucas Howard and Dee Howard, in association with Printed Matter Bookshop. £2 on the door, redeemable against any purchase of Brave little sternums’ or another book.

Dee is a regular reader at Sheer Poetry, the open mic spoken word nights that happen every third Thursday of the month between 6-8pm at Hastings independent bookstore, Bookbusters. If you have seen her perform, you will know how passionate she is about social issues, both local and global, and how deft she is at putting these across with a fine balance of seriousness and humour. Foodbank Britain encapsulates her altruism in print.

There are twenty poems here, some personal, most compassionate. A poetic introduction from our mayor Cllr Nigel Sinden sets the tone. Dee cites a performance by Attila the Stockbroker as an inspiration to write about the issues ,that concern her. The chapbook begins with mostly rhyming poems, sometimes couplets, but soon veers into free verse, proving Howard can do both.

In this chapbook we have poems addressing poverty, homelessness, global warming, the origin of St Leonards, invisible illness and more. It’s not gloomy, simply uplifting in its awareness. If you are already a grass roots poetry fan, I recommend this chapbook. If you are new to poetry, then this is a good place to start. If you want to support some of the disadvantaged in our community, buy this book and spread the love.

• Foodbank Britain is available from Bookbusters and other outlets. The price is a minimum of £3 but please give more if you can afford it. All profits go to Hastings Foodbank. If you would like to know more or order copies to sell to friends and colleagues to help raise money for this (unfortunately) essential cause you can contact Dee by email: dee-howard1066@hotmail.co.uk