Sad News, Good News, and Entrepreneurial News...

Walking up to the station earlier and what did I see? NOTHING on the island in front of the railway station and bus terminus, yet another empty space sadly...

Where, up until recently, Jimmy Toller's retired fishing boat RX53 Dorothy Melinda was situated (blog), lack of money apparently again being the culprit, as it was allowed to fall into disrepair, sadly. Thoughts with you Jimmy, R.I.P. 😞

Wednesday Low Cost Menu

Despite what happened at the Bale House (blog), the 'not for profit' Grumpy Cook Hastings, 1A Robertson Street TN34 1HL (facebook), continues to help those more needy, vulnerable and lonely. They also provide training opportunities for people to work in the hospitality sector. Nice one, keep up the good work, my respect!👍

An early reminder that Jack in the Green 2024 is to be soon upon us, that is on the public holiday for May Day, Monday the 6th of May 2024, but with the events for the weekend starting on Friday the 3rd of May (website).

For those readers who are entrepreneurial leaning, the seafront kiosk on the promenade above Bottle Alley (blog) is again up for renting. The Council has asked for 'Expressions of Interest' by 5pm on Tuesday the 23rd of April 2024 at the latest (website). You have a little over a week to apply, good luck!

Easter in Hastings, and more to come!

If you'd like to explore Hastings fishing quarter, the Stade Fishing Quarter Guided Walk returns this Saturday and Sunday (website), organised by the Old Hastings Preservation Society (OHPS). Meet up at 11am both days, outside Hastings Fishermen's Museum in Rock-a-Nore Road (inside if raining, though not expected to rain this weekend) ready to explore the net huts, fishing industry and beach, and learn the history of this hundreds of years old industry for a walk of up to about 90 minutes. You are advised to wear suitable footwear and clothing, and if you have any special mobility needs please contact the Fishermen's Museum in advance. This used to be a free guided walk dependent on donations, but now costs just £4, and is delivered by a volunteer. Great to see the return of these walks!

Of course there is much more to do over the weekend, for all ages, eg see Hastings Pier's facebook page, and, as I said last week, for most Sundays there is free live music on the pier too (blog). For further details of events this weekend, see Hastings Easter Festival website, or go to visit1066country.

If you've wondered what this (above) was, situated by the Hastings Contemporary Art Gallery, indeed, which arrived during the evening of the 31st of March, it is the Green Lady, and the harbinger of Hastings Traditional Jack in the Green, which returns to 'normal' over the May Day weekend this year (website). Incidentally, this week the gallery was accepted as a donation from the Jerwood Foundation to Hastings Borough Council; it will continue to be run by its current local management.

Have a good extended public holiday weekend folks!

May Day Weekend in Retrospect

I took 4 days off social media over the weekend, but did carry on walking out into Hastings Country Park, and avoided the town centre and old town, mostly.  What I did see was my first Goldfinch of the year, well 2 actually, such an attractive bird (blog). 

About 6 fishing boats were out on Sunday morning, presumably had been overnight...

And the flag flyer up Barley lane flew an appropriate flag for a Hastings May Day!

And some people did dress up, including Bogie Men, Milk Maids and Beer Fairies!

n, 

Not exactly the 'Jack'  but better than nothing- the last 2 photographs were shared with thanks to the Dolphin facebook page, cheers!

Oh yes, and more than a few thousand bikes turned up!

May Day 2021

Jack in the Green and May Day 2021 appear to not be occurring 'officially', as I said in a blog a couple of months ago, but we are being encouraged to dress up still, just no parade, fair enough! But there will still be stuff online (facebook), and who knows what else may happen... My contact has said that the Bike1066 event is definitely off too, but I have heard rumours that bikers are very likely to turn up and, if not the 30 or 40 thousand that often turn up, there is likely to be more than a few...

So we won't be seeing the famous Jack in the Green procession for a second year running, nor the biking event, but places are open, particularly outside, so whatever, enjoy May Day, whether you support the pagan traditions celebrating the return of Spring and/or International Workers' Day, comrades, or just want a drink! 😉

Please, though, do not forget we are still in a pandemic, so be safe people!

May Day's Off! Jack in the Green Online again, sadly...

Well, Jack in the Green is going online again this year (facebook), so, no coming together of merry people on the streets of Hastings to celebrate May Day for the second year running. This COVID-19 Crisis is really getting to me now, we haven't celebrated any day or any festival since the Fat Tuesday before last! I've checked to see if Bike1066 is still going ahead this year (cancelled last year, obviously, sadly), but nothing mentioned on their website yet, except from last year which says 'postponed until May Day 2021' (website), but don't hold your collective breath...

Oh yeh, remember the good old days when there was something going on every weekend, and I reported on it, well, nothing planned for yet another weekend. 😢

Stay safe folks!

Deserved Congratulations to Virtual Jack!

Before I congratulate the Virtual Jack procession, I must say I was impressed with the ribbons and greenery adorning the doors and buildings in All Saints Street in particular on Sunday, but nice one to everyone who participated!

And, reading from the Hastings Traditional Jack in the Green facebook page, just over 20,000 people watched the Virtual Jack 'live zoom procession' and just over £3,000 was raised for 'NHS charities.' Congratulations! 👍

Pretty please, can we have a proper Jack in the Green in 2021...

#HastingsVirtualJack2020 

Hastings Virtual Jack in the Green continues!

I walked home via High Street rather than All Saints Street this morning, and found nicely, and appropriately, decorated homes this side of The Bourne too! 😊

And so Hastings folk continue to make the most of the 'lockdown' and celebrate May Day and Jack in the Green by keeping up this tradition, and the rest online:

Not forgetting that Hastings Traditional Jack in the Green (facebook) has organised a Live Zoom Procession for tomorrow afternoon, subsequently, if that interests you and you want to join in with the Main Procession tomorrow, apparently you need to register at the WebZoom website. Enjoy!

#HastingsVirtualJack2020 

Hastings Virtual Jack in the Green 2020 and Bike1066

You'll not be seeing this

Jack in the Green, eh?!? Thousands of visitors to Hastings for May Day every year (blog), people all dressed up and make-up applied, traditional parade, alcohol imbibed, music and dancing, what is there not to like? Well, first, the Government tried to ruin the day by cancelling the May Day public holiday, and moving it to the Friday to celebrate the end of WWII in Europe, rather than just have an extra public holiday in 2020; oh the irony of Government not wanting the British people to have an extra day off this year!

 You'll not be seeing this either

Then Mother Nature's turn, with a virus called Covid-19, a Coronavirus, apparently from the same group that also contains the 200 plus viruses that cause the Common Cold. Well, we've seen what's happened since then, the wettest month in recorded history, February 2020, followed by wall-to-wall sunshine, and we're not allowed to go out in it, except for certain reasons (Government website)! So, Hastings Traditional Jack in the Green has been cancelled, understandably, for 2020 (facebook).

Presumably only close family will see her

But what you may see is:

OK, maybe not Bob himself, but people adorning the outsides of their homes and businesses, because, Hastings folk (and anyone else, for that matter, you definitely do not have to be in Hastings for this one!), Jack in the Green is going virtual for 2020 (facebook), as in, going online, and personal! Hastings folk are being encouraged by the organizers, starting on the real May Day itself, Friday the 1st of May 2020, to "dress up, decorate your houses with greenery, and join in the virtual parade by sharing pictures, videos and messages, via your social media channels using the hashtag #HastingsVirtualJack2020 " 💖

Also, not seeing this on May Day

The annual Bike1066, which usually sees over 40,000 motorbikes come to Hastings every year has also been, postponed, as in to August, to not only celebrate 'Victory in Europe 1945' but also 'VJ Day.' All things being well, it is planned for thousands of motorbikes to visit Hastings on Saturday the 15th of August 2020 (website).

So, all is not lost, despite the machinations of Government and Mother Nature, Hastings is still going to Virtual Party! Ain't no stopping us now!! 😉

#HastingsVirtualJack2020 

Hastings Jack in the Green begins...

So, Hastings Jack in the Green begins at 8.00pm this evening (Friday 3rd May, see website) with a 'raucous' Folk Session in the Stag Inn, All Saints Street. Then continues tomorrow from 12.00 noon with (Morris) Dancing on Winkle Island, more folk music from 2.00pm at the Stag Inn with Rattlebag (though they will have already been 'busking' around the old town from 11.00am), and from 8.00pm a Ceilidh at St Mary in the Castle, Pelham Place, and a Magpie Lane folk concert at St Clements Church, High Street. And so much more to come Sunday and Monday!!

Saturday in Hastings, Photographs & A Bit More!

Good morning! I'm actually starting off yesterday's images at where I last took a photograph, just before I entered the Cinque Ports Arms in All Saints Street, where Harveys Sussex Best Bitter and Fullers ESB were both enjoyed, cheers!

The Crown, All Saints Street

Earlier, in the town centre with the Isle of Man TT simulator situated just in front of Debenhams, see the Bike1066 website.

Then I wandered along the seafront to Hastings Pier, for which, as you will have seen in recent blogs (for example), there is a Friends of Hastings Pier campaign to raise money to keep the Pier in community ownership, I've pledged a contribution towards the Community Ownership Bid at Crowdfunding, if you have any money to pledge too, please do, the people of Hastings and visitors who love the Pier will be extremely grateful, many thanks!

Still on the Pier, which sees Hastings Pier hosting aPIERtite (website) over the 3 day holiday weekend, much too much going on to mention all of it here, but there's free admission, street food from all over the world on offer, an eclectic range of music (here the stage is being set up and decorated with greenery), and other entertainment, not to mention promenading on the award winning People's Pier! 

Pavilion Restaurant with Greenery

I then wandered eastwards and took this early doors photograph of the Bike1066 Breakout Zone (website) at the Stade Open Space.

The Wall of Death!

Oh yes, still too early to visit the pub, but plenty of interesting motorcycles turning up to whet your appetite for tomorrow (Monday) and the 40th Hastings May Day Run!

Happy May Day!

Oops! I missed May Day greetings, I apologise, however, on Monday and over the weekend before we do have the Jack in the Green festivities, I'll say more soon but, in the meantime, the Jack in the Green website holds all required information!