Lions Hastings Pier Limited in Adminstration!

Has the man no shame?!? It has been reported that Lions Hastings Pier Limited has gone into administration, a legal way of rich shareholders shirking responsibility... Although the Pier should continue to run as it is at the moment, ownership remains with Gulzar. A meeting of creditors, including Gulzar as a creditor, has been called for Thursday the 3rd of August (Hastings Online Times).

A fair assessment of circumstances is given by Hastings Online Times.

I nearly swore when I found out! 😖

Don't forget Pfizer Vaccine is available at a Pop-Up Clinic today!

Yesterday

Don't forget, as I said in my blog yesterday, the Pfizer vaccine is available TODAY (16th July) in front of the ex-Debenhams in the town centre (blog) between 11.30am and 6.00pm. No appointment is required, adults of all ages are welcome, but please take with you a form of identification and your NHS number, if you know it; if you have already had your first dose, please leave 8 weeks before your second dose.

For further details of vaccinations and tests locally see Hastings Online Times.

Stay safe folks, it ain't over yet!

More Pop-Up Covid-19 Vaccinations!

 

Because of the rise in Covid-19 cases locally, as I explained in my last blog, and due to the uptake in Hastings of vaccinations being below the national average, local authorities are, justifiably, panicking a wee bit, so more pop-up/emergency places are available to get vaccinations from today (thank you to Hastings Online Times).

This includes Pfizer vaccines being available TODAY and TOMORROW (15th and 16th July) in front of the ex-Debenhams in the town centre (blog) between 11.30am and 6.00pm. No appointment is required, adults of all ages are welcome, but please take with you a form of identification and your NHS number, if you know it; if you have already had your first dose, please leave 8 weeks before your second dose.

For further details of vaccinations and tests please see Hastings Online Times.

Be safe folks!

Waking up to Tier 3

So, Hastings has entered Tier 3 and to being one of the worst areas in the country regarding its incidence of COVID-19, from being the safest area in England and Wales a little over a month ago (blog), how did that happen, and so quickly?!?

I must praise them for the quality of the article, and give thanks to Hastings Online Times for the above image (HOT), and for statistics new to my blogs. As I said recently, Darrell Gale, the Director of Public Health for East Sussex, reported that the "number of people with new cases of Covid has doubled in the Hastings area" (blog). Indeed, the rate in Hastings is now the equivalent of 370 per 100,000 (the average rate for England is 172/100,000) having risen from 31 per 100,000 just weeks ago!

Not wishing to blame anyone, which is in no way my intention here, but the statistics we are usually confronted with give no indication of who is being effected by the virus most, or in which areas it is worse. So it is interesting to be provided with such figures, and to find that the West St Leonards and Hollington areas have the most cases locally, whilst the West Hill and Old Town have the fewest. 

Also, Gale suggests a 'mixed bag' regarding the age groups most effected, with many cases "in 10-19 year olds that are connected to school outbreaks, and the majority of those cases in that age group are males... But then, in the other age bands it's the 30-59 year olds with females being (of a) far higher prevalence than males in Hastings."

Whatever the prevalence, though, the figures show that no-one is safe, indeed, people from all age groups, male and female, have contracted the virus. Therefore we need to remember to continue safe practices, the vaccine isn't anywhere near widely available enough for us to rest yet, certainly we are nowhere near 'herd immunity' either.

So, look after yourselves, wash your hands regularly, maintain social distancing of at least 2 metres, and continue to wear face coverings where appropriate, be safe folks!

Hastings Lifeboat, Volunteer Vacancy, Isabel Blackman & More News

I was out earlier today, enjoying my exercise walking along the seafront, and took this 'moody' misty pier photograph (above), still closed of course, and mulling over what I should write about today. Well, I've been thinking for days now of updating regarding the COVID-19 Crisis, Lockdown and Tier 2, but I wanted to see what else the Government is offering the 100-odd Conservative MPs who are suggesting they may rebel tomorrow unless the Government provides evidence of why areas in Tier 1 before the second lockdown are rationally being placed in Tier 2 from Wednesday, and what other help the Government may provide to the Hospitality Sector, which appears to be the only sector not being allowed to reopen, unless they meet the 'substantial meal' proviso. Indeed, even Santa's Grottoes are being allowed and carol singing is to be allowed! What does the Cabinet/Scientists have against the Pub Trade in particular, which before the lockdown had worked hard to successfully implement the 'COVID-19 Safe Surroundings' requested by the Government's rules (Campaign for Pubs)? Anyway...

So, giving the COVID-19 Crisis a miss for the moment (I carry on about it a wee bit a wee bit further down!), I'll move on to Hastings Lifeboat, their television appearance, and an important volunteer vacancy that has been announced. First, we should all be aware of the lifeboat's involvement in Storm Ciara earlier in the year (BBC), but were you aware that this incident was included in the BBC television programme Saving Lives at Sea last week? Go to the BBC website to catch up on iPlayer if you missed it.

With regard to the vacancy, the Volunteer Fundraising Group Leader for Hastings RNLI is being sought, and with many thanks to Sue who has held this position for many years now... This rewarding role includes raising awareness and to create ways of raising funds for the RNLI  and our local lifeboat (website).

Other news includes the scaffolding that has been at the end of George Street for eons (a wee exaggeration) has now been removed, as Councillor Bacon assured us it would be recently on his twitter feed, following the building being 'made safe.' You will appreciate that this photograph wasn't taken today, but yesterday. 😎 

Even better news, the Isabel Blackman Centre in Winding Street has been saved from extinction, having been bought by a consortium of community groups following a long campaign that helped to gain the required funding, as reported by Emma Harwood in Hastings Online Times; go to their website for the excellent full report.

Oh yes... Happy St Andrew's Day! 

Sadly True

Leader/Editor Comment:

Finally! The COVID-19 Crisis, and a few relevant updates I thought I should share from other media sources, as you will be aware if a regular reader of mine, I am not exactly complementary about the Government's handling of this crisis (for example this blog), nor its incompetent, perhaps corrupt, waste of £ billions of taxpayers money and, notably, Hastings going from the safest local area, with the lowest incidence of COVID-19 in England and Wales, to being designated in Tier 2 two weeks later (blog). However, these links provide some relevant further reading, make up your own minds:

The R Rate is now below 1 (BBC), a fact which is supported by the highly respected Imperial College React-1 Study, of over 100,000 people this month, that estimated the R Rate to have fallen to 0.88 (BBC), whilst the nationwide incidence of COVID-19 has fallen by 30% since Lockdown Two began in early November! 

Oh yes! And just how reliable are the stats regarding infection rates? Another report highlights that during the 19th and 23rd of November, 1311 people were noted as testing 'positive' but the test results were actually void (BBC), and that figure, and who knows how many other errors, has obviously been included in deciding what Tiers local areas should go into. Complete and utter ineptitude...

Hopefully I can provide more positive news soon, but whatever, please remember to carry on being careful folks, wear face coverings where appropriate, maintain social distancing of 2 metres, and wash your hands regularly. Be safe! 

If you've got down to here I am impressed 😉 Look after yourselves!

Coronavirus Statistics: Covid-19 and Hastings

I must give credit to Hastings Online Times (website) for their excellent research and presentation of the statistics concerning the incidence of Covid-19 in Sussex, East Sussex, Hastings, and in each area of Hastings! Quality work... As can be seen, and I'm keeping my fingers strongly crossed here, the incidence is significantly lower than in the rest of Sussex, and even more so, the rest of the country. I trust this is partly due to the responsible nature of local folk, as well as a result of the tremendous work of NHS staff and all other keyworkers, and our heartfelt thanks goes to them.

It is not over yet, so we must remain ever vigilant and respect each other, maintain sensible 'social distancing' and restrict our closer interaction with others, not forgetting to regularly wash our hands, particularly before going out, and on returning home, from out exercising, shopping and other necessary reasons for being out of our homes.

We're not there yet, folks, so let's keep on being sensible, respect to you all!

Fresh Fish still available.

Library Photograph

Reading Hastings Online Times earlier, I noticed an article written by Chandra, fresh fish is still available from the huts along Winch Road, behind the fish market. Chandra reminds us that fishing boats are still going out from Hastings, and that fresh fish is still available to purchase here, not to mention the enterprising sons of Mick, Paul and Rob, offering a delivery service for those who cannot make it down to the old town, or who are self-isolating at this time. For more details please read Chandra's article on the Hastings Online Times website.

The ingenuity of Hastings folk, eh? Be safe folks!

Please feel free to add a comment if you know of similar happenings.

For Government advice about Coronavirus go to the website.

Hastings Fish brand

You may have seen articles about the Hastings Fish brand, or known it was launched at the recent Seafood & Wine Festival (Hastings Borough Council website), but I was made very aware of the brand when I witnessed an enthusiastic representative from Hastings Fish interviewing a local chef who has supported and championed the local fishing industry. Indeed, locally sustainably caught fish has been championed, even against the wishes of those customers who frequently would prefer having cod in their fish supper, even if it is only available out of season as unfrozen cod caught by Russian or Chinese fishing boats (see their facebook page for many interviews and features). 

If you see the brand label above, you can be assured that the fish used in that establishment is locally and sustainably sourced whenever possible, but ask if you have any doubts. The contradiction that EU funding is supporting the brand and Hastings fishing industry, despite most members of the local fishing community campaigning to leave the EU, would be ironic if written into a play! However, £800,000 EU funding to support Hastings fishing fleet was secured by the Council earlier this year (Hastings Online Times website). This is a source of money that won't be available in future, indeed, the Chancellor Philip Hammond at the Conservative Party conference just this week has reiterated there are many more years of austerity to come...

You can find out more about Hastings Fish at their website.

Ecclesbourne Glen: Is there something to hide?

An excellent read I saw on Hastings Online Times today (website), and all this secrecy only adds to the suspicions... 

Why is Hastings Borough Council spending £thousands fighting openness? 

What has it got to hide? 

What has Rocklands got to hide?

Why is nothing being done to repair the damage caused by the landslips, thus continuing to prevent local people and visitors from exploring this part of Hastings Country Park Local Nature Reserve, which is owned by Hastings Borough Council (website), "the largest area of public open space in the borough" ? Yet much of it is no longer 'public open space' to the people of Hastings!?!

Why is it all taking so long?!?

There are more questions than answers!