Coronavirus: Community Support and Volunteering

I found a page on the Hastings Borough Council website that provides information for people who wish to volunteer to help the local community at this worrying time. In addition, an online application form that can be accessed for vulnerable residents of Hastings to request assistance for help at this time is linked too; the Council will liaise with organisations who can help to ensure the support is initiated (website).

Hastings Voluntary Action (website) are looking for volunteers who can help people who are affected by the Coronavirus and, if you would like to volunteer, you can access details and a link to register to volunteer your help at this page.

Furthermore, as you may well have seen or heard in the media, the National Health Service is also looking for volunteers, please go to this website for details of how to be a volunteer and a link to join NHS Volunteer Responders.

Be safe!

UNESCO Bid for Hastings

A cross-party initiative to make a bid for Hastings to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site (facebook) is being discussed this evening (Tuesday 15th January 2019) at Hastings Voluntary Action, Jackson Hall, Portland Place TN34 1QN, starting from 18.30 to 19.00 hours. The meeting is being hosted by Hastings Green Party and will discuss this proposal by looking at 3 areas, the underlying geology of Hastings Country Park, the first Norman Castle to be built in Britain on the West Hill, and the history of sea bathing in Hastings since the 18th century.

People's Pier Update & Crowdfunding

To begin with, further to my blog earlier this week, a Crowdfunding page has been set up on which to submit donations; if £500,000 is not raised by the end of May 2018, donations will be returned to each individual. If you have pledged support to the Friends of Hastings Pier, but have not submitted any money or cheques yet (apparently already £111,210 has been pledged, though not yet reflected in the amount on Crowdfunding), please carry through with your pledge there, though the amount donated does seem to rise every time I look at the page, good stuff!

Also, the 5 Friends of Hastings Pier members who were voted for after the meeting all received good support to represent the interests of the Friends of Hastings Pier as "spokespeople." Hastings Voluntary Action counted the votes, with a total of 377 people voting, of whom 291 voted for all 5 candidates, results: Jim Breeds 314; James Chang 324; Lesley Davis 332; Jess Steele 362; Adam Wide 340. 

The Friends of Hastings Pier's 5 principles behind their pledge to ensure the Pier is "enjoyed by all who live in and visit Hastings and St Leonards on Sea" are listed on the Crowdfunding page, and are copied below.

People get a say in what happens next: This community rescued the pier and have demonstrated a commitment to it through investing/donating as shareholders, volunteering, visiting and otherwise supporting the Pier. The community should be involved in deciding what happens next.

The community’s asset should not be sold off into private hands: Whilst financial support might be needed again in the short term, we believe that the Pier can be financially viable, indeed profitable, in the medium to long term. Selling off the Pier into private hands would be risky, irreversible, and will result in the loss of community control of a valuable and strategic local asset.

A partnership approach to ownership and operation is the way forward: We support an approach based on partnership between the community and a commercial operator. Ownership of the Pier’s freehold remains protected in perpetuity, fulfilling HLF’s desire to see the heritage managed, while a private sector operator develops its commercial success above deck, making annual payments that cover maintenance and insurance. We would expect to support the early years of the operation through a rent-free period which would require grants and community investment to fill the short-term gap.

Good results are underpinned by good governance: Decision making, transparency and governance of the pier must improve as an important part of making a community partnership work. Financial transparency, an improved governance structure and improved communications are all needed to underpin community engagement.  

 The Pier should remain a space that everyone can enjoy and take pride in: We know that some kind of shelter, new building or other development is necessary as part of an ambitious business plan for a 21st Century pier. We believe this can be done in a way that complements and does not compromise the wonderful space that won the RIBA Stirling Prize. 

Friends of Hastings Pier Meeting Report 23rd April 2018

I attended the meeting called by Friends of Hastings Pier yesterday evening, at the White Rock Theatre, met up with a fair number of like-minded friends, and was impressed at what must have been circa 500 shareholders and supporters in attendance. My notes are a bit hard to read as I'd originally written them on the paper that turned out to be the ballot paper for representatives to put forward the plans of Friends of Hastings Pier and the meeting to the Administrators, so I scribbled them down quickly, in poor light, before casting my votes! Anyway, to the meeting...

The meeting was chaired by Steve Manwaring of Hastings Voluntary Action, who handled very well the little friction that appeared over the two hours, and kept the discourse on the move appropriately. Hugh Rolo of Social Investment Business (website), and a shareholder, spoke about possible funding and stipulated the rising of the Pier 'from the ashes' was just the first phase of building this 21st century pier, and now we need to get to the second phase. Then Jess Steele passionately described to us how Friends of Hastings Pier see this second phase and described their plan, which looks at the business in a Bottom/Top way, the fabric of the pier (bottom) should be owned by the community, and the working business (top) should be a profitable business, most likely privately run, and pay rent to the Bottom.

Talking about passionate, next came, I think his name is Adam Wide, who previously worked for Openwide Investments for whom he helped to turn round the business of two piers, Cromer and Bournemouth (website), cruise ships, and who knows what else, to call him enthusiastic is an understatement. He looked lively, and many jokes were shared about his 'deckchair' shirt, but his enthusiasm got me thinking, yes, with people like him involved the Pier can make money! He suggested ideas about the possibilities for entertainment and activities on the Pier, and what would bring in the money for Phase 2, whilst Alex de Rijke, architect of the 21st century Hastings Pier, from drMM Architects (website), and winner of the 2017 RIBA Stirling Prize (see blog), showed us the potential for dynamic new structures on the Pier, including keeping a large open space for larger concerts, and promenading of course, and an innovative smaller structure which could hold up to 500 for indoor activities.

I can't do justice to the amount of excellent work put in by the participants, you really need to get in touch with the Friends of Hastings Pier, better, join them in their battle, apparently they meet every Friday on the Pier, or go to their facebook page or twitter page, or email them at friendsofhastingspier@gmail.com. 

As I alluded to earlier, there was little friction at the meeting, mostly strong support, one quite angry shareholder present asked why all shareholders hadn't been contacted, she hadn't found out about this meeting until she had discussed it with someone when she visited the Pier. However, when it was explained by Jess that it was the Administrators blocking Friends of Hastings Pier contacting shareholders, as they had the list of shareholders and wouldn't share the list (is this indicative of the apparent contempt the Administrators hold towards shareholders?), and she seemed placated. Though what this does show is that not everyone uses social media, so, if you know a shareholder who is unaware of what is going on, please share the knowledge and suggest they contact Friends of Hastings Pier urgently!

After a number of questions and answers, Jess Steele reiterated the 5 principles they had written down, one of which is that the Pier should not be sold off into private hands but be owned by the community. Indeed, as I've said before, it was private enterprise that nearly destroyed the Pier! She also explained that the Administrators need to extend the time limit for the £1million funds request (blog) to 30 days, to make this a more reasonable target, good luck with that!

Now, if anyone has money stashed by, or knows someone who has, or a business or charity that could pledge support, please get in touch with Friends of Hastings Pier at friendsofhastingspier@gmail.com and/or pledge at the same email address, subject: Pledge.