Waste & Recycling, and Leaks!

I've been away for a break celebrating my birthday and when I returned, this leak in St Andrews Square is still there and uncovered; they know about it, obviously, they did this work there weeks ago, but not a big enough leak for them to worry about, I presume. Meanwhile water is being wasted and 3 car parking spaces, in an area with precious parking spaces, cannot be used!

From Hastings Borough Council: "If you use pink sacks for your recycling and have run out, there are now more in stock at Muriel Matters House. You can collect these from main reception during office opening hours. You just need to give your address when you collect them. You can also use any plastic bag other than black bags to put your recycling in for collection.

Your waste and recycling should be left outside your property on the morning of your collection day. You can check your collection day using our online checker at the website."

Muriel Matters House Re-Glazed

Yes, Muriel matters House has been re-glazed after the destruction of the windows (blog), I wonder if Hastings Borough Council has any money left in the kitty now?

Perpetrator in Custody & Muriel Matters House Reopens!

As I said in yesterdays blog, someone must have been upset by the Council, and that person is now in custody, I believe. Presumably kicked off the day before, and caught on CCTV, not only silly, but expensive too, for us, and for him/her!

Anyway, the windows are all boarded up now, so artificial light will be the order of the day there until new windows are installed, at our expense! I spoke with one of the lads boarding up, obviously nice emergency payout for them, and looked at the notices later on, which have to be exhibited so that the public is aware of what is going on, plus legally, for notice of the general election on the 4th of July (blog). As you can see below, Muriel Matters House is due to reopen today at 09.00.

Someone Is Upset!

Muriel Matters House this morning, windows to the side attacked too, but no other building nearby... I suspect someone is unhappy with the Council! The glass didn't shatter, despite what looks like a strong attempt, but glass this strengthened cannot be cheap, and we, the council tax payers, will be forking out for their replacements sadly.

Please Don't Forget Hastings Foodbank, Especially Nowadays!

I've just been reminded after reading a post from the Council, that Hastings Foodbank (website) is desperate for certain items:

UHT Milk, Full Fat and Semi-skimmed;

Tinned Meat (but not corned beef and pork);

Tinned Vegetables (especially peas and carrots);

Tinned Fruit;

Tinned Spaghetti in sauce.

Also required are:  Toilet Rolls;

Toiletries (shower gel, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste);

Tinned Fish;

Tinned Potatoes;

Tinned Rice Pudding;

Fruit Juice;

Tea and Coffee.

There are Food Bank donation points all over Hastings, and full details of addresses and opening times are at the website, but they include:

HBC Community Contact Centre (Muriel Matters House), The Hastings Centre (The Ridge), Tesco Extra (St Leonards), Sainsbury's (Station Approach), Asda, Tesco Express (Havelock Road), Morrisons, NatWest Bank (Havelock Road), all Nationwide Building Society branches, and I presume at Sainsbury's (Sedlescombe Road)! 

I realise times are getting hard for all of us, and look like they will be getting even worse, but let's care for each other folks, notably for those worse off, many thanks!

Stay safe and look after each other... 👍

Hastings Pier, Borough Council & Covid-19 Updates

Taken this morning & it's locked up!

Well, I imagine most will have heard by now that the shiny seasonal suggested Winter Wonderland is not going to happen on Hastings Pier before this Christmas and over the New Year, so no ice skating (facebook page). I don't suppose many will be that surprised, I certainly ain't! What is it about the (mostly corrupt it appears) people running things in contemporary times, why are so many totally incompetent too?!? 😕

Oh yes, and I forgot to mention the other day that Pink Recycling Bags are now available at Muriel Matters House in Breeds Place; I spotted plenty of them inside this morning when I looked through the window. Also, among the many pieces of useful information on the Hastings Borough Council facebook page are appropriate links and information regarding temporary accommodation for rough sleepers over the winter, help and advice for people suffering from mental health problems and loneliness, and assistance for those with money problems and short of food. Plus, a reminder that applications to the Foreshore Trust Large Grant programme for charities must be submitted by 12.00 noon on the 6th of November. 

So why was I out and about early this morning taking photographs of a locked-up empty pier, ignoring my insomniac tendencies? 😉 Well, despite Hastings being well under the R rate/whatever that is these days (as I said in my recent blog), and, despite most of our local businesses, and most local people, being sensible regarding the COVID-19 crisis, our incompetent and corrupt leaders (see what I mean about people running things in contemporary times), are considering another lockdown! OK, we all want to fight this virus, but they've had 7/8 months to set up an efficient Test & Trace programme, which they've paid out £billions for to private companies that haven't done the business, rather than to local Public Health Authorities as required for notifiable diseases (Government website). That is, wasting £billions giving our taxpayer's money to rank amateurs with no experience of testing and tracing (corrupt?), rather than to health/local authorities with years of appropriate experience... 

Sorry, but that's why I was out earlier, I felt rather low, and angry... 😣

Hastings Seafood & Wine Festival 2018 this weekend.

This weekend sees the annual Seafood & Wine Festival (for details go to the website), admittance for the entire weekend is £2 in advance from the Information Centre at Muriel Matters House, or £3 on the door; please note the Jazz Breakfast with Liane Carroll on Sunday is already sold out! The weather forecast looks fine (Met Office), so it should be an enjoyable weekend!

Town Centre & Bohemia Action Plan

Hastings Borough Council is holding another consultation exercise, this time relating to their Hastings Town Centre and Bohemia Area Action Plan (website). The consultation finishes at 4pm on Monday 24th of September 2018, and you can see details and acquire comment forms at the Tourist Information Centre, Muriel Matters House, Breeds Place, and the Community Contact Centre at the Town Hall, Queens Square, or online at the website. There is plenty of information to read, and plenty of opportunity to comment on the Action Plan; if you want to share your views with the Council you've plenty of time until the 24th of September, so get going!



Hastings Midsummer Fish Festival 2018 this weekend.

Saturday and Sunday the 23rd and 24th of June sees the Midsummer Fish Festival again return to the Stade Open Space, from 11.00 to 18.00 both days; entry for the whole weekend is £2 on the door (under 18s free), £1 in advance from the Tourist Information Centre at Muriel Matters House, 2 Breeds Place TN34 3AA (website).

Food and drink, music and dancing, cooking demonstrations, children's activities, free face painting, and much more, means fun for all the family, enjoy yourselves!

Hastings Seafood & Wine Festival 2017 this weekend!

OK, there's so much going on at the moment, what with Arts, Music and Fringe Festivals, but, this being Hastings, we've another festival this weekend, the 2017 Seafood & Wine Festival at The Stade! Obviously, seafood and wine, but so much more, tastings, cookery demonstrations, champagne breakfasts, music, and the usual mini-beer festival provided by the FILO Brewing Company, together with other local ales, ciders, lagers, and, of course, wine (the Beermeister hopes to be able to provide a list of the ales available asap, if possible I shall publish more details). Tickets for the festival are £2 in advance, cover both days, and can be bought at the Tourist Information Centre on the ground floor at Muriel Matters House, or bought 'on the door' for £3; the breakfast on Sunday costs more too, with entertainment, as usual, provided by internationally famed Liane Carroll. See website for further details.

And I apologise for the fuzziness of the above photograph, but it was very windy yesterday early morning, but this evening, in the 'music tent' at the Stade Beach, music kicks off the weekend with Super-Ska Night. OK, not as selective as this, and without the pressure or missing words, but here are samples of a band I saw many years ago (video and video), this is ska! Tickets are £8.50 in advance from the Tourist Information Centre at Muriel Matters House, or £10 on the door.

Enjoy the weekend!

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, made in Hastings!

Here's an atmospheric styled photograph of the cover of my copy of the Hastings edition of Robert Tressell's (used name Robert Noonan, born Croker) The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. Tressell lived and worked in Hastings for nearly 10 years at the beginning of the 20th century, indeed, he wrote this book whilst living here, it was based on his work as a painter and decorator in Hastings and contemporary social conditions, and the town was renamed Mugsborough in the book, though, essentially this was Hastings.

Similar view taken yesterday

The Hastings edition is a complete unabridged version, and contains excellent photographs of both Noonan and his daughter Kathleen, and many intriguing images of contemporary Hastings from just over 100 years ago. It is still available from the Visitors Centre at Muriel Matters House, though numbers appear to be receding fast, and apparently can also be bought online for £2.99 + £2.25 p&p; go to the Famously Hastings website.

Hurry, hurry, hurry!

Stolen Art from Rebel Gallery

Stolen... from the Rebel Gallery, 29 George Street (01424 425786), believed to be at least 4 or 5 limited edition prints from the browser in the gallery. If you are offered any cut-price Huldrick limited editions, or see anyone trying to sell them, please let either the gallery know, or call the police.

They believe that the prints taken include the following: 

"Red, White and Blue" Edition number 90/250

"The Stade · Hastings" Edition number 157/250

"Edward and Mary" Edition Number 106/250

"Stormy Stade" Edition Number 87/250

The works should be easy to notice as they are usually only sold direct from the gallery, or from the Tourist Information Centre at Muriel Matters House, consequently, if you see them anywhere else, they are most probably stolen!

Good luck with that Jon, trust they are found soon.

News...

News from Hastings Old Town Residents' Association's Spring 2017 Special Newsletter, and not only concerning the old town...

There's more in the newsletter than this blog contains, but, some news and information I thought are worth sharing include that Hastings Borough Council's Aquila House is now called Muriel Matters House, named after the Australian-born suffragette who lived for 20 years in nearby Pelham Crescent from 1949 to 1969 (though it still said 'Aquila House' on the outside of the building this morning).

Important for people living in the old town is that revised plans have been submitted to the council's planning committee for the 'Rock a Nore Surgery' at the old Ice House; that is, a health centre for 2/3 GPs, treatment rooms for physiotherapy etc, a pharmacy, 'healthy eating' cafe, gym, and possibly a dentist and/or an optician.

There are proposals for a new free play facility at the west end of Pelham car park; it is hoped that a 'water play' area will be open this summer (don't hold your breath!).

Parking Income: This was something I wasn't completely aware of, but, the seafront car parks are owned by the Hastings & St Leonards Foreshore Charitable Trust, Hastings Borough Council own the Bourne and other off-street car parks, and on-street parking is operated by a contractor on behalf of East Sussex County Council... Interesting, indeed!