Hastings Kelp Project

Good luck and best wishes for this project! I'll cut & paste below their message to the Hastings in Focus facebook page, explaining the project, and share here the Hastings Kelp Project website and their Crowdfunding page:

'An exciting new nonprofit-making organisation project is starting in Hastings! The aim of the organisation is to 'rewild' the coastline from Hastings to Pett Level beach with kelp seaweed forests for the wildlife, the oceans, the planet and the future and put Hastings on the map as a green hotspot in the UK!

We'd love to kick it off with local funding and support and are offering all local businesses the chance to advertise and show their care and devotion to the planet with just £100 to promote their business on our website and social media top 250! Do you care about the planet? The oceans? The wildlife? The future for your children?

Research has shown that seaweed can produce 70% more oxygen and absorbs carbon more effectively than trees with estimations up to 175 million tonnes of C02 stored each year. Through photosynthesis it absorbs this huge amount of carbon and it disposes this to the bottom of the ocean, storing it forever, helping us, helping the planet, helping the future.

Kelp forests provide an environment and habitat for a wide range of fish, mammals, birds and invertebrates from starfish and anemones to seals and dolphins through to shrimps and lobsters. Kelp forests provide a nursery for juvenile animals to grow and stay safe, protected from storms and predators as well as being an essential part of the food chain. They are a natural buffet for many birds like the gulls, egrets and terns and which feed on the small and abundant crustaceans. The safety and nutrition from the kelp forests help wildlife flourish.'

Register today, or lose the right to vote on the 2nd of May!

If you want your name to be added to the Electoral Register, go to the Government website, where you can register online, or, again, lose the right to vote. You have until 11.59pm TODAY, that is Tuesday the 16th of April 2024 to register, and don't forget, a General Election is due within the next 9 months.

Also, you now do need to take photo ID if you want to vote at the local elections, and for Police & Crime Commissioner, on Thursday the 2nd of May 2024, and whenever the General Election is held. If you turn up at the polling booth without photo ID, you won't be allowed to vote, so get it now if you don't already have an acceptable method of ID, and don't want to lose your right to vote.

Acceptable photo ID includes an original (not photocopied) Passport, Driving Licence, Older or Disabled Persons' Bus Pass, Freedom Pass, other Concessionary Travel Cards and SmartPasses, PASS Card, and EEA ID cards. For full details of acceptable photo ID go to the Electoral Commission website.

If you don't have any photo ID that qualifies, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, providing you are on the Electoral Register, at the Government website.

This policy was introduced last year, if you want further details, and of how it went for elections last year and by-elections, go to this Parliamentary Research Briefing.

For further details go to the Electoral Commission website. 👍

Don't lose your right to vote folks! ✔

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!

3 Weeks Until Local Elections

You've probably all received poll cards by now, but you don't need to take your poll card with you to the polling station, however, you now do need to take photo ID if you want to vote at the local elections, and for Police & Crime Commissioner, on Thursday the 2nd of May 2024, and whenever the General Election is held. If you turn up at the polling booth without photo ID, you won't be allowed to vote, so get it now if you don't already have an acceptable method of ID, and don't want to lose your right to vote.

Acceptable photo ID includes an original (not photocopied) Passport, Driving Licence, Older or Disabled Persons' Bus Pass, Freedom Pass, other Concessionary Travel Cards and SmartPasses, PASS Card, and EEA ID cards. For full details of acceptable photo ID go to the Electoral Commission website.

If you don't have any photo ID that qualifies, you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, providing you are on the Electoral Register, at the Government website.

If you want your name to be added to the Electoral Register, go to the Government website, where you can register online, or, again, lose the right to vote. You have until 11.59pm on the 16th of April 2024 to register, and don't forget, a General Election is due within the next 9 months.

This policy was introduced last year, if you want further details, and of how it went for elections last year and by-elections, go to this Parliamentary Research Briefing.

For further details go to the Electoral Commission website. 👍

Don't lose your right to vote or forget people lost their lives fighting for your rights! 

Oh yes, and what a waste of taxpayers' money, the Government should have had the General Election on the same day as the local elections, just have the one day's costs not 2 in a year! Plus it would have been interesting to see how local councils changed with a larger turnout than usual, oh well...😒

Strange Bale House Decision!

Recently, the Grumpy Cook stopped trading at the Bale House, up on Hastings Countryside Park at Fairlight, when their agreement was terminated, very strange too! I'll copy & paste what the Grumpy Cook say, and this link gets you to an online petition that was set up by customers from Hastings and Fairlight, and tells you what they think. Sign if you agree, and please pass on the message, many thanks!

Dear all

As some of you will know we have recently stopped trading at The Bale House.

It has now been confirmed by Groundworks South who operate The Bale House that our agreement with them has been terminated.

The reason given is I failed to inform them that I transferred from a Ltd Company to a Community Interest Company (Not for Profit)

In essence transferring to almost charity status and putting all of our profits to helping the people of Hastings is obviously a very bad thing to do.

That aside the team and I would like to thank all of the customers who have visited us for nearly three years and indeed many of you are now friends. We are terribly sad it has ended this way, and as they say life goes on.

We will still be trading and doing our work from our cafe in the town centre, so it’s not goodbye it’s just cheerio from the Bale House.

Take care and we hope to see you soon in town…our work continues.

Team Grumpy x