Hastings Pier Reopens & COVID-19 Latest Guidance - 1st April.

According to posts on the Hastings Pier facebook page, the Pier reopens tomorrow, Friday the 1st of April, honest, not a joke. 👌 Although, on the sidebar of that page it says it is open now, as I write a day earlier, maybe that is a joke!?! Whatever, I decided to share the news about the Pier reopening and the latest guidance about COVID-19 today, just in case anyone thought I may be joking tomorrow, that being All Fools' Day, so this blog is most definitely serious, and I shan't be blogging tomorrow...

The Bier Garden will be back, food in the Pavilion will now be provided by Rockpool Bar and Grill, and much live music will return too; details can be found on facebook. Spring opening times will be 09.00-21.00 Sundays to Thursdays, and 09.00-23.00 on Fridays and Saturdays; so Hastings Pier gates should be open tomorrow at 09.00!

I share below the basics of the latest Government advice, Living with Covid (Step Whatever!), particularly that free Lateral Flow Tests are no longer available free to the general public. For much more information and advice go to the Government website.

• Free COVID-19 tests will continue to be available to help protect specific groups including eligible patients and NHS and care staff once the universal testing offer ends on 1 April and next steps for adult social care set out
• Plans in place to enable rapid testing response should a new health threat emerge, such as a new variant of concern emerge
• Vaccines and treatments mean we can transition to managing COVID-19 like other respiratory illnesses, with updated guidance published on 1 April

People at risk of serious illness from COVID-19, and eligible for treatments, will continue to get free tests to use if they develop symptoms, along with NHS and adult social care staff and those in other high-risk settings, Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid announced today (Tuesday 29 March).

Free testing for the general public ends on 1 April as part of the Living with Covid plan which last month set out the government’s strategy to live with and manage the virus.

Oh yes, and definitely not funny, English NHS staff can wave goodbye to free parking from tomorrow (BMJ), whereas MPs continue to get free parking (parliament website).

Not to forget that energy prices are rising exponentially! 😒

Stay safe folks, and enjoy the Pier!

RNLI Lifeboats Remembered

Earlier today I revisited the final resting berths off the 2 historic lifeboats that welcome people as they enter Hastings 'Old Town' via Old London Road. The first boat is the 100 year-old Priscilla MacBean, which was pulled up The Bourne on the 15th of November 2014 (blog), exactly 86 years to the day after the sad tragedy that befell her sister lifeboat the Mary Stanford of Rye, and the loss of her 17-strong crew (RNLI). So, really the stories here are not just about the 2 lifeboats berthed in this part of the 'Old Town' but of 3 lifeboats and their brave crews, plus fourth and fifth lifeboats, the one we now have in Hastings, the Richard and Caroline Colton, and her predecessor the Sealink Endeavour (blog), and the brave volunteers and crews who help to save and preserve lives more recently in Hastings and nearby waters, 5 lifeboats, and many more...

The second historic lifeboat you reach when coming down Old London Road into The Bourne is the 'Ghost of Dunkirk' the Cyril and Lilian Bishop, which helped to evacuate troops from Dunkirk near the beginning of World War II. She was also pulled up from the seafront a few years later, this time up through All Saints Street in June 2017 and is now berthed below All Saints Church on the corner with Harold Road (blog).

With much respect to RNLI lifeboat crews and volunteers past and present...

Springtime and Clocks Spring Forward!

Well, last Sunday was the first day of Spring, the Spring Equinox (blog), and many signs have appeared of Spring arriving, including my seeing my first primroses of the year, sadly only spotted from upstairs on a bus to Rye, as I haven't been walking in the countryside for a while now, I must do better! But gulls and other birds are nesting, and I have even seen a butterfly a few days ago, and a wasp yesterday!

Also, on the last Sunday in March the clocks go forwards 1 hour, that is, from 01.00 hours tomorrow morning the clocks go forward, so losing one hour (Govt website).

I recommend changing clocks before going to bed tonight. 😉

And maybe it's time to just stay with GMT all year round? Just saying...

Hastings RNLI Lifeboat - Seeking Jewellery Donations for Sale!

Hastings RNLI Fundraisers continue to raise funds for Hastings Lifeboat Station (website), indeed, a Jewellery Sale is planned for October, all money raised will help "save lives at sea" and would be very much appreciated.

"If you have any jewellery you would like to donate please pop into our gift shop for our volunteers who run the event." (Facebook page).

As ever, with respect to the brave men and women who crew the lifeboats,  beach support workers, and to all those who support them, mostly unpaid volunteers!

Hastings Half Marathon 2022 Results

James Baker & Rachael Mulvey*

I didn't make it to the Hastings Half Marathon 2022 (blog), sadly, as I had another event to report on (blog), but I'll make a point of not missing next year's event, all being well, and fingers crossed! James Baker was the first athlete 'home' in a time of 1 hour, 10 minutes and 12 seconds, congratulations James! Whilst the first female athlete 'home' was Rachael Mulvey in a time of 1 hour, 22 minutes and 18 seconds, congratulations to Rachel too!

Indeed, congratulations to all those who took part, whether organising, supporting, or the excellent souls who ran the Hastings Half Marathon, I am always in awe! The first 3 to finish in the men's and women's categories are below, but full results can be found at the Sport Systems website:

Men's: 

1st James Baker, Chichester Runners & AC, 01:10:12;

2nd James Stockings, Woodford Green AC, 01:11:34;

3rd Chris Mason, West 4 Harriers, 01:13:37. 

Women's:

1st Rachel Mulvey, HY Runners, 01:22:18;

2nd Linda Schofield, Brighton & Hove City AC, 01:22:53;

3rd Ellie Baxter, Tonbridge AC, 01:23:10.  

And again, warm congratulations to all!

*With many thanks to Justin Lycett and Frank Copper, and the Sussex Express (website) for the image, cheers!

Trip to the Ukranian Club in London Yesterday

Buckingham Palace

I travelled by train to Charing Cross yesterday, sadly missing the Hastings Half Marathon (blog), but with the realisation that the war in Ukraine is becoming a bigger and more significant conflict the longer the Russian invading military force doesn't win an overall victory... But, back to my visit, and I walked the route from Charing Cross station/Trafalgar Square, and back, first of all crossing the Square to The Mall, and then up to Buckingham Palace (website), the official residence of the monarch since 1837.

Buckingham Palace was originally bought in 1761 by George III for his wife Queen Charlotte. However the palace was not lived in by any monarch until Queen Victoria moved there in July 1837, shortly after the death of William IV and her accession to the throne. George IV and William IV had instigated alterations and its enlargement, with further work carried out and enlargement in the 1840s after Victoria had married Albert. More historic details can be read at the Royal Residences website.

I passed the northern side of the Palace and continued up Constitution Hill to Hyde Park Corner, and across to Hyde Park, where I immediately walked westwards on entering the park. I passed Hyde Park Barracks, also known as Knightsbridge Barracks. This was where another sad result of military conflict occurred in 1982, when an IRA bomb was detonated with the resulting deaths of 4 members of the Household Cavalry, more wounded, and civilians injured too, and the deaths of 7 horses.

Soon after, I reached the Albert Memorial, commissioned by Queen Victoria after the death of Albert in 1861, and unveiled in 1872 (Royal Parks website) a year after...

... the Royal Albert Hall was opened by Queen Victoria in 1871 (history on website). I continued westwards just inside the park until I left at the south western corner below Kensington Palace. Then I walking along pavements for the rest of the way, first, westwards to Kensington High Street, soon turning right into Kensington Church Street and up to Notting Hill Gate. I then turned left onto Holland Park Avenue until I reached...

... the statue of St Volodymyr (also known as St Vladimir, the Grand Prince of Kyiv, or Vladimir the Great), which stands on a corner of Holland Park Avenue in West London, close by Holland Park tube station, and the Ukrainian Club (website), which I visited, and the Ukrainian Institute. St Volodymyr was a major player bringing the Russian peoples together in the 10th and 11th centuries. He had been a 'pagan' who converted to Christianity for 2 reasons, it appears. He believed that a single deity would help the unification of the Rus' tribes rather than having many pagan deities, as in Christian Byzantium (Constantinople), and he was only allowed to marry the sister of the Byzantine Emperor Basil II if he converted to Christianity (Encyclopedia of Ukraine). 

Anyway, he ensured the unification of, and the conversion of the Rus' people to Christianity, and was canonized in the 13th century. The statue above has become a symbol of the Ukrainian defiance of the Russian imperialist assault on Ukraine, as you can see from the photograph above, taken yesterday.

Also, in Trafalgar Square yesterday, though you wouldn't know about it from the mainstream media, there was a large rally in support of Ukraine, as advertised on the Ukrainian London website, and as can be seen in this video recorded yesterday.

A sad irony is that St Volodymyr is also the patron saint of Russia...

First Day of Spring!

Happy Spring Equinox! (almanac) "If I ruled the world..." every day would be the first day of Spring, apparently... Yes, today is the first day of Spring, and the weather appears to be supporting this premise, enjoy the Hastings Half Marathon too (previous blog), if attending or running, best wishes to you all! 

The Hastings Half Marathon 2022

Start/Finish

The last half marathon in Hastings was 3 years ago now (blog), with a virtual half marathon in-between, but the half marathon proper returns to Hastings this Sunday! Organised, as usual, by Hastings Lions Club to raise money for various charities, the 2022 Hastings Half Marathon starts (finishes here over an hour later too) in Sea Road by West Marina Gardens this Sunday 20th March at 10.30 am (website).

Route Map

Spectators are welcome all around the route (pdf map), so please feel free to find a spot and cheer on the runners as they pass by; the fastest time in 2019 was 1 hour, 10 minutes and 56 seconds, but conditions look decent with a reasonably favourable weather forecast (Met Office), so could be a wee bit faster, consequently, take into account when deciding where you wish to watch and support the runners. 

Best wishes and good luck to all competitors!

Covid-19 ain't going away! Hastings with High Incidence...

Well, I've heard many people say we've the highest incidence in the country, but I cannot find the evidence to support that claim exactly, not that I want it to be true... But we are definitely high up in the figures since the Government decided to ease restrictions (blog) in England! According to the Government stats, as reported by the BBC, hospital admissions are rising, and the incidence in Hastings per 100,000 in the week to the 7th of March 2022 was well above the average in England of 465, ie 751!

Worryingly, looking directly at the Government figures for Hastings today (website) it has become even worse than that, whilst the BBC figures stated that there were 695 cases in Hastings last week, now the number of confirmed cases in Hastings for the week up to yesterday has risen exponentially to 1,011...

Folks, please stay safe, and try to do your bit to stop the spread in Hastings!

Council Tax Increases Again for 2022/23

It doesn't look great for us this year, financially, with our Council Tax Bill 2022/23 increasing in Hastings by 4.07%, made up of an increase in the Hastings Borough Council of just 1.99%, increased to 4.07% because of the Police, Fire Authority and East Sussex County Council Adult Social Care precepts added to the total council tax.

Council Tax Bills should be sent out to us this week, and all households in Bands A to D will receive a £150 Council Tax Rebate in our bank accounts in May if Council Tax is paid for by Direct Debit; if you don't pay by Direct Debit go to this council website page for further information.

The trouble for many will be that, when increases in the State Pension rate, for example, were declared in October, the inflation rate was at 3.1%, thus pensions will increase by that amount in April (Government website), whereas the inflation rate is quickly rising above the 5.4% it had already increased to by January, and the Bank of England (website) expects it to rise to 7.25% by April!

So, if taking account of the astronomical increases expected in energy costs following ofgem's price cap increase for next year (website) and with world gas and oil prices increasing, notably following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the resulting sanctions on Russia (yahoo news), food prices and energy costs will go through the roof, and inflation is likely to increase even further!

Of course, the £150 Council Tax Rebate is a Government scheme to help us with increasing energy costs, together with a £200 loan we will be given this Autumn via the energy company we use; this is called a "discount" by the Government (website), but is in fact not a "discount" as we have to pay it back over the next 5 years, presumably added to future energy bills.

So, things do not look so great for us financially, start economising folks!

It appears Covid infections in Hastings are increasing...

I'm not surprised, particularly as legal restrictions were removed by the Government recently, and we more recently experienced the very lively Hastings Fat Tuesday Music Festival, but the rates of Covid-19 infection in Hastings appear to be rising, from an already higher than the national average figure. As reported by the BBC, based on NHS England figures, for the week ending the 7th of March, the number of people in Hastings recorded as being infected with Covid-19 had risen from the previous week by 198, and was 286 higher than the national average per 100,000 of 465.

So, as we were aware it wouldn't, Covid-19 has not gone away, indeed I've continued to wear a face mask in shops and when travelling on public transport, as I believe it is more with respect to other people's fears, the effectiveness of face coverings preventing the spread of the disease, and I've always regularly washed my hands. Anyway, it's not time to feel completely secure against the pandemic, so stay safe folks!

It will be interesting to see the next week's figures... 

The Death of the Queens Arcade Beckons...

The historic Queens Arcade in the town centre has been slowly dying sadly, indeed, this was the homeplace of the birth of television (Love Hastings), ever since it had to be auctioned off by the charity that used to own it (Hastings Online Times). If you've walked through it over the last couple of years you will have noticed that various businesses are no longer there, now including the butchers, deli, cafe, hairdressers, and many more! And now, sadly, the family fishmongers, that has been trading there for over 80 years is reluctantly joining the exodus, moving to a market stall (Sussex Express).

The rather ghostly scene you now see inside the arcade (above), apparently, because the new owners are increasing the rents so much that businesses cannot afford to continue trading there. The new owners must have a plan for the arcade different to its current purpose, but how long will we need to wait to find out what planning permission gets presented to Hastings Borough Council? Sad times...

Sad Distraction...

After the wonderful distractions of the excellent Hastings Fat Tuesday Music Festival, I am now distracted by events in Ukraine, and in Russia! Whilst the news of the escalation of violence in Ukraine, not to forget the deliberate assault on a nuclear power station with Russian rockets/bombs is so very scary (BBC), the news coming out of the violent prevention of protest against the war by Russian police adds anger to the mix, notably when an older woman, Yelena Osipova, who survived the siege of Leningrad by the Nazis during WWII, is arrested for protesting against the war (Guardian with video).

My thoughts and best wishes are with the people of Ukraine... 

Fat Tuesday Tour This Evening!

Tuesday the 1st of March, today. is the day, Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday, whatever you call it, and Hastings hosts the biggest Mardi Gras festival in Britain: 24 acts will be playing at the following 12 venues mainly in Hastings Old Town:

Albion, 33 George Street TN34 3EA;
Hastings and St Leonards Angling Association, Marine Parade TN34 3AG;
Carlisle, 24 Pelham Street TN34 1PE;
Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road TN34 3DW;
Dragon Bar, 71 George Street TN34 3EE;
First In Last Out, 14-15 High Street TN34 3EY;
Jenny Lind Inn, 69 High Street TN34 3EW;
London Trader, 4-7 East Beach Street TN34 3AR;
Lord Nelson, 1 East Bourne Street TN34 3DP;
Porters Wine Bar, 56 High Street TN34 3EN;
Pumphouse, 64 George Street TN34 3EE;
Royal Standard, East Beach Street TN34 3DW.

Each of the 24 acts will play 20 minutes sets in 3 of the venues, and each venue will have 6 acts, from 8.00 pm until 11.00/11.30 pm; please go to the Hastings Fat Tuesday website for greater detail for each act and each venue. In addition, from 8.00 pm until 1.00 am, opposite the Lifeboat Station at East Hastings Sea Angling Association, The Stade TN34 3FJ, will be the Reggae Room Party.

If you want to be play it by ear, just walk around the Old Town and don't be surprised by the quality of free live music available, have fun and party. I'd recommend people consider their favourite venues and what they sell drinks-wise, consider who they'd like to see, then decide on getting to one venue early, and stay there, venues will be busy!

If you still have energy to carry on, the Fat Tuesday After Party is from 10.00 pm until 3.00 am at The Brass in the town centre, 18 Havelock Road TN34 1BP (website). Go to the link to purchase tickets from eventbrite which cost £11.01 (£10 + booking fee).

If you haven't already read it, more about Mardi Gras in last Wednesday's blog.