Hastings Jack in the Green Weekend & May Day

Yesterday morning I wandered into Hastings Old Town to take some photographs helping to map out how the 40th anniversary Hastings Jack in the Green procession develops, which I wrote about in a blog on Friday. Tomorrow, May Day, the main event kicks off when Jack is released from Hastings Fishermen's Museum (website) in Rock-a-Nore Road at about 10.15 usually. Jack is welcomed, there's a wee bit of music and dancing and twirling around, then the procession begins by heading westwards; see their website for further details of the event.

I am using specific landmarks, including the museum, which I've chosen as pubs en route that are using the Hastings Old Town Cup, as I mentioned in my blog, as a decent attempt to be more environmentally friendly this year, hopefully with significantly fewer plastic cups being thrown away. The first such pub the procession passes will be The Dolphin Inn, 11-12 Rock-a-Nore Road (website).

After passing by, the procession will then turn right and proceed up All Saints Street, where it will pass The Crown, 64-66 All Saints Street (website).

The procession continues up the street and reaches The Stag Inn, 14 All Saints Street (website), just before turning left to cross The Bourne; remember that much of the Old Town will be shut off to traffic for a while to enable the safe crossing, and the safety of the procession and the many members of the public who will be watching/following.

The procession will then continue down the High Street, passing The First In Last Out, 14-15 Hugh Street (FILO - website) before reaching...

The Jenny Lind Inn, 69 High Street (website), where by now participants will need a rest, and a few ales, with about a 45 minutes break at 11.30-ish. Following the break the procession then continues down and turns right to head up Swan Terrace, passing by St Clements church (blog) on the right, and then up Croft Road, heading for the top of the West Hill. Once there, partying continues, music, food and drink (bar run by the FILO), craft wares, including the event T-shirt, and, by now, necessary facilities for those who have already been drinking, phew!

By now you may have realised, not only did I not carry on up the hill yesterday, but that I'd actually been heading in the opposite direction all the time, whilst taking my photographs. I'd decided to have a couple of drinks out of a Hastings Old Town Cup (blog), just to provide you with a relevant image. The things I do for research. 😉

Oh yes, there was dancing around the old town and at the Stade, as I suggested (blog), for example at Winkle Island yesterday (website), above image. And similar today, also drums, and much more happening too (website).

Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and tomorrow's procession folks, which will look something like the photograph above! 👍

Hastings Traditional Jack in the Green 40th Anniversary

With the May Day public holiday actually falling on the 1st of May this year, what an excellent year to be celebrating the 40th anniversary of the revival of Hastings Jack in the Green (website). This evening (Friday 28th April) from 7.30 to 9.30pm at Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, Keith Leech will be giving a talk on the origins of Jack in the Green and the development of Hastings Jack. Then, until the culmination of the weekend on Monday the 1st of May, May Day, with the procession (above) that starts in Rock a Nore Road outside Hastings Fishermen's Museum, from where the Jack is released in the morning, and which ends up on the West Hill, where the Jack is slain in the afternoon, there is much merry making and dancing, and many drums banged, over the weekend (events), more to come...

Also, a reminder that on Monday pubs and bars in the old town will not be using glasses to serve drinks in, usually a police order, I seem to remember. Consequently, those horrible flexible disposable environmentally unfriendly plastic beakers will be used, but this year, similar to Fat Tuesday 4 years ago, a firm plastic cup will be used in 15 pubs and bars (above). They can be washed/rinsed and re-used again and again (I still use my Fat Tuesday one from 2019), and you will be asked to pay £2 to either buy your own, or borrow it for the day (deposit). Then you can move between establishments and/or drink outside, and, if you want your deposit back you can reclaim it at any of the 15 pubs and bars taking part; a great environmental decision, sensible recycling indeed, but I shall be keeping mine as a memento and to use for future events. 👍

Looking forward to Hastings Jack in the Green folks, cheers!

Oh yes, and you may see a few motorbikes too 😉

£2 Bus Fare Cap Continues to 30th June...

You may, or may not, have been aware that single bus fares in the country have been capped at £2 for most bus companies since the beginning of the year, originally to finish on the 31st of March, but this has since been extended until the 30th of June 2023 (Government website). It has certainly helped many people travelling by bus for whatever reason: Transport User Voice survey (Transport Focus).

Long may it be extended, again and again please! 👌

Casa de Pier Bar Restaurant is open on Hastings Pier...

The Casa de Pier Bar Restaurant is now open on Hastings Pier (facebook) for coffees and snacks, and the 'Mediterranean' kitchen open for lunches and dinners from 12.00 noon until last orders at 9.00pm/21.00 hours.

Hastings Foodbank

Sadly, foodbanks appear to be a sign of the times this century, and Hastings Foodbank (website) continues to remain desperate for certain items, including:

UHT Milk, Full Fat and Semi-skimmed;

Tinned Meat (but not corned beef or pork);

Tinned Vegetables (especially peas and carrots);

Tinned Fruit;

Coffee.

Also required are:  Toilet Rolls;

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

Tinned Fish;

Tinned Potatoes;

Tinned Rice Pudding;

Jam;

Fruit Juice.

At the moment they have plenty of  tea, pasta, cereal and baked beans.

There are Foodbank donation points all over Hastings, and full details of addresses and opening times are at the website, and include the 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), and Nationwide Building Society branches. 

Let's not forget those less fortunate than ourselves, especially if some of us have eaten too much chocolate at Easter, not guilty, your honour! Remember that people using the excellent service that Hastings Foodbank provides include nurses, other health service workers whose pay isn't as much as the Government pretends it to be, and other keyworkers, people who were being heralded during the Pandemic as heroes and applauded on doorsteps on Thursday evenings... 

Respect to those who deserve it👍

Hastings Pier Update

I have now walked on Hastings Pier for the first time this year and was very pleased to see someone fishing from the east side of the pier, nice one, and I just saw on their facebook page that there is a dedicated area for fishing between 09.00 and 18.00, at a fee of £6 for one rod and £10 for 2 rods 👍  

Otherwise, there's still plenty of empty space, as you can see from my photograph, although there has been a fairground for small children at the end nearest land, the other side of the Deck Pavilion, way back there! Oh yes, and a French Bistro and bar looks far away from what I could see in the pavilion, and they still appear to be working on the west pavilion/Italian Restaurant, but there are a number of huts now taken up.

👌

Happy Ēostre!

By Steve the Beermeister 

 

Happy Ēostre, or Easter, well, nearly there, and schoolchildren are on Easter holiday, but my first Easter ale of 2023, maybe my only one? Ēostre was the Pagan/Anglo-Saxon Goddess of Spring and Renewal, the festival celebrating her was 'Christianised' following Pope Gregory setting forth a mission in the late 6th century to convert Pagans to Christians, later superimposing Christian festivals onto Pagan festivals (thefield). 

Anyway, onto the ale itself, imbibed at the Dolphin Inn, Kent (website) Ēostre (4.2%), an uber Citra ale really, hops that you like or don't, I do like them indeed! Citra is a hop from the USA, but with a complicated heritage, used by many brewers nowadays, but brought into Britain first by Oakham Brewery, and sometimes very difficult to get hold of because of its popularity. The hop's heritage includes Hallertau Mittelfruh, Tettnanger, Brewers Gold and East Kent Goldings (Hopslist). 

The ale certainly has a very fruity aroma and taste, primarily citrus, but with a hint of forest fruits too, very pale golden colour and clear, with a refreshing crisp dry bitter finish, I love it!

Cheers and Happy Easter! 

Photo ID required to vote from the 4th of May 2023!

Please remember that from the 4th of May 2023 you will need photo ID to vote in elections (gov.uk). If you do not have one of the approved photo IDs copied below (list obtained from that website), or the photograph on your ID no longer looks like you, or it doesn't have your name the same as detailed on the Electoral Register, then you can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate at the website.

You will need one of the following types of photo ID to vote:

• a UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence (full or provisional)
• a driving licence issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man or any of the Channel Islands
• a UK passport
• a passport issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or a Commonwealth country
• a PASS card (National Proof of Age Standards Scheme)
• a Blue Badge
• a biometric residence permit (BRP)
• a Defence Identity Card (MOD form 90)
• a national identity card issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
• a Northern Ireland Electoral Identity Card
• a Voter Authority Certificate
• an Anonymous Elector’s Document

You can also use one of the following travel passes as photo ID when you vote:

• an older person’s bus pass
• a disabled person’s bus pass
• an Oyster 60+ card
• a Freedom Pass
• a Scottish National Entitlement Card (NEC)
• a 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
• a Disabled Person’s Welsh Concessionary Travel Card
• a Northern Ireland concessionary travel pass

Please do not lose the right to vote folks! 👌