More congratulations to Hastings Pier!

Congratulations to Hastings Pier, the Hastings Pier Charity, and to the people of Hastings, and others, who have supported the Pier of the Year and her regeneration, it has won another prestigious award, the 2017 RIBA Stirling Prize (website)! The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) president, Ben Derbyshire described Hastings Pier as a "stunning, flexible new pier... a masterpiece of regeneration."

For more information, have a look at the BBC website, here's hoping that this award encourages more investment in the Pier and congratulations to the architects for again putting the People's Pier of Hastings on the map!

A Quiet(er) Weekend in Hastings...

To help fund St Michael's Hospice, a dozen private gardens are opening in the Old Town to the public today, from 10.30am to 4pm for just £5, which can be paid at any of the gardens, and maps are available too (sponsored by Crest House). Whether in the twittens or main thoroughfares, and there are some short steep walks as you would expect in the old town, you will see terraces, ponds, flowers and shrubs, rowan and olive trees, art and stunning views, and so much more! Go to the hospice website for full details, and well worth your support, as well as enjoyment.

Meanwhile, over at Hastings Pier, the National Pier of the Year has been nominated for the country's top architecture award, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Stirling Prize. The 49 winners of the 2017 National awards were whittled down to 6 contenders, including Hastings Pier (see website for further information), good luck to the Pier! Whilst talking about the pier, the Pavilion has still not opened for food, though drinks are being provided there, and food can be obtained from the Upper Deck and at the smaller kiosks/huts. Events this weekend include Family Workshops, and the film Grease is being shown this evening from 8.15pm (see website).

And so much more around town, museums and parks, music and pubs, the castle and aquarium, and promenading along the seafront, whatever, enjoy your weekend!

Hastings Pier Summer Opening Times

Just discovered that the Summer Opening Times began this weekend, that is, from 10am to 8pm throughout the summer months; staying open later for special events. Also, I see that Hastings Pier has received 3 RIBA awards, that is, awards from the Royal Institute of British Architects; see website, congratulations!

Hastings Pier Weekend

The Dynamic Psychic & Craft Feelgood Weekend Fayre: 

This "fayre" will offer a variety of crafts and 'psychic services' on Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st of May 2017, 11am-6pm. Stallholders will include Natural Health Products and services, Beauty products, Jewellery, Health options, Book sellers, Tarot readers, a Crystal ball, a Palmist, Curiosity sellers, and much more; see website. 

Of course, there will also be the usual facilities, bars, cafes/restaurants, chippy, and on Sunday, from 2pm, Hannah's Cat Morris Dancers! Seen very recently? Go to website.

Or just have a nice promenade along the People's Pier!

May Day and Jack in the Green

Refreshments will be served all day at the RNLI Hastings Lifeboat Station. Pop in there and enjoy a cuppa and a cake, see the lifeboats and browse around their well stocked shop! 

May Day fun may also be had at the People's Pier of the Year, including plenty of food and beverage outlets available, and music, motorbikes and scooters from the 1960s! See their website for more details, and details of all events on Hastings Pier. 

Of course, the Pier isn't the only place to see motorbikes this May Day, but thousands will be coming into Hastings, notably to the Pelham Beach car park, which is always closed to other road users on this one day of the year. The arrival of motorbikes is heralded quite early in the morning, when they can be heard coming into town down Queens Road, down both London roads and along the beach road too; another reason to welcome May Day!

OK, to May Day, indeed, and this is May the 1st for a change, and to the Jack in the Green procession, and all that surrounds the event... The Jack will be released from the Fishermen's Museum in Rock-a-Nore Road at 10.15am, according to the programmme, and the procession goes on from there, I'll be in the Dolphin Inn from 9am, because I can be, and I shall bring my own tankard, and, if you don't want to drink out of a plastic beaker, bring your own drinking vessels too! Much more happens before, during, and after, when it arrives at the top of the West Hill, and the Jack is slayed, not far from the bar on the hill! For more details of what else does happen, go to the website.

Enjoy the day, and I should too, cheers! 😉

Saturday, Sunday...

I'll write again tomorrow about Monday and its events, from the Pier of the Year to the Fishermen's Museum, from whence the Jack will emerge at 10.15... Meanwhile, the Pier continues with its usual activities, and tomorrow will see Morris Dancing on the Pier (website), as a friend posted on facebook earlier, "The bells, the dreaded, unavoidable bells will be heard all over the town." 

Which leads us to the Jack in the Green festivities themselves (website), with, yes you've guessed correctly, even more Morris Dancing, today (Saturday) at Winkle Island from 12 noon until about 4pm, music all over the place, the annual 'special service' at St Clements Church tomorrow at 10am, and the "Drum Off" at Butlers Gap, also tomorrow, at 4.30pm.

So, all this, in addition to the usual Hastings musical, and other, events, and building up to May Day, and... Well, have a good sleep tomorrow night, I'll be down at Rock a Nore by 9am to witness the growing crowds and dressing up, not to mention the arrival of thousands of motorbikes at the Pelham Beach car park, and to drink a few ales!

Remember, drinking from glass is banned in the old town during the festivities on Monday, so be prepared to drink out of plastic, or, more sensibly, bring your own pewter tankard like I shall, cheers!

A Quieter Weekend, 22nd-23rd April 2017, perhaps...

Well, it should be a quieter weekend following Easter last week, and in-between that and May Day and next weeks Jack in the Green Festival (website) Friday 28th April to Monday 1st May, with music and fun all weekend... 

Anyway, this weekend could provide the opportunity to have a walk along the seafront to Bexhill and visit the excellent De La Warr Pavilion, with a last chance to see the free exhibition that ends 1st May In a Dream You saw a Way to Survive and You were Full of Joy, plus, until June 18th George Shaw's My Back to Nature, also free. I visited a couple of weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised, considering what it costs to see a similar number of paintings/sculptures at the Jerwood! See the De La Warr's website for these and other events, or just visit to enjoy the building itself and/or have a coffee and one of the tasty cakes they sell! 

Or, if you'd prefer a shorter stroll, walk out and promenade on the National Pier of the Year 2017, which appears to be quiet this weekend too, though a drink or a meal there isn't such a bad idea; see website. And pubs and clubs will continue with their usual music sessions from St Leonards through to Rock-a-Nore, Hastings Fishermen's Museum, Rock-a-Nore Road in the old town is always worth a visit (website), crazy golf, Alexandra Park, or just walk along the Promenade, whichever, enjoy the relative peaceful weekend, next week will be more demanding! 😉

Hastings Pier Wins 2017 National Award!

This news is so hot off the press that, at the time of writing, it's not even on the National Piers Society's (NPS) own website yet! So, Hastings Pier has been voted in as the National Pier of the Year 2017, with the NPS president, Gavin Henderson praising the pier as "truly a phoenix!" Go to the BBC website for an excellent article.

Excellent news, congratulations must go to the Hastings Pier Charity, trustees, volunteers, indeed, congratulations to the people of Hastings for supporting the People's Pier!