Hastings Week is one of those special times, unique to this town, ranking alongside the May Day weekend and Old Town Carnival Week as bringing out the very best that our community has to offer.
As always, the volunteer Hastings Week Committee, led by Chairman Dorothy Clements, put together a wide ranging programme catering for all tastes:- from bonfire to the national town criers championships, from the Opera South East Concert to the music of the 1066 Jazz Club, from Robert Tressell and Catherine Cookson walks to a needlecraft exhibition. there was even an appearance of the Millennium Flame this year!
Although the opening ceremony was damper than we would have liked, the town escaped the flooding which affected much of Sussex during the week. Virtually all of the many events planned were able to go ahead, and the various voluntary organisations in the town all played their part. And special mention must be made of the youth groups, many of whom joined in the celebrations throughout the week long festival.
the opening ceremony, the Gonfalon ceremony, and the closing ceremony were a wonderful combination of civic pride, pomp and circumstance, and community involvement, with young banner bearing Brownies walking alongside the standard bearers of the Royal British Legion.
With so many events going on it is impossible to name them all, but what makes the week so special is that there is something for everyone, organised by so many different community groups. these included the junior section of the Multiple Sclerosis Group, and the choir of Claremont School: nor must be forget the senior citizen Painting Competition.
the climax of the week must have been Hastings Day itself, Saturday 14th October. With the 48th National Town Criers Championship, the arrival of the Millennium Flame, the re-enactment of the battle at Battle(!), the Order of 1066 Award, the torchlight procession, bonfire and fireworks display, it was certainly a day to remember.
the move of the Town Criers Championship into Priory Meadow appeared to be a total success, with hundreds of spectators enjoying the sight, as well as the sound, of the Town Criers during the day. Michael Wood from East Riding, Yorkshire, was a popular winner.
Town Crier Champion - Michael Wood
the re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings survived the weather, with over 1000 volunteers taking part, in what was apparently the largest re-enactment taking place in Europe this year. the participants came, literally, from all over the world, it was a real experience to wander around the site before the battle to hear authentic Norman (French!) and Saxon (German) voices, as well as Danish, Dutch, and various other languages!!
the Order of 1066 was awarded to Mollie Green for her tremendous charity work, covering the NSPCC, Arthritis & Rheumatic Council, the Fellowship of St Nicholas and the St. Johns family drop-in centre.
Special mention must be made of Hastings Runners, who brought the Millennium Flame to Hastings from Salisbury – on foot. (the Millennium Flame was used by HM the Queen to start the national celebrations on 31st December 1999). A team of runners set out on Friday evening, and carried the flame overnight – it was used at the Battle re-enactment, to start the final of the Town Criers Championship, at the Order of 1066 Award, and to light the East Hill beacon and torches for the evening celebrations. So the results of the Hastings Runners endeavours were seen by many, and much appreciated.
For a lot of people, the highlight of the week was the fantastic torchlight procession and superb fireworks display Saturday evening. Organised entirely by volunteers from Hastings Borough Bonfire Society, this year’s display was particularly spectacular, many in the crowd commenting that it was the best fireworks they’d ever seen. they were also some of the loudest!
But Hastings Week was more than any one event, it was the whole cocktail of displays, walks, performances, exhibitions, shows, fairs, etc., etc., organised by very many people under the watchful eye of the Hastings Week Committee. Hastings & St. Leonards has much to be thankful for.
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This page last updated: 03/01/2001