In the last month, some of you may have noticed some new signs popping up around Holmesdale Gardens and Bohemia. If you’ve been wondering what it’s all about, read on.
Today, more than ever, we are aware of health and environmental issues; by developing the Greenway, the Council is showing a progressive approach to reducing fossil fuel consumption and promoting healthy lifestyles, by encouraging residents to walk instead of drive.
Hastings Greenway is a partnership of community, voluntary and public organisations dedicated to the development, enhancement and promotion of routes for pedestrians, cyclists, people with limited mobility and roller-skaters, within Hastings and St Leonards. These routes are car-free alternatives for going places. They often run through woods, parks, and even traffic-calmed roads.
The partnership was set up by the Council and the signage is funded by various sources including the New Opportunities Fund and the Arts Council of England.
A competition for artists to design six signs took place last year. This was only advertised locally, and three artists were commissioned to develop designs for a public exhibition. This exhibition took place in the Hastings Information Centre in November 2003 and the design by Karen Wilks was clearly the public’s favourite.
The signs show how easy it is to go to places in the town, or in Bohemia, on foot. This is why the maps show the routes to places like the law courts, the police and railway stations, Horntye, the museum and Summerfields Sports Centre and Business centre. They also show the amount of time the average walker will take to get there.
Karen Wilks designed the signs to look attractive and unusual, to blend with the environment but to remain distinctive, to say: "We’re a bit different and we’re proud of it". The signs have been described as looking like sails on Saxon boats, reflecting Hastings’ seafaring tradition, and as the curves of trees or the waves in the sea. The signs also provide a light-hearted look at what we’re doing with our lives, reminding us to pause perhaps, and take a look at the sky, or the earth, before hurrying on.
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This page last updated: 04/04/2005