The affair of the Hastings rarities is to be re-examined at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery on Saturday 23rd June.
In 1962 the journal 'British Birds' published a list of 550 records of rare birds which were no longer considered to be true records. All the birds in question were recorded within 20 miles of Hastings & St Leonards around the turn of the 19th and 20th Centuries and were all based on dead specimens.
Contributors will look at different aspects of the affair of the Hastings Rarities which scandalized the world of Ornithology.
Councillor David Hancock, Chair of the Museums committee, said:
"There is a great mystery surrounding the Hastings rarities. Were they imported with an intention to deceive or were they genuine records and who did it and why? All these questions will be addressed at the talk this weekend and will offer visitors the chance to make up their own minds."
The talk starts at 2pm on Saturday and admission is free.
Hastings Borough Council in partnership with Age Concern has set up a new community evening bus service which started on Monday 18th June.
The bus service has been introduced following recent withdrawal of funding by East Sussex County Council which has had a major impact on evening buses within the town and restricted certain bus services to running only during the day.
Its circular journey will cover sections of the routes which have now stopped running during the evenings. It starts at 7.30pm and runs through until 10.30pm calling at Conquest Hospital, Malvern Way, Parker Road, Town Centre, Old Town, Harold Road, Ore, The Ridge, Malvern Way and ending at the Conquest Hospital. The whole route takes approximately one hour to complete.
The bus operating on the route is a 12 seater vehicle which is also used by Age Concern for its Dial-a-Ride service. The Council is legally not allowed to run any service that could be classed as a regular bus service, so this scheme is known as a community transport service and is only open to members of the Council’s Passport to Leisure scheme. However, the Council will accept megarider tickets providing the ticket holder in receipt of a valid Passport To Leisure card.
Initially the scheme will run on a trial basis during the summer months, but if it is successful the Council will review it.
Councillor Paul Silverson, Cabinet Member responsible for Transport, said:
"We have set up this service as a direct result of the cut in funding for bus routes in the town. We recognise the need for an evening and weekend service and hope that the provision of the community transport scheme will help residents.
"We will initially run this service for the summer to see how successful it is. Meantime we will continue talking to Stagecoach and the County Council to see what can be done to provide for the local transport needs of people in the evenings and during weekends. The success ot this scheme is now in the hands of Hastings Borough Council, Age Concern and more importantly the residents using this new service."
For more information about the Council’s Passport to Leisure scheme which offers a wide range of discounts on services and in shops around the town please contact Hastings Information Centre, Queens Square. Joining the Passport to Leisure scheme costs £2, £1 for over 60s and free for under 18s
Hastings Museum & Art Gallery has been awarded a grant of £25,500 by South East Arts to support a dynamic programme of exhibitions and arts activities over the next 12 months.
The programme of exhibitions, 'Connections/Collections', will all relate to the Museum’s permanent collection and brings work by several leading contemporary artists to Hastings for the first time.
The first exhibition in the series, Host, opens on 23 June with a garden party (4.30 - 8pm)
HOST 23 June - 9 September
The summer exhibition at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery, kicking off the Connections/Collections series, promises to be exciting and controversial.
Placed amongst the museum exhibits are works by 24 contemporary artists that will make visitors look afresh at the collection. With work from artists across the UK, Ireland, Austria, Germany and France, Host is a must for anyone with an interest in art or museums. From inflatables to paintings on cream crackers; cctv surveillence on submarines to talking parrots; false teeth to Grey Owl’s favourite painting, this is the Museum as you’ve never seen it before.
Councillor David Hancock, Chair of the Museums Committee, said:
"Hastings has done well to attract this grant to support the diverse and interesting programme of events. We see this financial support as a strong endorsement of the interesting and talented artists who are taking part in the exciting activities and events which are planned for the Council's Art Gallery and Museum."
Coastal Currents 2001 is the third Contemporary Visual Arts Festival for the South East Coastal region and will run from the beginning of September to the end of October.
The festival has grown to encompass events along the coast from Bexhill to Folkestone and inland to rural towns and villages in Rother and Shepway. Coastal Currents presents this coastal area in a unique and meaningful way. The festival provides an opportunity to view new exhibitions and artists’ work in original locations and to participate in unusual walks, talks, performances and workshops.
The wide variety of presentations under the festival umbrella offer opportunities for everyone to view and enjoy or take part in events and shows. Many artists open up their studios, gardens and houses. This gives the public an insight into the thought process and working methods of artists and demonstrates the hidden wealth of artistic talent this locality provides.
Coastal Currents opens on the beautifully refurbished Hastings Pier on 1st September with ‘Life in Art ‘, an exhibition by leading British photographer Steve Pyke, showing images of the working life of artists over the age of fifty from the south east. In these remarkable colour photographs Pyke challenges prevailing stereotypes to suggest that vigour and imagination are not solely the preserve of the young. This exhibition is followed by a show of artwork by artists featured in the Life in Art exhibition.
Councillor John Humphries, Cabinet Member responsible for Community Participation, said:
"Coastal Currents is an innovative and diverse arts festival - the only one of its kind in the south east. This year, we expect to expand on last year’s success and the festival will include photography, mixed media, video and digital art. We will also be running a short film festival again to encourage local people the chance to air their creativity."
Highlights of Coastal Currents also include a film festival, performances on the pier and a huge array of exhibitions and open studios. Brochures are available from local Tourist Information Centres. Coastal Currents is lead by Hastings Borough Council in collaboration with Rother District Council and Shepway District Council.
Coastal Currents seeks to be innovative and promote the creative energies of the area. If you would like take part or require further information please contact the Arts Development Officer in your area:
Hastings: 01424 781122
Rother: 01424 787586
Shepway: 01303 852363
0r visit the festival website: www.coastalcurrents.org.uk
The long awaited demolition of the chimneys of the former Broomgrove Power Station is scheduled to start in the next few weeks subject to government funding being agreed. However, because a large number of high voltage cables still cross the site, the chimneys will not be blown up, as originally planned, but will be taken down piece by piece. The cables take power to much of the town, and would have to be moved as they pass almost directly under where the chimneys would fall.
Councillor Jeremy Birch, Leader of the Council, explained:
"It was clear that, if we had had to wait for the power cables to be moved, it would have been many months before the chimneys could be blown up.
"We are committed to remove them as quickly as possible, so, rather than wait for a big bang, we are asking our demolition contractor to start work on taking them down piece by piece, as soon as possible."
"We are still keen to celebrate the final removal of the chimneys, so will be holding a community party to mark the removal of the final brick! Watch this space!"
HMS ARGYLL, a Type 23 Frigate, will visit Hastings from 16-19 July, the first visit by a major Royal Navy Ship for many years.
Her visit coincides with the opening of the pier’s landing stage, which She will use throughout Her stay. During the visit there will be the opportunity for organised groups, with prior arrangement, to tour the Ship. The Captain of the ARGYLL is a local man, Commander John Kingwell, who has lived in Hastings for the past 15 years.
HMS ARGYLL was built by Yarrows in Glasgow during the late 1980s and commissioned on 31 May 1991. She has had an eventful commission, particularly during the last 12 months, with a deployment to Sierra Leone and West Africa, which included the dramatic rescue of hostages from the West Side Boys. Her recent programme has been equally busy; having completed a maintenance period, followed by an intensive period of trials, She conducted a number of multi-national Exercises, including one organised by the French in the Bay of Biscay.
ARGYLL will arrive off Hastings on 16 July having sailed from Zeebrugge, and will depart on 19 July for Portsmouth. This forms part of a very intensive programme that includes training, exercises and visits that will prepare the Ship for Her deployment in the New Year. Any Group interested in visiting the ARGYLL should contact Sarah Crosby of Hastings Borough Council, Town Hall, Queens Road, Hastings, TN34 1QR, Telephone (01424) 781118.
Over 120 local young people aged between 8 and 15 travelled to Crawley for this year's Sussex Youth Games.
The teams representing Hastings were selected by taking part in trials and then coached in the lead up to the event by local school and club coaches.
The sports at the games included athletics, basketball, hockey, swimming (both for able bodied and disabled), tennis, rugby, netball, football for able-bodied girls and boys with moderate learning disabilities and table tennis.
The Hastings rugby squad brought home a gold in their event, and the boys basketball and football squads both achieved third place finishes.
Councillor John Humphries, said:
"Hastings & St Leonards came sixth overall out of the twelve local authority areas taking part. The Council's sport development section is continuing to work with local schools and coaches to ensure that sports in our town are accessible to as many young people as possible and to give them the support they need to develop their sporting ability to be able to compete at a County level. "
It’s official - Hastings & St. Leonards has gone down the tube!
The town is promoting itself on the London Underground, and large posters have appeared on tube stations across the capital. Featuring sticks of Hastings rock, weary commuters and visitors to the city are being tempted here because, like the giant sticks of rock ‘across the tracks’, the town can’t be licked!
Councillor Mike Bigg, Cabinet member responsible for Tourism said:
"Tourism is vitally important to our town, and we need to raise awareness of Hastings & St. Leonards. The posters on the underground are seen by millions of commuters and visitors to London, and is an ideal way of us promoting ourselves. Now we are getting coverage on the underground, the only way is up!"
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This page last updated: 07/04/2003