Press Releases week beginning 23 September 2019

WHERE'S WALLY? THE BIG MUSEUM HUNT
FIND WALLY IN HASTINGS MUSEUM & ART GALLERY!

This half-term, WALLY, the world's favourite children's book character - wearing a red-and-white striped shirt and black-rimmed specs - will be travelling the country, appearing in museums, including a visit to Hastings Museum & Art Gallery and Hastings. Families will be able to join the search for Wally at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery and Hastings as part of Where's Wally? The Big Museum Hunt, organised by Walker Books and Kids in Museums, to celebrate the release of the new book, Where's Wally? Double Trouble at the Museum.

Launching in time for October half-term, the promotion will run from 19 October until 3 November 2019. Each participating museum will create and promote their own Where's Wally? search-and-find trail as part of this nationwide campaign, giving families the chance to receive an 'I Found Wally!' sticker at the end and to enter the Where's Wally? and Kids in Museums grand prize draw competition.

Wally is the creation of Martin Handford, whose entertaining drawings of crowd scenes first swept the globe in 1987. Since then, the Where's Wally? books have held a favourite spot on bookstore shelves the world over and have sold over 72 million copies worldwide in thirty-one countries. Wally has reached celebrity status: he has been referenced in the primetime American TV shows Frasier, The Simpsons and Friends; he appeared on the 1000th anniversary cover of Rolling Stone magazine as a cultural icon of the last 40 years; he has even been found on Google Earth!

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT SEARCHING FOR WALLY IN HASTINGS MUSEUM & ART GALLERY, contact Damian Etherington or Barbara Browning on 01424 451151 / 451767 or email detherington@hastings.gov.uk / communications@hastings.gov.uk

Wheely good progress

The main drive wheel from the West Hill lift has been removed in a carefully planned operation.

Cllr Kim Forward, deputy leader of Hastings Borough Council, explained,

"At the start of the summer our engineers identified a problem with the main winding wheel of the West Hill lift.

"The lift is 127 years old and specialist expertise is required to repair it.

"The winding wheel is identical to ones used in collieries to wind the staff and coal to and from the underground workings.

"It took our experts some time to identify the best way forward, but a plan has now been devised, and the machinery will be repaired at a specialist foundry in Sheffield.

"It is obviously disappointing that the lift had to be closed for the peak summer season, but this is the first time we've had to do this kind of repair since the lift opened in 1892. We thank customers for their patience while this feat of Victorian engineering is restored to full running order.

"We are aiming to reopen the lift by the end of the year."

Final Call to apply for CHART funding

Connecting Hastings and Rother Together (CHART) is a Community-led Local Development Programme with access to £2.8m of European Structural Investment Funds (ESIF) to support projects that bring a fresh approach to tackling deep-rooted problems in deprived communities within Hastings and Bexhill.

Kim Forward, deputy leader of Hastings Borough Council said,

"The CHART Local Action Group are seeking expressions of interest from organisations interested in applying for funding to create projects that will help people in these areas to find and keep jobs. Projects with links to the black and minority ethnic community are encouraged as these groups are currently under represented within the programme.

"The call is now open and will close on 31st October 2019. Contact must be made with the CHART team to discuss project suitability before 3rd October. Potential applicants contacting after this date will be advised of next steps. Interest will be dealt with on a first come, first serve basis.

"CHART has already received eight exciting project proposals from the first two calls and is looking forward to hearing from more innovative projects that will benefit the most deprived communities in Hastings and Bexhill. It is unlikely that further funding will be available after this round so get in touch soon to avoid disappointment."

For further information on the programme and how to apply please go to https://www.hastings.gov.uk/chart/apply/

Wayfinding project to launch in Hastings

Hastings Borough Council will receive £200,000 to improve signage in Hastings. Called "Wayfinding", it is part of the Hastings and Bexhill Movement Access Programme which is being funded from the Local Growth Fund (LGF.)

Cllr Kim Forward, deputy leader of Hastings Borough Council, said:

"The "Wayfinding" project will use existing and new digital signage to help people find their way through the town centre to other key locations.

"The improved signage will support our visitor economy by ensuring people can easily discover everything we have to offer.

"There will be new signs at public transport hubs, such as the railway stations and bus interchange points, which we hope will also encourage greater use of public transport and help reduce reliance on cars."

"East Sussex County Council has secured £9m from the LGF to support economic growth with improvements to the cycling, walking, bus infrastructure, traffic management and the public realm.

The first part of this programme will improve traffic junctions (to reduce local congestion). The cycling network will make it easier for cyclists to access key places which should also encourage more people to take to their bikes.

Cornwallis street car park earmarked for potential development

Cornwallis street car park will be considered for advertising for development as a hotel at the next cabinet meeting of Hastings Borough Council.
The council has been approached by a developer for the redevelopment of the site into an 80 bedroom hotel and restaurant.

Cllr Peter Chowney, leader of Hastings Borough Council, said:

"This car park was earmarked for development in our local plan.  We had intended to develop it for housing, but Hastings is desperately short of tourism accommodation, so the idea of a new town centre hotel, within walking distance of the train station and town centre, is an exciting prospect.

"Based on standard occupancy rates there would be about 35,000 people staying overnight each year. That's a huge benefit for tourism and the night-time economy in the town centre. 

"Extra people in the town centre at evenings and weekends would offer retail shops and restaurants a real boost for their businesses and the hotel will provide additional employment."

The Council will also seek offers from other developers and hotel operators to ensure it obtains best value.

The site is already in the local development plan from 2015 as suitable for residential and retail use. There will be an opportunity for consultation as part of the planning process.

Hastings Museum & Art Gallery needs your help!

Hastings Museum & Art Gallery needs volunteers to help support the museum programme.

The museum wants to recruit a team of collections volunteers to work alongside the curatorial team to improve the care and documentation of the museum's collections. Volunteers will play a vital role in being a visible welcoming presence in the gallery, monitoring and engaging with visitors.

Kim Forward, lead councillor for culture, said:

"Whether you are retired and looking to keep busy, a parent with time to spare while the kids are at school or a student looking for work experience to fit around your studies, volunteering at the museum can be a fulfilling experience that is fun and helps develop your skills."

"Volunteers do not require any special skills, knowledge or experience. Anyone can apply, as all training and support will be given by the museum, as long as you are over 18."

The museum is keen to receive applications from people who might not have thought of the museum as a place they would go.
As one of our newest volunteers Heather, said, "I have recently begun volunteering and these worlds are opening up to me more and more … it is rewarding to know that I play a part in helping our visitors gain from their experience here too."

Bill, a local studies volunteer finds the volunteering a great way of adding value to the town's history, "I enjoy volunteering for the local studies room because it allows me to help answer wide range queries and learn at the same time … I feel that I can make a contribution that has genuine value."

Even after ten years our longest-serving volunteer, Andre, enjoys it as much as ever, "In 10 years I can truly say that no one day is the same, as a volunteer you never know what you're going to be asked about, this can sometimes be a learning curve for you, the buzz comes when you find the information required."

Hastings Museum & Art Gallery reaches schools milestone

This week, the Hastings Museum and Art Gallery celebrates a new milestone! In the past eighteen months, they have worked with every school within the Hastings Borough boundary. The number of young people visiting the museum on school trips has grown from 500 in 2016/2017 to over 5000. Hastings Museum & Art Gallery has been working with the Museums and Schools Programme to achieve this goal.

Kim Forward, lead councillor for culture, said:

"I'm really pleased that through the museum and schools programme we could reach out to all of our local schools.

"It has allowed the museum to develop fun, interactive workshops where young people get hands-on with history. We are supporting the development of practical historical, critical and creative thinking skills. Workshops offered include 'Dinosaurs and Fossils', 'The Romans' and 'History Detectives', with new topics such as 'Egyptians' in development.

"The museum has a new LEGO® Innovation Studio which uses LEGO® bricks, programming tools, and museum workshops to encourage young people to explore core Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematical (STEAM) subjects. The Innovation Studio helps young people develop essential communication, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking skills in a fun and exciting way. "

Hastings Museum supports classroom learning with a programme of outreach sessions and loan boxes. These bring a combination of original and replica objects, photographs and other archive material into schools. The boxes can inspire art and design projects, illustrate historical themes and events and teach an understanding of other cultures.

The museum also works with partners to develop bespoke projects and home education groups, and primary schools.