Press Releases week beginning 30 March 2020

1066 Country is closed to visitors

1066 Country Marketing has taken the unprecedented step of telling visitors they are not welcome here.

Kevin Boorman, manager of 1066 Country Marketing, the private/public sector partnership responsible for marketing the area, explained :- "Government advice during the Covid-19 pandemic is crystal clear :- don't make unnecessary journeys.

"We'd normally love to welcome visitors to 1066 Country, but not at the moment, with Covid-19 sweeping the UK.

"All of our attractions are closed. And although the forecast is great for this weekend, and is looking good for Easter too, we are asking people to stay away from our beaches and our countryside.

"Other popular tourist destinations such as the Yorkshire Dales, The Lakes, The Peak District, Brighton, Cornwall, have issued a similar message. We want people to stay safe, and stay at home.

"Prospective visitors who want to whet their appetite ready for when they can visit can explore what there is to do in virtually open 1066 Country via this link https://www.visit1066country.com/whats-on/virtually-open They can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

"But until then, we're busy trying to save lives, protecting the NHS and all of our emergency services, and our local community. So please stay away, and we'll let you know as soon as we're ready to welcome you back!"

Volunteers sought for unique journal keeping

Hastings Museum and Art Gallery is asking for volunteers to keep a journal to record the extraordinary times we are living in.

Kim Forward, Leader of Hastings Council said,

"Coronavirus (COVID-19) has transformed every part of our lives in just a few weeks. We are experiencing restrictions on our daily lives that have never happened at any point in our country's history before.

"As this is such an important point in our history, we believe it's essential for the museum to start recording what's happening.

"We're recruiting volunteers to keep a journal about their experience of living through the Coronavirus crisis. If you live in or around Hastings and are interested in taking part, email us at museum@hastings.gov.uk for more details."

What is the museum asking people to write about?

They are interested in people's individual experiences of living through the COVID-19 crisis, and how this is impacting on their work, hobbies, relationships, emotions and perspectives on life. We're asking participants to write as much or as little as they feel like each day, but we would like them to write something every day. We don't mind what people are writing about it could be:

• what's happened that day
• how has COVID-19 changed the way they live their lives
• things they are finding difficult
• how they are keeping busy/calm/fit/well
• things that make them laugh or cry
• anything they have discovered about themselves, or anyone they are staying at home with
• how they think this experience might change them, their family and friends, or community

The journals, we hope, will show the happy experiences as well as the difficult bits. We are asking people to donate their journal to the museum collection when the pandemic is over. This means it will become part of our collections and be used in the future to help people understand what this experience was like for ordinary people. The journals may get used in future exhibitions and online to explain what it was like in Hastings during the COVID-19 crisis.
How do we register to take part?

Please email the museum at museum@hastings.gov.uk to register your interest and then we will be in touch.