Hastings IS the Town of Culture. It just needs the title.
Songs from the edge of England. And JJ Waller’s excellent exhibition: Beside the Sea
🎧 If you prefer, you can listen to me read this post.
Happy new month!
Hastings’ bid to be the first UK Town of Culture kicked off this week. I went to a packed public meeting to share ideas and give feedback.
They asked us to work in groups and respond to questions like “What are you most proud of about Hastings?” and “What makes Hastings’ culture and creative identity special—and exceptional?” to help shape our story.
Great idea - small towns rock! Full of charm and characters and they connect the country (check out the Slow Ways Map). It’s time they were celebrated.
Hastings has lots of creative energy and a strong DIY/community spirit, but we’re a bit too reliant on volunteers and people’s generosity. The money would help us build on what we already have and grow existing events, without devaluing creatives’ time and energy.
What locals love: our indie spirit (America Ground, Trinity Triangle), green spaces (Alexandra Park, Hastings Country Park), modernist architecture (Pier, Bottle Alley – a ½ mile deco delight, Marine Court, Carlisle Parade Car Park) – the first underground car park in the UK. Very long and colour coded so you can remember where you parked.
We’re the UK’s spiritual home of mini golf – crazy golfers welcome! And the birthplace of TV. Logie Baird came up with the idea while walking in the Hastings hills and transmitted the first pictures in his workshop here. There’s a commemorative plaque in Queen’s Arcade and a Spoons named after him. I’d love to see an exhibition about the history & future of TV. 📺
We also have world champion cheerleaders - all three teams of the Dynasty Reign Allstars won medals in Orlando last year.
Hastings is music
Music is our edge and where we need to put our energy. Hastings Pier has a fantastically rich musical heritage and needs to be brought back into community ownership – the People’s Pier. Bring the ballroom back!
Here’s what Hastings sounds like – a playlist put together by music historians to reflect the last five decades of Hastings Pier.
Fat Tuesday has just finished – a five-day festival of 350+ free gigs and gatherings alongside ticketed events. Brilliant fun, but the artists need more financial support.
The standard of musicianship is second to none. Musicians who were born here, made music here, and have come back again.
We need a world class musical resource centre and more rehearsal rooms and maker spaces.
I’m writing this in Hanuskha coffee house listening to Jason Mcniff who plays with his band here every Saturday and is working on his 10th album - Folk & Americana. New song about ChatGPT…
“Oh ChatGPT, why aren’t you answering me?...”
Lots of interesting, adventurous ideas – great to see the energy and hunger for it. We need to create a powerful story that inspires and entertains the judges – with a focus on legacy.
Create a legacy of investing in creativity, in children, because it’s been sucked out of schools.
Youth education is the only thing that will transform Hastings. The future of the town is children.
It feels timely too. The Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the Battle of Hastings, is back in UK after 900 years – you can see it at the British Museum in September.
Best of luck to Arts Hastings CIC. 🤞 The council has found 4K in the end-of-year budget so it’s all being done on a shoestring. “No money is going to fat consultants at this time.”
Help Hastings win! If you’ve got a connection to the town or want to support our bid take this wee survey (closes 2 Mar). If we make it to the next stage we’ll get £60K to deliver a full bid.
Beside the Sea with JJ Waller at Hastings Museum
Come warm your cockles at Beside the Sea, JJ Waller’s new photo exhibition at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery.
JJ Waller has been documenting seaside towns from Brighton to Benidorm forever. A regular visitor to St Leonards since 2008 – he’s been providing Hastings Online Times with photo stories since it began.
Lovely idea to ask local artists to share the space with him – you can see their sculptures alongside the pics. Not to be missed!
Beside the Sea runs till 5 Apr at Hastings Museum & Art Gallery, John’s Place, Bohemia Road, TN34 1ET. Free entry.
From 22 Apr it will be displayed on bus shelter roofs across Brighton – travel to the top deck to see it.
Nika x
PS This month’s Bold Book Club read is The New Tourist: Waking up to the power and perils of travel by Paige McClanahan. How we can be better tourists wherever we go. TBD on our next call.
If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts.