Anxieties over St Mary in the Castle future

I attended the public meeting over the future of St Mary in the Castle this evening.

There is a great deal of concern about the way that Conservative-run Hastings Council is handling this much loved and beautiful asset in the centre of the town.

Many different organisations were represented and the general view seems to be that it is highly unrealistic and undesirable for HBC to press ahead with its current timetable and deadline for expressions of interest (23 December 2008 – only eight days away).

There was an inspiring and articulate vision of the future of the building given by Tim, the current Technical Director, which would maximise the cultural and live performance aspects of the space.  This will need the co-operation of many organisations at a high level to achieve, and it will not be possible to organise such a coalition before 23 December.

Castle Ward councillor Peter Armstrong called the meeting, and it will be he and Erica Smith who, on behalf of all of us present there tonight, will be taking the fight to the Council and the local media.

We should not and will not be railroaded into making premature decisions about this building.

[What do you think should happen to St Mary in the Castle?  Please use the form below or visit Leon Tuppen's discussion group to send in your views]

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Fantastic for a Wiganer!

It was brilliant to be able to catch up today with Sue Middlehurst, the Principal of Hastings College, and to learn a bit more about the work of the College, their plans for the future, and where they are with the developments at the Plaza site in the centre of Hastings and the site up on Parker Road.

Sue comes across as a very down to earth lady and I was delighted to learn that she hails from Wigan, the rivals from time immemorial of my own home town rugby league team – St Helens.  I enjoyed having a good Northern chinwag, and I hope it’s the first of many.

From what I gleaned from my meeting with Sue, the College is attempting to grow in a sustainable way, and not attempting to bite off more than it can chew financially.

Times are tough for everyone economically and the College is not exempt from this.  There is a funding shortfall at the moment in order to provide for some of the young people not in training or education that the College has managed to engage and enroll.  I will be watching this issue carefully, as it is one that is close to my heart.

I also hope that we see the fruition of Sue’s dream for the site in Parker Road – that the College and the community really gel and that there is real ownership of what goes on there by the local community.  I was asking whether or not there will be community governors, and it seems that certainly Sue has in mind that the local community will be involved in making decisions about the future of the College.

In my experience of working in communities where there is high levels of poverty and exclusion, there is often a negative experience of the education system – across generations.  This will need to be overcome in order for the College to be part of the regeneration drive in this area of Hastings.

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100th Hastings marathon really satisfies!

Well done to the all the runners who started the  Hastings 100th Anniversary marathon on Sunday morning.  My daughter and I went down to see the action, and our MP and his wife Rosemary in their 1908 fancy dress starting the race from the Town Hall balcony – all good fun!

I am sure that the Lions were mightily relieved that the weather had calmed down a bit after Saturday – the rain was horizontal as I turned up to join Castle Ward Forum for the clean up of the Pier.  Thankfully it was postponed until January!

On then to a coffee morning organised by local Lib Dems in aid of the Sara Lee Trust, which works out of St Michael’s Hospice – a very worthwhile cause this.  My own mum died in hospice care last year and we will be forever grateful to the nurses and therapists who made her last four weeks as comfortable and supported as they did…