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Candidates face the questions: from left, Stewart Rayment. Becca Horn, Cllr Julia Hilton, Cllr Heather Bishop, Anna Sabin, Cllr Nigel Sinden (not a candidate) and Anna Winston.

Active travel hustings identifies many failings for councillors to tackle

With half of Hastings’ councillors up for renewal, this is the time to ask candidates for their views on some pressing issues. So thinks Hastings Sustainable Transport Forum, which invited all parties standing candidates in next month’s local elections to come to a hustings and discuss active travel. Report by Nick Terdre, photos by Tony Polain.
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Mad about the BUØY

Sharon Rhodes waxes lyrical about BUØY – playing at Barnaby’s Lounge this Saturday, 20 April.

£40m of levelling up monies for Hastings and Rother

Projects to ease Hastings’ housing crisis have been awarded levelling up funding as part of a £20m allocation to the town which also includes £2.5m earmarked for completion of the long-stalled Queensway Gateway Road. A further £20m allocation has been made to finance projects in Rother. Nick Terdre reports.

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Gary on TV

Gary Willis, Spirit of Invention artist

Gary Willis is a Spirit of Invention artist about photography whose contribution to the celebrations of the inventor John Logie Baird will be part of a group exhibition at Electro Studios 10–12 May. Jude Montague, who is curating the show with Royal College of Art graduate Chris Simpson, takes the opportunity to chat to some of the artists about their process.

Trash Cannes 5-day film challenge – Louise Whitham wins

The Trash Cannes five day film challenge 2024 screening and awards took place on Sunday 14 April at The Printworks. Jude Montague talks to Louise Whitham who took home the trophy for best film.

Opera South East present Donizetti’s Elixir of Love

Opera South East’s new production of Donizetti’s comic love story The Elixir of Love will be presented at White Rock Theatre later this month. Following the retirement of Kenneth Roberts, Marcio da Silva is to take over conducting duties. Nick Terdre reports.

Most unpredictable local elections in years loom on 2 May

With candidates for Hastings’ upcoming local elections on 2 May now revealed, HOT’s election commentator Chris Connelley casts his eye over the runners and riders. It’s the electorate’s first chance to give their views on Labour’s split and the appearance in town of Reform UK, not to mention the Greens’ leadership of the council, making these the most unpredictable local elections for years.

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Exploring ‘Sunken Lands’ with author Gareth E. Rees

A guided tour to the emotional and mythological areas of submerged and rising lands with Gareth E. Rees on the release of his new book Sunken Lands: A Journey Through Flooded Kingdoms and Lost Worlds published by Elliott & Thompson (2024). Jude Montague talks to the author.

Neville Dickie and Jude Montague - photo by Barnaby Davies

Neville Dickie plays Boogie Woogie

Barnaby’s Lounge hosted favourite BBC pianist Neville Dickie for a journey through the first fifty years of jazz piano on Wednesday 10 April. Jude Montague was there.

Column258Live at Sonics

An interview with Column258’s Ross Clifford

Ross Clifford from the psych-noir band Column258 talks to Jude Montague Ross Clifford is the driving force of collective improvisation group Column 258. The band has two upcoming releases: a flexi disc with our label Property of the Lost, and an EP the group started back last year entitled ‘The Imaginary Album’.

Remi Harris, the Hot Club Trio, and every kind of music

There’s more to Remi Harris and the Hot Club Trio than reproducing the sounds of the original Hot Club, as Victoria Kingham found out when she spoke to Remi ahead of their gig at the Kino-Teatr on 20 April.

10 things you (probably) didn’t know about HOT

Founding member of HOT, Erica Smith, shares some HOT gossip about the surprisingly long-lived Hastings Online Times.

Listening for gentrification in St Leonards

Our neighbourhoods are always changing. But what can we discover about these changes through listening to the sounds around us? We’re a very visually dominated society, so what happens if we focus on what we can hear? Erica Smith listens to Dr Bethan Prosser explain why it is important to listen to our neighbourhood.

Conservative Councillors ‘unable’ to defend decade-long policy on fossil fuel companies, say campaigners

The three Conservative Councillors on the East Sussex Pension Committee have all declined an invitation to take part in a public debate on divestment versus engagement, to held at Lewes Climate Hub this Saturday (13 April). Gabriel Carlyle from Divest East Sussex reports.

ParkinSongsters mark World Parkinson’s Day

It’s World Parkinson’s Day on Thursday 11 April, and to mark the occasion the ParkinSongsters will be performing at Barnaby’s Lounge in the town centre, as director/conductor Jane Metcalfe explains.

JJ Waller’s weekend highlights

Lately, Brighton-based photographer JJ Waller seems to be spending more time in St Leonards-on -Sea than his home town. He was back this weekend photographing street artist Stern Rockwell as he worked on a mammoth-sized but delicate illustration of a conga drummer in South Street. Stern is a Brooklyn-born Hong Konger who is used to painting the sides of sky scrapers. St Leonards is obviously going up in the world…