No more news, currently. Will be updated when there is more information.
Sunday 12 June 2016
Wednesday 8 June 2016
Dee-Day White and Tush Hamilton are on the verge of bringing (another) lost lifeboat back to Hastings again.
Following their restoration of the Priscilla MacBean lifeboat, which was discovered as a rotting hulk in Eastbourne and is now on permanent show in the Old Town.
Now they are set to bring home a former Hastings lifeboat which earned the legend ‘The Ghost of Dunkirk’
The Cyril and Lilian Bishop lifeboat, which saved 34 lives in Hastings during the 1930’s, spent four days and four nights rescuing British and French soldiers from the beaches during the evacuation of Dunkirk in World War 2.
“She is best known and earned her nickname ‘The Ghost of Dunkirk when in late May 1940 the Dunkirk evacuation needed shallow draught vessels to make their way to Dover and the RNLI was asked to send as many lifeboats as possible and coxswain George Moon quickly called a crew together consisting of Will Martin, Bodger Barton, Jumbo White, Bill Hilder and finally Freddie Button.
“On arrival at Dover George Moon tells us that all the lifeboats were commandeered by the Royal Navy and he and the rest of the crew travelled back to Hastings by train.
Tuesday 7 June 2016
The statue of Prince Albert will be installed by the town hall
In February 2015, a bid put forward by campaigners was refused planning consent by Hastings Borough Council, going against officers’ recommendations.
Members said the statue’s condition was so poor it would not be suitable for display alongside the town hall, which is a Grade-II listed building.
Campaigners submitted an appeal to have the decision overturned, which was successful.
A new heritage group, the Albert Statue Group, was formed early this year to raise funds for the project.
Hastings Lions Club came forward with a generous donation for buying and installing the new Portland stone pedestal on which the statue is to be erected.
There have also been donations from members of the public who are keen to see the long-neglected statue back in the public domain.
Roger Wilcock, of A. C. Towner Ltd has been advising on the project, and he is doing some of the preparatory work free of charge, with consent from his employer Edward Towner, as this is a community project without financial support from the council.
The life-size statue of Prince Albert, sculpted in Portland stone by Edwin Stirling at his Liverpool studio, was saved for the town by Edith Skelton, who bought it from the demolition firm for £50.
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