|
|||||||
 |
|||||||
|
|
|
News |
|
HASTINGS ACHIEVERS AWARDS 2011 See photo above.
The scheme was organised by the Hastings & St Leonards, Battle and Ore Observers and the event was presented
by Keith Ridley [Editor-in-chief Observer Series] and Beverley Thompson [Senior PR manager Southern Water].Our award category was sponsored by Southern Water. Three Committee members went up on stage to collect the award. |
|
NEW SUNDAY BUS SERVICE! Started 31st July 2011 serving Hastings Country Park.Service 344 runs via Hastings Bus Station/Railway Station, Ore, Fairlight, Rye and Northiam. A timetable is attached. Use it or lose it! |
|
Spending the Grant Andy writes: We are just finalising the list of items to purchase and will be getting most of the biological survey equipment very soon. The equipment will be very useful for Friends events, as well as some of the biological recording studies, such as the small mammal recording around the farm and moth recording at the Milking Parlour. A lockable cupboard has been acquired for the Milking Parlour so the equipment can be stored securely. The drafts for the booklets are also being finalised. The grasshopper booklet will probably be the first to be printed, followed by the bird booklet at a later date. It's been a little bit more difficult to find photos to illustrate the bird booklet. It's not part of the grant, but it would be good to follow up the grant and start to put together a library of wildlife and nature conservation books for the Friends and students to use in the Milking Parlour. We would then have a really functional little study centre for the Nature Reserve. Andy Phillips
|
|
Events Roundup The June event was a Photographic walk, kindly led by local photographer Paul Campbell, despite gale force winds. A small group of stalwarts from the Friends and from Ore and St Helen's Camera Club ranged around the Coastguards area and Warren Glen, gaining a different perspective on how to photograph the wonderful views on offer, with tips on both composition and exposure. Needless to say, the obliging Highland Cows proved popular! See photo on Members page. After the AGM on June 24th we were treated to a talk in the History House by our chairman Steve Peak on "Old Maps of the Country Park and Hastings". Safe from the elements, we learned much about the changing landscape of Hastings and the Country Park. Steve will be giving an extended version of this talk on Friday 18th November at 7pm in the History House, definitely a date for the diary. In July we attempted to repeat the very successful event from last year, led by Dr. Nikki Gammans from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, consisting of a talk in the Milking Parlour followed by a walk to Ecclesbourne Meadow to see the work which has taken place to encourage wild flowers, and some of the bees which these attract. Unfortunately the awful weather forced the cancellation of the walk, but Nikki gave an informative and entertaining talk about Bees to some fifteen people, with emphasis on the project to re-introduce the Short-haired Bumblebee to Dungeness. She brought along a fascinating tray of pinned bees and bee-like insects, and a range of literature, invaluable to those of us struggling with the identification of these surprisingly difficult insects. The August event was to be an Insect Foray- an event aimed at adults and older children, so deliberately not called a Bug Hunt! This looked very promising, with a splendid array of tempting wild flowers next to the Visitor Centre but: rain/wind/fog/ cancelled. A couple of people, including a young visitor from Dubai, braved the elements and were shown a small selection of moths captured that morning - always a useful standby - and greatly enjoyed our "hands-on” Visitor Centre. Better luck next time...
Jill Howell
Events Co-ordinator |
|
Chairman's Report from the 2011 AGM of the Friends of Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve The last AGM was only seven months ago, in November 2010. But as the Friends’ financial year is April-March, the Committee has moved the AGM to be as close as possible to the end of March.My thanks go to the officers and all the other members of the Committee who have done so much to help run the Friends. Special thanks to Jill for co-ordinating the very popular events calendar, to Jacqueline for editing The Volunteer and to Andrew for playing a key role in obtaining the special grant of almost £10,000 to equip the milking parlour at Fairlight Place Farm as a study centre, including the printing of new wildlife booklets soon. We are very grateful to the Big Lottery Fund. The “highlight” of the last seven months has been the introduction of parking charges in the three Country Park car parks. Hastings Council said that this was being forced on them by forthcoming major cuts in government grants, and if parking charges were not introduced they would have to slash the Country Park services and maintenance. Rather than see this, your Committee decided not to oppose the charges. Andrew and I are on the Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve Management Forum, and its meeting on 22nd June was told that there has been good income from the charges, which should keep the Country Park budget in proper order for at least two years. Council officers reported that the only complaints they had received were about the restriction of annual season tickets to Hastings residents. Andrew and I said the Friends would support a change of policy by the Council that should enable those tickets to be sold to non-Hastingers. Good news at the Forum meeting was that a long-running Friends’ campaign for a Sunday bus service to and from Fairlight has proved successful. Council officer Martin Jenks has been pursuing our aim for several years and he reported that from 31 July there will be four 344 buses a day each way on Sundays and bank holidays, all year round. Also at the Forum, following concerns that the Council is now selling some of its land, the Labour Councillors gave an assurance that they have no plans to sell the Country Park. Other news: The Visitor Centre at Fairlight is an old building which is expected to come to the end of its life around 2014/15. The Friends’ Committee has been campaigning to ensure that there is sufficient Council funding to replace it with a new building when needed. The Forum meeting gave an assurance that everything possible will be done by the Council to provide sufficient funding. The Council is trying to lease part of the upper station of the East Hill Lift as a cafe. I was on the selection committee which last year chose the people who run the Eat@ cafe in Alexandra Park. Unfortunately they were also offered the new cafe on the Stade, which they have taken instead, so the cafe is again being advertised. A Cultural Regeneration Strategy committee has been set up by the Council to decide on priorities for Council policy on regenerating the town’s “culture”. I am on that committee and have been arguing that that word should be redefined to include the natural environment, especially the Country Park, which has inspired so many artists. There is also a Council organisation called the Charity Committee which early this year took over the running of the Foreshore Trust, which owns a significant part of the coastline between Ecclesbourne Glen and West St Leonards. I am on a sub-committee of the Charity Committee which gives advice on policy. The Charity Committee will have a very large income (from car parks etc) which it should spend on maintaining and improving its property. I have pointed out that this property includes the beach from Rock-a-Nore to Ecclesbourne, and have made it known that the Friends are likely to put forward proposals for the usage and improvement of it. If any member of the Friends has any ideas, please let us know. I would like to see the open space at the end of the car park on No 1 groyne at Rock-a-Nore made into a user-friendly viewing spot for people, especially the disabled, wishing to see the cliffs and beach in the Country Park. Following a suggestion that I made to the Council, I recently took part in a walk around the East Hill with councillors and Council officers, and we identified sites for several new seats on the hill, as finance becomes available. These are all sites with good views.
Steve Peak
24 June 2011 |
| To contact us, e-mail: FoHCPNR |
Copyright
© 2012 Friends of Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve |