what i think of my home town!!

[Nightrider]

Yes,my family lived here.
Were i a young man again,no way would I stay in Hastings,mainly because thanks to the reasons I gave in my last posting,there is very little prospects in the town,both my young people have moved away mostly for employment reasons.
One example I can give you.
A very good friend of my son's is a quantity surveyor,having found a job in London,he found out that he was being paid less than his counterparts,when he queried this the reply he got was,quote,"Its good pay for Hastings isnt it"

[Anonymous1]

There must be some things you like about Hastings

[RC]

She calls you_ _ _she is the skirt strings o the great mother land herself.
We are privileged to live here.

The old town is the 4th glen, town center the 5th, for those o you that cant see past this an work with it then go live some place else.

I stand on her edge , look out from the castle an feel proud. :w00t: How fearsome our warriors would have looked to the Romans decked out in their woad decorated skin an with bravery in their hearts.

A stark contrast too today.

We were a force to be reckoned with once_ _ _i try to hold on to that strength .

RC

[Nightrider]

Very romantic RC,but have we not moved on a few years since then?
My "anger"is not of the town it's self but of the many morons that have governed her.
Many times I have asked myself,why oh why have we not taken full advantage of our history in an adult and serious manner instead of relying on moderm gimmics ect.
Yes,we have our museums but some of the main attractions ie;Caves and Castle bare no resemblance to reality.
The Old town,full of history only stinks of oil from fish and chips shops mixed with stale onions.

[local_lass]

Fish and chips in the Old Town is very traditional as we are a fishing Town after all. I agree that some horrendous mistakes have been made by those in power over the years, but come on, it's not all bad!

[Anonymous1]

Nightrider,
You didn't answer my question, it's clear what you don't like about Hastings and I agree largely about the powers that be (town hall being the opposite of a hedgehog), but there must be some things you like about Hastings

[cheryl_jane]

To those who complain about Hastings,

You will be challenged to find a town in England that doesn't have similar problems. There will always be something, whether its lack of employment opportunities, vandalism, profiteering, or a stupid Council (and there are LOTS of those all over the country!) These problems are not unique to Hastings.

It's pointless to waste energy on negative stuff.

Hastings has much in its favour and should be celebrated, not maligned.

Cheryl Jane

[local_lass]

Well said Cheryl.

Get off you soap box Nightrider. Move away if you hate our dear Hastings so much.

[peter_simpson]

I can see both sides of this..
First off, I love Hastings for all the reasons others have said and more. I have lived away for over 20 years and even now when I return to visit Mum and Dad it feels like I have come home. As a child the Old Town was my 'manor' (Dad had a toy/fancy goods shop for many years) and while obviously it has changed since then, there is still something about it which draws me back. similarly the glens and firehills.

As I look around the house now I see many reminders of the old place - prints and paintings on the wall, several Hastings books on the bookshelf and, about 15 miles from here I have a very large part of the town - a preserved 52 seat ex Maidstone and District bus with the destination blind set at route 170 to Pett Level.. Oh, and Mum always saves all the old Hastings Observers for my visits - I don't have the heart to tell her that I follow the news online now_ _ _

BUT I am not living in Hastings! The reason, sadly, is one that nightrider referred to; employment. I left Hastings Grammar School in 1978 and after spending a year doing the most soul-destroying job imaginable (counting bricks and taking telephone orders from rude and grumpy builders at Crew-Davis) I left for higher education, and once I was qualified, there simply was nothing for me in the town. So I left, first to Northampton then, after four months, I got a job based in Bromley. And the REALLY frustrating thing about that was that although only 50 miles from 'home' it was one hour 40 of rush-hour commuting whereas Chatham (a horrible place by comparison) although only five miles closer was only about an hour because the roads were better. So sadly Chatham became my home..

I'm now based in North Cambridgeshire (long story but again employment-based) and 20 years on I have a family and therefore moving back is probably now just a dream - until i retire at least.. Which of course is arguablty another problem.

Of course, things may well have changed since my time employment-wise; I certainly hope so because when I left, a lot of other talented people did; my final year class at HGS included people who have since become teachers, journalists, a senior manager at the Crown Suppliers and even the recently-retired Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders police. . Oh, and Simon Fuller (as in X factor) was one year behind me. So the town can and does produce people of ability_ _ _

Peter

[heathcliff]

I get to see a lot of the world in my job (water sports and sailing yacht )..But i love it here in Hastings_ _ _ If some on say they don't like here or there is nothing to do.. its not the town it s them ask them what they like doing and i will show them what they can do here it might not be the best in world but you have got a big choice, form art/ music to wild life and sport ..
9 times out of 10 they don't know what they want out of life