Postby RLP » Wed Dec 03, 2014 1:58 pm
We moved to Hastings/St Leonards 3 years ago. I've written a couple of times before about my overwhelmingly positive feelings towards Hastings and St Leonards, so I'm bound to repeat myself a little! Anyway...
I have only visited Brighton a few times in the last 10 years, and from my limited exposures and explorations found it was a really brilliant place. However, I am better equipped to discuss in relation to London - I was born in London; lived, schooled, universitied, worked, and generally grown as a person. I LOVE London. Love love love it! Our reasons to move, were initially fuelled by desire for more space, more house, and I suppose a bit of an adventure... to try something different! Simply to move to a town for more house would not have been enough for us. But I've always enjoyed and been fascinated by, for most of my adulthood and late teens, watching run down or less obvious parts of London slowly becoming arty, trendy,improved, transformed! This was really what attracted us to Hastings and St Leonards. On exploring the town on many day trips, it was clear to see how and where the town was changing, and also how much unbelievably high potential there was for the town. But what really convinced us in the end was the huge amount of people we got speaking to who had all moved down here! It seems from my assessment like a real surge of migration to the town started to take place from about 2008 onwards, and this has shown no signs of slowing! If anything, I feel like there is a sense of increased momentum of change since we've been here.
To compare this relatively small town to London is silly. London is a huge and amazing city. But Hastings and St Leonards seems like it is almost a part of London to me. Many of the great new independent shops, restaurants, galleries, artistry, attitudes towards design and fashion etc are clearly linked to London either directly in person, or through influence. But also surprisingly, (and excitingly), uniquely tinged with this towns own spirited zest... which I have come to really love! It's own potent, powerful identity! Of course this is just my personal reading of the town, making sense of a place through my own experiences; so where I see London-esque, you may very well see the Brighton-esque!
In terms of being a new mum - my partner is a new Mum, as I am a new Dad, of two children under 3. She is loving it here! She has joined and attends many different groups around town, where she has met many other lovely, like-minded parents and newcomers to the town. In addition to this the town has what I'd perceive to be an above average level of wonderful things to do with kids; the amazing parks, the stunning surrounding countryside with lovely gardens and houses to visit, the beach, the continuous range of events and festivals etc.
So in answer to your questions: yes, yes and yes! See you soon!
