Spring Newsletter
Trustee Appointments
For those of you who do not know me, I wish you a warm Hello and I hope we have the chance to meet in person very soon. My name is Helen Enock. I am a journalist and author (under my professional name of Helen Chislett) and I run my own online arts consultancy. My husband, John, and I have lived in the Old Town since 2007.
I am honoured to take over the chairmanship from Dorothy Smith, who has done so much to promote the work of the BOTPS over many years. I am also delighted to announce Richard Beaden as Vice Chairman and Paul Adams as Conservation Officer. Dorothy is staying on as a Trustee and we are also supported by Raymond Konyn as our fifth Trustee. Our thanks for the hard work and commitment of longstanding Trustees who have stood down in recent months – Krys Clarke, Jennifer Downs and Rich Morris.
If you are interested in becoming a Trustee yourself, please contact Sarah Errington, our Office Manager: admin@botps.org.uk for details.
The Society sadly lost its president, Peter Cole, in 2023. The Reverend Stephen Need of St Peter’s Church kindly agreed to step into the role for which we are very grateful. We are pleased to report that Vivienne Bond remains as Vice President.
Traffic Campaign
Our thanks to member, Sandra Bandirali, who organised a petition last year to have the 7.5 tonne weight restriction on the High Street enforced.
Unfortunately, HGVs regularly ignore the signs and this is causing stress and damage to some of the listed and heritage buildings along the road, many of which either have shallow foundations or none at all given their age. So far, the police have taken no action to enforce the weight limit.
Sandra has received encouragement both from the Society and from Bexhill Heritage. It is also heartening to see the interest and active support of Councillor Ian Hollidge and Councillor Charles Clark, who formally presented the petition to East Sussex Country Council (ESCC) in February. Thanks also to Councillor Polly Gray and Councillor Richard Thomas from Rother District Council for pursuing this matter on residents’ behalf. It has been suggested that if the police continue to ignore the problem, ESCC should alter the road layout, so that vehicles over a certain width cannot enter the road.
History of Bexhill Pubs
Last year the Society was approached by two local resident (Rob Hiscocks and Dr Niall McCrae) who wanted to publish a series of short books detailing the history of pubs in Bexhill and the surrounding areas but required some funding to start the project. The Trustees agreed to a small grant and were pleased to learn that the Old Town features in the first volume.
The book – ‘History of Bexhill Pubs: Volume 1 – Old Town and London Road’ is priced at £7.50 and if you would like to purchase one, copies are available from our office during opening hours. It can also be purchased at Bexhill Museum and the De La Warr Pavilion.
Members enjoyed an illuminating talk on the subject by the authors after last year’s AGM.
Subscription Reminder
We will shortly be sending our reminders for subscription renewal for the coming year and your continued support is much appreciated.
And Finally….
Please do contact the BOTPS if you have any particular concerns relating to the Old Town that we should be aware of – or if you have any ideas that might be of benefit to us. Sarah can help arrange a time when you can meet with either Helen or Richard – or of course emails are always welcome too.