Hastings set to become art hotspot

The Jerwood Foundation, plans to build a £4million gallery in Hastings Old Town to house its main collection of 20th and 21st century British art. The gallery will be free to the public when it opens.

Simon Hubbard, corporate director for regeneration and planning at Hastings council said: "The town will gain a high quality cultural asset which will achieve a cultural-led regeneration of part of the seafront and provide the key for future improvement."


Cllr Jeremy Birch said: "This is a real opportunity for us in not just seeing a viable and exciting construction on The Stade but also being able to change the type of visitors to Hastings.

He said: "This could be life-changing for Old Town. At last we will see the culture and arts at the heart of regeneration."

Council leader Peter Pragnell said: "These are exciting times, not just for Old Town, but for the whole of the surrounding area.

"Jerwood is going to invest a lot of money in our town and we want it to fully benefit from it.

"We will work closely with the Jerwood Foundation, other organisations such as the Arts Council, the South East England Development Agency, the Hastings Foreshore Trust, and East Sussex County Council, and of course the local community, to do all we can to realise this vision."

Fathers Day 22nd June 2008

The first known celebration of Father's Day was on July 5, 1908 in Fairmont, West Virginia, where it was commemorated at William Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South – now known as Central United Methodist Church. Grace Golden Clayton is believed to have suggested it to her pastor after a deadly explosion in nearby Monongah in December, killing 361 men.

It was also during a sermon in 1909 that Sonora Smart Dodd became inspired by Mother's Day. After the death of her mother, Sonora and her siblings were raised by their father William Jackson Smart, a Civil War veteran. Sonora wanted to show how thankful she was to her father and, because William was born in June, she worked to have the first Father's Day celebrated on June 19, 1910.

In 1924, President Coolidge recommended that Father's Day become a national holiday. President Johnson designated the third Sunday of June to be Father's Day in 1966. It was not until 1972 that President Nixon instituted Father's Day as a national observance.

We are looking forward to a great Father's Day but it's bound to be busy. So, if you want to treat Dad, why not bring him along this Sunday? lunchtime or evenings, we're not proud!

Booking advised - so give us a call on 01424 439080.