Since he started writing for Hastings In Focus back in 2019 Tom McCann has never been afraid to court controversy. As a young man trying to make his way in the world and facing an ever more ‘hostile’ local housing market he wonders if Hastings Borough Councillors have their priorities the right way round? With […]
By Felicity Laurence, Hastings Community of Sanctuary Campaigns Team Last year, not far from Hastings, a fragile small boat drifted uncertainly towards a small beach and the cluster of sunbathers relaxing there. As the overladen dinghy encountered the waves at the shore, the people on the beach waded in and pulled it to safety, helping […]
It is more than a year since both Hastings Borough Council and East Sussex County Council voted to support asylum seekers being able to work with county councillors voting unanimously in favour of the move. This councils’ actions followed months of activity in Hastings and St Leonards to raise awareness of the Lift the Ban […]
It’s wrong to militarise what is a humanitarian problem say local campaigners. That’s the view of Hastings Supports Refugees and Hastings Community of Sanctuary when responding to this weekend’s revelations that plans were being drawn up by government to send Royal Navy warships to block migrants from crossing the Channel. It has been widely reported that Home […]
An amendment to limit detention to 28 days is to be debated within days. Irfan Chowdhury from the Campaigns Team at Hastings Community of Sanctuary describes the reality of this inhumane practice, and explains how to support this amendment. The UK is currently the only country in Europe which has no time limit on immigration […]
Local people are being encouraged to extend a hand of friendship and to welcome refugees fleeing Northern France. Between 6.30am and midday on Sunday four boats containing 72 refugees landed on local beaches. They were all brought to Hastings to be medically assessed before being transferred to immigration officials. Tony Eastaugh, Home Office Director for […]
Click the link above to hear Maya Evans talking about new book, Afghanistan: hidden voices from a forgotten war published tomorrow! Hollington’s borough councillor Maya Evans is a renowned campaigner and telling people about how real people are surviving in Afghanistan is her passion. Tomorrow Maya’s new book, Afghanistan: hidden voices from a forgotten war and it […]
It’s time to create legal and safe routes into the UK and avoid the risk of vulnerable people being exploited by unscrupulous gangs and people traffickers. That’s the view of a group of Hastings based charities following the news that 17 people, thought by police to be ‘illegal immigrants’ arrived on the beaches of Hastings […]
A packed Kino-Teatr in St Leonards was the venue last month for a fitting finale to an incredible five days of walking as this year’s Refugee Tales concluded with an evening of story-telling, laughter and occasionally tears. Almost 70 miles was covered from Brighton to Hastings and more than 150 people joined each day in […]
