Neon Noel to light up Eastbourne

Neon Noel, the fabulous Christmas animated light show, will light up Eastbourne Town Hall for the third year running.

The festive light, music and laser show spectacular will take place over the weekend of December 1-3 with a second show scheduled for the following weekend of December 8-10.  The venue will once again be the Town Hall.

The show is being organised by Eastbourne + District Enterprise Agency (EDEAL) and funded by Eastbourne Arndale Centre owners LGIM Real Assets (Legal & General).

In addition, there will be a Christmas market in the town centre from Saturday December 9 to Sunday December 17.  A Stagecoach Vintage Bus will run between the Town Hall and Christmas market.  All money raised through bus fares will be donated to the RNLI.

Town Hall turns red to mark World AIDS Day

The clock face of Eastbourne Town Hall will be illuminated in red on Friday, December 1, to mark World AIDS Day.

The day will also be marked by a march from the Town Hall to the seafront at 4.20pm when supporters will wear red ribbons to raise awareness of HIV and remember those who have died from the disease.

Joining the march will be members of the Terrence Higgins Trust, the BourneOut LGBT group, the Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, Cllr David Tutt, and Stephen Lloyd MP.

Cllr Tutt said: "World AIDS Day is about showing support for those who are living with HIV and remembering those who have lost their battle against the disease.

"Lighting the Town Hall clock face in red and wearing a red ribbon are small, but significant ways in which we can show our support and we hope as many people as possible will come and join us.”

More than 101,000 people are living with HIV in the UK.  Red ribbons will be available from the Town Hall reception desk on World AIDS Day.  For more information visit www.worldaidsday.org

Construction of new community centre gets underway

Construction of a new community centre is now underway at Sovereign Harbour in Eastbourne.

Councillors gathered at the site, between Pevensey Bay Road and Harbour Quay on the western side of the new Sovereign Harbour Innovation Park, to mark the start of the development.

Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, Cllr David Tutt, said: “I am delighted that we are now at the stage where residents of Sovereign Harbour can look forward to having their own community centre.  It has been a long journey, for many reasons, and I’d like to thank residents for their patience.  Once built, the new centre is going to be a tremendous asset for the local community.”

The new community centre will comprise a large main hall with double height space, a smaller hall, storage areas, kitchen, meeting rooms and reception.  In addition, the foyer has a café area that will open out onto a secure outside terrace.

The construction is being managed by Sea Change Sussex, the economic regeneration company responsible for developing the adjacent business park and for the recently-built Pacific House offices.  Construction of the community centre is expected to be completed in spring 2018.

Eastbourne Council to grant Hippodrome lease to local couple

Eastbourne Borough Council is set to grant the lease of the Royal Hippodrome Theatre to a local couple to secure the building for future generations.

Alex and Debbie Adams approached the council with a request to take over management of the theatre that needs at least £1.4 million investment to restore the building.  The couple have been involved in theatre for much of their lives and have been producing the Summer Season at the Hippodrome for the past five years.

At present, the grade II listed theatre is being run on a licence from the council by a Community Interest Company (CIC) set up in 2015.  The company recently secured external grant funding of £100,000 to improve works to the façade of the theatre.

Cabinet councillors agreed to enter into a lease agreement with Alex and Debbie and to take the necessary steps to enable work to start on the façade of the building.

The council will remain the freeholder of the theatre and the current CIC - with the addition of Alex and Debbie as Directors - will continue to manage the programming and running of the theatre.

Cllr Margaret Bannister, Lead Portfolio Holder for Tourism and Enterprise, said: “The Royal Hippodrome Theatre is very much part of Eastbourne’s history and so we are delighted that a local couple is going to be involved in running it.  This will protect the future of the theatre for generations to come.”