Seafood and Wine Festival tomorrow and Sunday
 The Seafood and Wine Festival starts tomorrow. Weekend wristbands are available on the gate for £6.
There will be music and activities from 11am to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday on The Stade, and music until 7.30pm on the beach on Saturday.
If you're bringing the kids along they can enjoy arts and crafts in Stade Hall, and at noon, 1.30pm and 3pm on both days there are fish cooking sessions with CJ Jackson and local legends Tush and Pat Hamilton. All with wristbands are welcome but spaces are limited.
For the music lovers, you can enjoy The New Blue Shoes, Kinsella, Sam Calver and finish the weekend off with SKA-PER on Sunday evening. And, of course, there will be the usual locally sourced seafood and wine.
Tickets for the Jazz Breakfast with Liane Carroll and Friends on Sunday will be available from Judges Bakery, High Street, Old Town, while stocks last. Tickets cost £22.50 for adults and £12.50 for under-18s.This includes the two-hour concert, breakfast, and a weekend wristband for the main Seafood and Wine Festival. Doors for the Jazz Breakfast open at 9am on Sunday 17 September, with music starting at 10am.
Annual canvass continues
The annual canvass is still underway.
The annual canvass is done to check who is registered to vote in each household to make sure our electoral register is accurate.
Please look out for correspondence from us; this year we will make contact using various methods at different times.
Over the next two weeks some residents can expect to receive an email from hastings@householdresponse.com or a Canvass Communication in the post. Please follow the instructions and respond as soon as possible to prevent further contact.
Mayor visits resident shortlisted for national award
 Cllr Margi O'Callaghan, Mayor of Hastings, has made a surprise doorstep visit to Victoria Oldman, who has been nominated in the 'Positive Role Model Award: Gender' category at the National Diversity Awards.
Cllr O'Callaghan said: "Victoria has been nominated for her work with Hastings Trans Pride and her service to the community in terms of equality. I wanted to visit her to wish her luck from me, as Mayor, and from the whole of Hastings, and to thank her for all her work in the community - I told her we are all rooting for her."
Victoria said: "I'm thrilled to have been shortlisted for a national diversity award - not for me, or the work I do, but for the chance to further shine a light on the needs of my community.
"I'm enormously grateful for the support I've received from the town and allies in this area, and the recognition of the enormous amount of progress needed to ensure trans, non-binary and gender diverse people, like anyone else, have access to healthcare, services, and rights they need in order to live their lives in comfort, in control, and in safety.
"Diversity is always what has made Hastings great, and as we celebrate, welcome and provide for it with solidarity, we have every reason to be proud."
Victoria will be travelling to Liverpool for the awards on Friday 15 September to find out if she has won.
September is preparedness month
 Hastings Borough Council is part of the Sussex Resilience Forum (which coordinates different organisations to prepare and respond to, and recover from, emergencies). We are sharing messages during September for Preparedness month.
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Have you made a fire escape plan at home? Working smoke alarms will warn you of a fire, but having an escape plan will help you and your family act quickly.
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Make sure that cats and dogs are microchipped and wearing collars with up-to-date ID tags, including your mobile phone number.
You can find out more on the 30 Days 30 Ways website, including taking part in daily quizzes and watching weekly discussions over the month.
COVID winter booster announced
 The annual flu and COVID vaccine programme has now begun.
The NHS has said that residents of older adult care homes and those most at risk will receive their COVID vaccine first.
Carers, pregnant women, and health and social care staff will all be among the groups to be offered a COVID jab this winter, as well as adults aged 65 and over.
The national booking system will be opening on Monday 18 September for people to book their vaccines. You can also book through your healthcare provider when you are contacted.
The NHS Sussex Health and Care website has more information about who is eligible and how to book.
Southern Water Bulverhythe update
At the Full Council meeting on 19 July, Cllr Paul Barnett, leader of the council, read out a letter he was sending to Southern Water seeking a far more co-operative and open approach to the issues Southern Water are dealing with in Hastings.
We have agreed with Southern Water to share important and relevant information with residents through this newsletter on a regular basis, to help make sure that you are kept up-to-date with work they are doing and other updates. We are reliant on Southern Water sharing relevant data with us and will continue to press them for timely updates.
The latest update is below:
Southern Water (SW) are continuing their work to resolve the ongoing problems with the main sewer from Bulverhythe Tower to Cinque Ports Way.
The next steps are:
Arnside Road - During the week starting 18 September 2023, SW will be excavating a 15 metre long x 5 metre wide pit in Arnside Road at the junction with Cliftonville Road. They expect to be finished in this area by the middle of October 2023.
Cliftonville Way - To keep everyone safe, Cliftonville Road will be closed from the junction with Cliftonville Way and where it meets Arnside Road. This work is expected to be finished in this area by the end of October 2023.
Cinque Ports Way (Bultherhythe beach) - SW are starting the repair work in this area from late September, access will be restricted for vehicles along Cinque Ports Way to the Scout Hut. The bollards will be temporarily removed between Huts 111E and 111C to allow you to drive to the back row of huts. When SW are finished, they will replace the bollards and make good any damage to the ground. They expect to be finished in this area by December 2023.
Blue green algae in Alexandra Park water
 A naturally occurring Blue Green Algae has been reported in Alexandra Park in Shornden and Harmers reservoirs.
Some Blue Green Algae can form a bloom (scum) that can be harmful to people and animals. The advice is to stay out of the water and keep animals out too.
The Environment Agency are aware, but the presence of the potentially harmful type is yet to be confirmed.
Signage will be going up around the affected areas to warn members of public.
The fishing club has also been made aware and the council is monitoring the situation.
Fortunately, this will go away when temperatures drop, but this is likely to only be in the winter.
Please forward any other reports of suspected Blue Green Algae to the Environment Agency on their incident hotline (24hrs service) 0800 80 70 60.
For more information check the Environment Agency website.
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