Latest news with #Hastings
RNZ News
2 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Six fire trucks battle blaze in partly demolished building in Hastings
There were no reports of anyone being in the burning building. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly Six fire trucks are battling a blaze in Hastings at an old Watties-owned building that is under demolition. Fire and Emergency said there were no reports of anyone in the building or being injured, and crews were working to suppress the fire on the corner of Tomoana Road and Richmond Road. A plastic tank and cladding are on fire - and the blaze covers an area the size of two tennis courts. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Call for British Museum to take Bayeux tapestry to ‘1066 country'
The MP for Hastings and Rye has called on the British Museum to let the Bayeux tapestry spend time in '1066 country' when it comes to the UK, and to ensure the region reaps the benefits of the 'once-in-a-generation exhibition'. The tapestry will return to the UK for the first time in more than 900 years as part of a landmark loan agreement announced by the prime minister, Keir Starmer, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron. The 70-metre embroidered cloth, which depicts the 1066 Norman invasion and Battle of Hastings, will go on display at the British Museum from September next year. The Labour MP Helena Dollimore said it would be a 'great shame' if 1066 country – the area named after the battle – was locked out of 'this national moment'. 'Obviously, the practicalities and logistics would need to be looked at by experts, but our area is such an integral part of this tapestry that we must be included,' she said. In a letter to the British Museum chair, George Osborne, co-signed by the TV historian Dan Snow, Dollimore urged the museum to consult with French experts and curators to explore the viability of local English Heritage plans to take the tapestry to the south coast. She also called on the museum to ensure every local child had the opportunity to visit the exhibition by reserving free tickets and helping with the cost of transport to London; reserve at least 1,066 tickets to the exhibition for people from Hastings and the surrounding area, and support efforts to promote the region to exhibition visitors. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion 'Few works of art are as central to our island's story as the Bayeux tapestry, which quite literally wove Hastings into the fabric of our national history,' the letter says. 'Although Hastings and the rest of 1066 Country has often been at the centre of historical events, it has not always felt the benefits of it. The Sutton Trust recently found that Hastings and Rye ranks among the bottom 10 areas in the country for social mobility. 63% of young people leave school without the basic qualifications in maths and English GCSE. Like many coastal communities, it has been left behind for too long. 'Why not return this iconic piece of our heritage to the very ground where it all began in 1066? Whilst we acknowledge that it is for experts to decide what is feasible, the Hastings area must play its rightful part in this national moment.' Dollimore said there was a huge opportunity to bring tourists to the region. 'We've got Hastings Castle, We've got Battle Abbey, we've got Pevensey Castle over in Eastbourne, the 1066 walk. Other parts of the country make a big thing of their history. There's loads of signage, there's exhibitions. So there really is more we can do now that the nation's attention is going to be turned to the tapestry.' Sarah Broadbent, the chair of the 1066 Country tourism organisation, said she was confident the loan would spark people's curiosity about the events depicted and the places where they happened. 'There are few dates as memorable, the Norman conquest was such a significant turning point in English history and we're very proud to call ourselves 1066 Country,' she said. 'We're not only rich in history but also in landscape, in heritage and in culture. We might be tucked away in the corner of the south-east but we pack a punch well above our weight in terms of the visitor experience … this is our chance to showcase everything we have to offer.'
BBC News
5 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Hastings Winkle Club marks 125 years of issuing fines for charity
An East Sussex organisation where members can fine each other to raise funds for local causes is celebrating its 125th Winkle Club members raise cash by fining other members £2 when they are found to not have possession of their winkle shell when asked to "winkle up".Fishermen founded the organisation in 1900 to fund a Christmas party for the town's Christian Burton said supporting good causes remains "at the centre" of the charity's work. In addition to running the Christmas party annually, the club said it issued £350 grants to about 40 local charities and community groups. Another regular event is the club's winkle tossing contest, which sees participants throw shells into numbered containers to collect points. The organisation can count Sir Winston Churchill and military commander Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery as former gold winkle shell is part of the collection at the ex-prime minister's former family home, Chartwell. The club currently has about 250 members, with nominations from existing members required to join the Burton has been a member for over 30 years. His father is a former Hastings Winkle Club president and his great-great-uncle was a founding club made King Charles III a member during the monarch's visit to Kent on Thursday, according to Mr Burton. To celebrate its 125th anniversary, the club is hosting a Hastings Sinfonia concert on Saturday."It's something that I have wanted to do and the committee have supported me on that," Mr Burton Winkle Club said it would also organise a celebratory church service in September.
Times
6 days ago
- Health
- Times
Drugs binge at top private school left me psychotic, says ex-pupil
A former pupil of a top private boarding school is suing for £145,000 after claiming she suffered a drug-induced psychotic episode and post-traumatic stress disorder when older pupils supplied her with drugs. Irune Pedrayes, now 19, claims she developed PTSD after older male students at Buckswood School near Hastings, East Sussex, supplied her with mephedrone-laced vape liquid when she was 14. She has claimed the school, which charges up to £34,000 a year and teaches 11 to 19-year-olds, failed in its duty of care after she was 'high all weekend' after consuming drugs and alcohol on the school grounds without intervention. Meghann McTague, representing Pedrayes at the High Court in London, said her client was a 'vulnerable' pupil with additional needs, who should have received better pastoral care. 'The claimant spent that whole weekend — Friday, Saturday and Sunday — consuming a Class B drug that was supplied to her by older boys at the school, and drinking alcohol that was also supplied to her,' the barrister told Judge Geraint Webb KC. 'The drug use took place on the rugby pitch at the school. She was with four other students from the school. Nobody discovered these students. Nobody noticed, despite attending mealtimes and at bedtime, that she was high all weekend.' Pedrayes, who is from Spain, had no prior experience with drugs, the court was told. She was introduced to 'magic' — a vape fluid containing the Class B drug mephedrone — by sixth-form boys who ordered it online and had it delivered to the school, McTague said. She added that 'another pupil had reported' that Pedrayes had been supplied with the drug. Pedrayes was later hospitalised after she suffered an extended 'psychotic outbreak' due to the drugs, with symptoms including hallucinations, anxiety and tearfulness. The teenager's behaviour reportedly deteriorated after the hospitalisation. She was involved in another drug-related incident and withdrew from the school in November 2019. Her parents were unaware of what she had consumed and her breakdown continued for weeks until she left the school to return to Spain. There, she was treated with anti-psychotic medication but was left with PTSD, heightened anxiety and a greater risk of mental health problems in later life, the court heard. Her parents were told 'only that she had used a vape and that she was going to be given a smoker's reform sanction', said McTague. She added: 'Her psychosis was left untreated until she was later threatened with expulsion by the school and returned to Spain.' McTague said the school's pastoral system was inadequate and contributed to her client's long-term psychological harm. She pointed to a 2019 Ofsted report that highlighted 'recent concerns about students using drugs' at the school. 'The claimant submits that this was far from a 'one-off' isolated incident,' she said. 'Older students were having drugs delivered to the school and were able to use them in groups on the school premises with younger children. There was an endemic problem of substance abuse and a culture of tolerance.' The school accepted that Pedrayes experienced a psychotic episode as a result of the incident but denied liability. Lawyers for the school argued that anti-drug policies were in place and enforced, and that the institution took drug use seriously. Nigel Edwards, representing Buckswood School, said the school denied breaching the duty of care owed to Pedrayes and that she had been made aware of the school's ban on drugs and alcohol. 'The defendant avers that it complied with its obligations and put in place risk assessments, systems and rules to educate, discourage and try to prevent pupils accessing drugs,' he said. 'Staff were available night and day within the boarding house. School rules were in place expressly prohibiting illicit drugs.' Edwards added that staff 'could and did' search pupils and their rooms as part of the school's behaviour policy. 'The seriousness with which the school approached illicit drugs can be demonstrated by the willingness of the school to contact the local police about drugs issues, test and suspend pupils found to have taken drugs and bring in dog teams to check the premises,' he said. Part of Pedrayes' case is that there were 'clear safeguarding risks' relating to her, including 'impulsive and negative behaviour', but that she had been instead treated by the school simply as a 'badly behaved child'. However, Kevin Samson, principal of Buckswood School, told the court that there was no evidence that Pedrayes was a 'cause for concern' regarding drugs or vaping and there was adequate supervision in place for pupils. He said the school did not tell the parents about the incident because a urine test produced a negative result. 'It's not realistic to have a member of staff next to every child 24 hours a day,' he added. The court also heard that Pedrayes suffered with 'psychological problems' while living in Spain and had failed a year at school before moving to the UK. Following a two-day trial, Judge Webb reserved his decision on the case until a later date.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Girl sues boarding school for £145,000 after drug binge ‘left her with PTSD'
A teenage girl left with PTSD after she ended up 'high all weekend' when given drugs by sixth-form boys at a private boarding school is suing for £145,000 in compensation. Irune Pedrayes was only 14 and in her first weeks at the £34,000-a-year Buckswood School, near Hastings, East Sussex, when she was supplied with mephedrone-laced vape liquid by senior boys at her school. She claims it led to a weekend of drug use, with Miss Pedrayes, now 19, saying she spent Friday to Sunday vaping the Class B drug and drinking alcohol with others on the school's rugby pitch. But the apparent binge landed her in hospital after she suffered an extended 'psychotic outbreak' due to her intake, including symptoms of hallucinations and anxiety. Her parents were not told and the breakdown continued for weeks until she left the school to return to her native Spain, where she finally received anti-psychotic medication treatment. Now an adult, she is suing the school for £145,000 in compensation at the High Court, claiming its failure to properly supervise pupils led to her drug use and resulting psychotic breakdown and PTSD. Her lawyers say Miss Pedrayes was a "vulnerable" pupil with additional needs who should have been supported better, while adequate supervision of its pupils would have meant the three-day binge did not happen. Prior to moving to the school from Spain, she had never used drugs and it was only when she arrived at Buckswood that she succumbed to the "easy access" there, they say. However, the school - which caters for children aged 11-19 and calls itself a "global school in the heart of the British countryside" and claims in promotional materials to offer a "safe, supportive and family-like atmosphere" - denies liability for her psychiatric conditions, claiming robust anti-drug policies were in place. Sitting at the High Court in London, Judge Geraint Webb KC was told that Miss Pedrayes had suffered with "psychological problems" while in Spain, where she failed a year at school before moving to the UK. But her behaviour when she moved to Buckswood was challenging, with repeated detentions, before being "gated" - confined to school grounds at weekend - at the time of the drug incident. Her barrister, Meghann (CORR) McTague, said that, during a weekend in September 2019, Miss Pedrayes had been supplied with 'magic', a vape liquid containing the Class B drug mephedrone, which also goes under the street names "meow-meow' or 'm-cat', by upper sixth boys. "The claimant spent that whole weekend - Friday, Saturday and Sunday - consuming a Class B drug that was supplied to her by older boys at the school, and drinking alcohol that was also supplied to her," she said. "This drug use took place on the rugby pitch at the school. She was with four other students from the school. Nobody discovered those students. "Nobody noticed, despite attending mealtimes and at bedtime, that she was high all weekend." The school accepts that, due to her drug intake, Miss Pedrayes suffered a "psychotic" incident, which led to her being taken to hospital on the Monday. She complained of visual hallucinations, sensations of deja vu, tearfulness and anxiety, but went back to the school without her parents being informed of the drug use. After that, her behaviour continued to deteriorate, including a further incident of drug use, before she left the school in November 2019. Back in Spain, she finally received treatment for her psychosis, but has been left with PTSD, heightened anxiety and a greater risk going forward of mental health problems. Her barrister, Ms McTague, said the school was at fault for what happened, because a 14-year-old child should not be able to take drugs on school grounds for three days without being seen. "Prior to her attendance at the school, she had never taken drugs - it was the school which provided her with 'easy access' to drugs," she told the judge. "Whilst she was under Buckswood's care, she was able to consume drugs and alcohol with other children, as well as boys aged between 17 and 19 in the sixth form, on the school premises. "It is Miss Pedrayes' evidence that there was 'easy access' to drugs at the school and that 'surveillance varied in terms of strictness'. "In her estimation, the use of drugs at the school was not something that was 'very important' to the school." She said the school should have been well aware of what happened, because another pupil had reported how Miss Pedrayes had been supplied with 'magic' by sixth formers who bought it online and had it delivered to the school itself. There had been a "total failure of supervision" by the school, because boys had been able to get the drugs in and then the students had been able to take them "in plain sight." "My client's position is she was able to take drugs on the rugby pitch over the course of the weekend and as a result she was high much of that weekend," she said. "The students should have been supervised by the boarding house staff. If they had been supervised properly, this never would have happened." She continued: "Miss Pedrayes' parents were never told by the school that she had been hospitalised as a result of consuming a Class B drug supplied to her by another pupil, nor that she was suffering psychiatric symptoms as a result. "Instead, her parents were told only that she had used a vape and that she was going to be given a smoker's reform sanction." She added: "Her psychosis was left untreated until she was later threatened with expulsion by the school and returned to Spain." Ms McTague said the school had previous problems with drug use, with a January 2019 Ofsted report mentioning "recent concerns about students using drugs." "The claimant submits that this was far from a 'one-off' isolated incident," she told the judge. "Older students were having drugs delivered to the school and were able to use them in groups on the school premises with younger children. "There was an endemic problem of substance abuse and a culture of tolerance." For the school, barrister Nigel Edwards told the judge that it denies breaching the duty of care owed to Miss Pedrayes, pointing out that she had been made aware of the school's ban on drugs and alcohol. "The defendant avers that it complied with its obligations and put in place risk assessments, systems and rules to educate, discourage and try to prevent pupils accessing drugs," he said. "Staff were available night and day within the boarding house. School rules were in place expressly prohibiting illicit drugs. "There was a behaviour policy in place. Staff could and did search pupils' rooms. Staff could and did search pupils. "The seriousness with which the school approached illicit drugs can be demonstrated by the willingness of the school to contact the local police about drugs issues, test and suspend pupils found to have taken drugs and bring in dog teams to check the premises. "The school had in place a reasonably adequate system of is for the claimant to establish that the supervision provided fell below the reasonable standard." Part of Miss Pedrayes' case is that there were "clear safeguarding risks" relating to her, including "impulsive and negative behaviour," but that she had been instead treated by the school simply as a "badly behaved child." However, giving evidence, the school's principal, Kevin Samson, told the judge there was no evidence before the incident that Miss Pedrayes was "a cause for concern regarding vaping, smoking or drinking." He said the school had not told her parents about the incident after it happened because she had taken a urine test, which produced a negative result. Continuing, he said he doubted that the drug use could have really happened on the rugby pitch, which is in plain sight, or whether Miss Pedrayes had really consumed drugs all weekend, as she claims. He also insisted that adequate supervision was in place for pupils, adding: "It's not realistic to have a member of staff next to every child 24 hours a day." Following a two-day trial, Judge Webb reserved his decision on the case until a later date.
