Lights, Camera, Eastbourne!

Who wore what to last night's Oscars is the question on many lips this morning! While the world's paparazzi are bringing us images of all the stars from the 84th annual Academy Awards, it's given us a great excuse to talk about all things film-related in Eastbourne.

Did you feel the thrill of Harry Potter’s Quidditch match in The Goblet Of Fire? Or were you on the edge of your seat during Pearl Harbour’s spectacular dogfights? Well, remember Eastbourne. It played a huge part in these and dozens of other film and television productions etching dramatic moments in your memory and imagination forever!

So, feeling inspired by last night's Oscars, we bring you Eastbourne's top 5 film locations...

Brighton Rock - image courtesy of Optimum Releasing

1. Eastbourne Pier – Our Grade II listed Victorian Pier has been seen many times on the silver screen over the years, including being transformed into Brighton's Palace Pier in the 60s for the 2011 release of Brighton Rock.

2. Eastbourne Bandstand - another popular film location for many productions, including Foyle's War and Little Britain with David Walliams and Matt Lucas.

3. Beachy Head - the dramatic backdrop of the South Downs and white chalk cliffs of Beachy Head are popular with film makers, featuring in movies, TV shows, commercials and music videos; from Band of Brothers to Bond: The Living Daylights!

4. Eastbourne Seafront - Our beautiful unspoilt seafront is a popular location as it's easy to transform into any era. Most recently it was used for Brighton Rock with Lambretta scooters driving along the front, as well as last year's release of Made in Dagenham.

5. Holywell - The beaches at the far western end of the seafront beneath the Falling Sands of Beachy Head are a quiet spot for film makers and have been seen in Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging, Eastenders and Miss Marple!

If you want to discover more of Eastbourne's famous film locations then check out our TV & Film Map...

Emma

Love Eastbourne? Love Twitter?



One of my own tweeted sunrise photos!

 Managing the VisitEastbourne twitter feed each day, I read hundreds, if not thousands, of tweets on a weekly basis from a variety of people and businesses who love Eastbourne! From posting dazzling photos of sunrises to recommending the best places for coffee - it's really inspiring to read tweets from those who are genuinely passionate about the town.

This got us thinking and we want to use that twitter and Eastbourne passion to put a call out to put together a network of people who love Eastbourne and love social media to act as virtual greeters and offer recommendations online for those planning visits to the town.

On our busy twitter feed, we regularly receive tweets from visitors planning a trip to our south coast destination and with visitors asking for tips on what to see and do in Eastbourne, we want to launch a network of virtual greeters to act as ambassadors for the town and share their own recommendations with visitors.

We want to launch the Virtual Greeter scheme in time for English Tourism Week from 10 – 18 March and are calling for anyone interested in becoming a virtual greeter to come along to the VisitEastbourne tweetup on 15 March and find out more.

The tweetup takes place from 4pm – 7.30pm at the Winter Garden’s Congress Suite and businesses and individuals can drop-in between those times. RSVP now! For those who are unable to make the tweetup but are interested in becoming a Virtual VisitEastbourne Greeter, they should send us a tweet on twitter!

Emma

Chips please - with plenty of salt and vinegar!

Chip lovers across the nation rejoice - it's National Chip Week!


Whether you like yours straight with plenty of salt and lashings of vinegar, or prefer the crinkle, skinny or wedge variety, this week presents a great excuse to eat chips if ever we heard one!



For us, there's nothing better than eating an open bag of chips on the seafront in the summer and there's certainly plenty of places in Eastbourne to get a good chip but we wanted to know your favourite places for chips so we did a quick survey on twitter. Here's a quick roundup of the places you recommended...

- Dolphin Fish Bar, Seaside

- Qualisea, Terminus Road

- Bamboo Garden, Seaside

- Sovereign Fish Bar, Beatty Road

- Marino's, Framfield Way



- Central Eating, Terminus Road

- Favoloso, Carlisle Road

Is your favourite chip haunt missing? Then let us know - drop us a tweet @VisitEastbourne

Emma

Maybe you like yours with some fresh seafood?

Re-discovering Eastbourne’s History

If you’ve ever wondered how Eastbourne looked centuries ago, what scandalous crimes have taken place over the years or how the Victorians holidayed in the resort, then Eastbourne Heritage Centre is definitely worth a visit.

Needing a bit of inspiration to help VisitEastbourne re-discover our roots, we decided to find out more with the help of Nicholas and Janet at the Heritage Centre who kindly gave us a guided tour.

This little gem of a museum sits opposite the Winter Garden with its stunning castle-like hexagonal turrets, and to my shame I have never visited. Once part of the Devonshire Baths complex – yes, even the Victorians had a leisure centre, this stunning building was the home of the baths manager.

Having homed a vast but unstructured array of historical artefacts, the centre has recently undergone a refurbishment with a complete redesign of its exhibition.

Being a graphic designer, Nicholas has done a great job of providing a stylish gallery style format for the information and the exhibition takes you on a chronological journey through Eastbourne’s beginnings as a series of small villages through to the arrival of the Victorian railway, which of course signalled the first seaside holidays in Eastbourne.

A selection of maps show Eastbourne’s planned expansion through this period of rapid growth and you can see the impact of the famous British architect Henry Currey and landowners such as William Cavendish - the Duke of Devonshire and John Davies-Gilbert whose family is still here today.

Following the exhibition upstairs, even the stairwell is put to good use with an array of ornate sand blasted iron work, showing off some of Eastbourne’s Italianate style villa architecture.

Upstairs a fabulous display of then and now photographs shows how Eastbourne has changed at various iconic locations around town, and the photo of the shoreline packed full with Victorian bathing huts made us chuckle. Next time you’re on a packed beach, give a thought for the Victorians who probably couldn’t even see the sea for all the bathing huts.

However the real surprise for me was the temporary exhibition ‘Crime, Punishment and Local Justice’. Being a huge fan of historical crime drama, this was a fascinating insight into detective work through the ages. Dr John Bodkin Adams is of course the most famous case, but I had no idea of the others or even that Eastbourne had regular riots!

Next stop – the basement theatre with two fascinating films from the 60’s and 70’s, showing Eastbourne as a holiday resort, which of course promoted fond laughter and discussion.

We ended the tour in the very reasonably priced shop, which includes a great array of gifts, postcards and books, and even included stuff for the kids.

Eastbourne Heritage Centre is currently open for winter hours only from 2 – 4pm Mondays and Thursdays tel 01323 411189 or visit the website.

Tracey

School's Out!

Kids will be waving their flags come 3pm this afternoon as schools pack up for February half-term. Whether you're visiting Eastbourne for the day or heading to the coast for the holidays, check out our top 6 picks for half-term in Eastbourne...

Get your skates on!
Make the most of your final chance to enjoy the real ice skating rink at Fort Fun this winter with the seafront ice rink staying open for half-term. Book your session online or pay as you go! Check out our competition for your chance to win a family ticket...

Creepy Crawlies Fun at Drusillas Park Creep down to Drusillas Park and meet some amazing mini monsters at the no.1 small zoo! The Discovery Centre will be open from 11am – 4pm on Sunday 12 Feb swarming with weird insects, slimy molluscs and scary spiders with experts from the British Tarantula Society on hand to answer any questions. Plus don't miss an appearance from the Fat Controller on 15 Feb!

A head for science!
The Observatory Science Centre in Herstmonceux near Eastbourne is hosting a jam-packed programme of activities for half-term. Don't miss the Zany Zone drop-in workshop on 13 Feb, Valentine Work Out on 14 Feb, Arty Stars and Planets on 15 Feb and Chemistry workshop on 16 Feb.

VISITOR-inspired art
Let the kids' imagination run wild at Towner Contemporary Art Museum this half-term with activities inspired by their new VISITOR exhibition. Book now for half-term workshops on 17 Feb with the chance to construct your own 3D world. Then enjoy a VISITOR Family Day on 19 Feb with artists on hand to help families make fluorescent cabins and canoes!

On your bike!
Take to the acres of beautiful countryside on Eastbourne's doorstep with a family bike ride! Head to the Seven Sisters Cycle Company at Friston Forest and hire bikes for an energetic day out!

Make waves!
If you're not sure what the weather's doing (although it is always sunny in Eastbourne!) then swimming is always a good choice for indoor fun! Choose from the Sovereign Centre leisure complex with a fun pool, wave machine, 25m pool and training pool, or enjoy the smaller, family friendly pool at Motcombe.

Whatever you choose to do, we hope you have an awesome time! Don't forget to tell us about your visits and days out on facebook, twitter, or share your snaps on flickr!

Go retro in Eastbourne for the Queen's 60th year on the throne!

This week the Queen celebrated 60 years on the throne, the second longest reigning monarch in British history. With a whole host of celebrations coming up in 2012 for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, including a bumper weekend in Eastbourne from 2 - 5 June with Eastbourne Fiesta, the occasion has reignited the Brits' love affair with all things retro!

If you fancy some 50s style fun for yourself then read on to find our retro-inspired highlights in Eastbourne for the Diamond Jubilee year!

Traditional Afternoon Tea

Eastbourne is peppered with cosy tea rooms and sumptuous hotel lounges to enjoy a traditional afternoon tea. Don't miss Dicken's Tea Cottage in South Street. One of the town's best kept secrets and originally built in 1719, it has been a tea room for more than 50 years. Enjoy a visit in 2012, even more timely with the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens, who is said to have visited the property when it was previously a boarding house.

Eastbourne Tea Dances at the Winter Garden
Put on your dancing shoes and spend an afternoon tripping the light fantastic at a Winter Garden tea dance. With live music accompaniment, put your best dancing shoes on and enjoy an afternoon for all - whatever your dancing ability!

Make, Do and Mend
There's nothing quite like the satisfaction you get out of making something yourself! Hot foot it down to The Owl and Sewing Cat in the Grand Hotel Shopping Parade and take your pick of beautiful fabrics and haberdashery tools. Book yourself onto an Open Sewing Workshop or take a Crochet and Knitting Class and have a go at the latest revival trend sweeping the nation!

Whisks at the ready!
Cute pastel coloured cupcakes are the flavour of the moment! Book yourself onto a Cupcake Baking Class or Cupcake Decorating Party at The Really Scrumptious Cake Company in Eastbourne's Enterprise Centre and make your own very special cupcakes.

Rock n Roll Concerts
Book now for a rock n roll tribute concert at Eastbourne's iconic 1930s Bandstand - every Saturday night in July and August. Choose from rock n roll favourites such as Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and Chuck Berry.

Eastbourne Fiesta
Celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee weekend at Eastbourne Fiesta from 2-4 June. Enjoy food theatre, a giant Tug of War competition, and Eastbourne's very own Flotilla.

What are you waiting for? Celebrate retro in Eastbourne in 2012!

Emma

Conference buyers given a whistlestop tour of Eastbourne!

  

Devonshire Park



The Eastbourne Conference Team are still on a high following the success of last weekend’s Conference Buyers Fam Trip. Five national organisations accepted our invitation to spend 24 hours in Eastbourne arriving Friday afternoon. England’s only 5-star seaside hotel, the Grand, provided rooms and we were thrilled that by the time we all met up at 5pm, everyone had checked in.

We started the weekend with a tour of the Devonshire Park Centre, including the 1700 seater Congress auditorium. The fam trip coincided with the Eastbourne Open Darts Tournament in the Winter Garden, which expected to attract around 800 competitors and supporters. The Winter Garden set up looked great and our guests were impressed by the Floral Hall and Gold Room’s Victorian splendour. They seemed surprised by just how much space we had and how flexible it could be

Once the tour was over, our 10 guests were whisked off to Pomodoro e Mozzarella courtesy of Eastbourne 720 Taxis for a fantastic Italian supper, for which, Pomodoro is renowned. We’d like to thank Luca, one of our conference members, for laying on such a treat. Once supper was over, it was straight back to the Congress for the evening performance of Sister Act, the latest West End Show to arrive on the Eastbourne stage. If anyone was not on a high before the show, they certainly were by the end, sensational, with top performances from everyone. In fact one of our guests admitted that musical theatre is not something he would normally go to but even he said that he’d had a great time. After the show, most people returned to the Grand Hotel, with a few soaking up the elegant atmosphere by having coffee in one of the lounges before retiring to bed. However, a couple decided the night was still young and so headed from the Congress, next door to the pub, and were thrilled to find several members of the Sister Act cast already in there, with most of the others following in quick succession (once the show is over they don’t hang about!).

Saturday dawned and it was another beautiful day in sunny Eastbourne (did we mention that we are the UK’s sunniest place?). We suggested that they might like to go for a run along the 5 miles of Eastbourne promenade before breakfast but we don’t think anyone took up that suggestion. Once everyone had finished the beautifully served breakfast, we headed off for a tour of Eastbourne’s open spaces to give them a bit of a feel of Eastbourne’s Victorian elegance and they loved it. We headed through Meads and up onto the South Downs and Beachy Head and everyone seemed quite taken aback by the spectacular scenery. We had a quick stop off at Birling Gap and at the bottom of Belle Tout Lighthouse and lots of photographs were taken of the world famous cliffs and Beachy Head Lighthouse

As we headed back into the town we admired the amazing views across the Downs with Eastbourne in the bay and views right round to Hastings and Dungeness in one direction and the towers of Brighton in the distance in the other - beautiful. As we had about 15 minutes before our next appointment we continued along the seafront for a quick look at Sovereign Harbour Marina. This lead to various discussions that when they all move to Eastbourne, should they buy a property in the Marina overlooking the water or one of the elegant Meads properties? The debate rages on!

By this time we were all ready for the refreshments kindly provided by the Eastbourne Centre before we were given a tour of the hotel’s facilities. Everyone agreed that all the newly refurbished rooms were beautiful but the aspect that received the most comments was the new disabled bedrooms. One of the organisations was a disabled charity and said that these rooms were the best for disabled guests they’d ever seen, praise indeed, especially as through the course of their business, conference buyers get to see a lot of bedrooms

Our final stop was a tour of the 4 star Cavendish Hotel followed by lunch. Being purpose built in the 1870s (as was the Grand) it has a bright airy feel with wide corridors and high ceilings. Everyone loved the contemporary décor and agreed it would work well for conferences or as the headquarters hotel for larger conferences being held at the Devonshire Park Centre. A gorgeous lunch was served in the newly refurbished library and everyone agreed that one of the vases in there was the largest they had ever seen!

At this point the official part of the tour was over, so most headed back to the Grand Hotel for the last time, to collect their bags and head off home. However, a couple decided to extend their visit and head into town and one couple had gone one step further and booked to stay on another night (and who could blame them?).

Feedback over the weekend, and since, has been fantastic. They were all enthusiastic about every aspect of the weekend and seemed to love all Eastbourne has to offer. Two have said they can think of at least one of their events that would work well in the Devonshire Park Centre (in fact they both now have provisional dates in our diary), one wants to book something into the Grand Hotel and one into the Eastbourne Centre. Who can ask for more than that!

Eastbourne Conference Bureau