Summer Holiday Activities for the Rainy Day

It's a beautiful day in Eastbourne today and we hope to see the sun everyday. However, we do know that sometimes the sun can be a little shy and so he sends his friend, Rain Cloud out to greet people instead.

Rain Cloud isn't quite as friendly as Sun, so we've put together some great ways to escape him during his visits to Eastbourne this school holiday!

Summerdown Camp is a very fascinating exhibition currently on display at the Pavilion Tea Rooms on Royal Parade. Summerdown Camp was the largest WW1 convalescent camp of its kind, when it opened in Eastbourne one hundred years ago. The exhibition uncovers what life was like for the thousands of soldiers who recovered at the camp, and also for the women who took care of them and nursed them back to health. The exhibition is free, and children with a thirst for history will love it! Why not try a delicious cream tea whilst there?!

The Observatory Science Centre in Herstmonceux has some really fun and interesting workshops this Summer, to keep children's brains ticking whilst away from school. 'Colour Kaleidoscope' on 4 August, 'Captivating Chemistry' on 13 August and 'Be an Astronaut' on 18 August, are just a few of the many great workshops to chose from. Be quick though, they do book up fast!

The David Lloyd Leisure Centre in Eastbourne, is home to Lloyds Lanes; the prefect place for a game or two of tenpin bowling on a rainy day! It's very child friendly too, with bumpers to put up on the lanes for those that need a little help, as well as Laser Quest, pool tables and lots more entertainment and games!

Newly refurbished and re-opened Fort Fun on Eastbourne's seafront has a fabulous Indoor Soft Play, with ropes, swings, tunnels, slides, a designated toddler area and lots, lots more. So, when Rain Cloud comes to visit, head to Fort Fun for an afternoon of super fun soft play!

When it's not quite the weather to take a dip in the sea, one of Eastbourne's large leisure centres, the Sovereign Centre will help in keeping the children active and having a whale of a time for hours! With a fun pool complete with water flumes, a baby pool for the really little ones, a bubble pool and lots more, the Sovereign Centre makes for a great value family day out!

When Annie comes to the Congress Theatre from 10-15 August, it's the perfect time to introduce the kids to the most famous and lovable orphan from 1930's New York! With two matinee shows, on 13 and 15 August, the theatre is a great place to entertain children if Rain Cloud decides to come out to play. Children will love the classic songs from the show, 'It's a Hard-Knock Life', 'Tomorrow' and 'You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile', plus many more!

To find out lots more ways to keep your children occupied this Summer, whatever the weather, head to VisitEastbourne.com!

Yuletide is Upon Us: A month of Eastbourne Festivities

The festive season is well and truly under way, and Eastbourne has plenty on offer for all, this Christmas period. From quaint markets serving up edible delights and hand crafted gifts; to opera, ballet and Rat Pack Christmas classics being performed on theatre stages across Eastbourne. The Sunshine Coast sure knows how to do Christmas, but can we bring snow?

Yes! Well almost. Druisilla’s Park switches on its Winter Wonderland Illuminations at 16.30 on Saturday November 29, transporting visitors to a magical ice-capped Kingdom where penguins and polar bears made of dazzling lights, will be animated for a 20 minute illumination display every day until January 4, perfectly synchronized to festive and pop music. 

Children (and adults) can also meet and hug a Husky dog, Hello Kitty, Santa’s Reindeer, Christmas elves and Santa himself – there really is so much on offer at Drusilla’s this Christmas; it will make the perfect Winters day out for family festivities.

Shopping locally for your Christmas gifts couldn’t be easier, with numerous Christmas markets and crafts fairs dotted around the town. ‘Meads Magic’ in Meads Village is happening from 14.30 this Friday 28 November. As well as the delightful food stalls and unique seasonal gifts, Christmas magic will be brought to Meads in the form of live street music from the Swing Ninjas. Santa will be making another trip to Eastbourne especially for the magical Meads event. 

Another charming corner of Eastbourne, Little Chelsea, will be holding their ‘Little Christmas’ outdoor market on Friday 5 December between 17.30 and 22.00. South Street will be taken over by market stalls, offering more traditional gifts, festive culinary delights, rides and attractions. Various street performers will keep Christmas spirits high with entertainment throughout the entire evening. Real life reindeer will be travelling down from the North Pole with Santa (again) to meet and greet one and all.

For another alternative evening of shopping, the Towner Art Gallery is holding an ‘After Hours Christmas Shopping’ event on Tuesday December 2, 18.00-21.00. You’ll find more unique Christmas treasures for your friends and families gifts, and receive mulled wine and mince pies, complimentary of the gallery.

Visitors to Eastbourne can make a night, a weekend or a whole week of it. There are a number of very welcoming hotels who love to welcome in guests at Christmas, with some brilliant offers on for the festive period. The Langton’s, a Victorian seafront guest house, have 20% off of a three night stay or more until March 30. The Royal is a beautiful and charming hotel with offers on 6 and 7 night stays. All available hotels and B&B’s can be booked online at http://www.visiteastbourne.com/accommodation/

For those that like to keep active, even throughout the gluttonous month of December, the Santa Fun Run and Walk is happening on Sunday December 7. All runners will be decked out in Santa’s suits (he’s a fashion role model), and be rewarded with a mince pie at the end of their promenade run. More details about can be found at www.events.myastheniagravis.co.uk/SantaEastbourne.

The Christmas theatre season is packed out, catering for all musical tastes, and age groups. Classical dance fans will be mesmerised by Russian State Ballet and Opera House productions of Gisele at the Congress on Friday 5 December, and The Nutcracker, a favourite Christmas story, on Saturday 6 December. Beauty and The Beast is the pantomime not to be missed this season, and with a whole month of performances, there is no excuse. See it at the Devonshire Park Theatre between December 12 and January 11. The Rat Pack Big Band will be bringing Sinatra seasonal classics and more hits from 1950’s America, to the Congress on December 23. For a full theatres list and to book tickets visit www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk.

And the grand finale of festivities is the trio of annual free Bandstand concerts. Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day will be celebrated in traditional Eastbourne style at our unique Bandstand. A Christmas vacation in Eastbourne would be incomplete without experiencing at least one of these concerts, if not all. The Eastbourne Silver Band will grace the Bandstand stage on Christmas Day, caroling the morning away. Boxing Day and New Year’s at the Bandstand promises two fun and lively concerts from the Ray Campbell Dance Band, joyfully rounding off Eastbourne’s festive season.

There is no better place to be this December, than the Sunshine Coast – Merry Christmas One and All!

We love to Boogie!

Who likes to boogie? We like to boogie!


Enter our brand new Theatre Thursday competition for this week ending on Wednesday 23 Jan to be in with a chance of winning an incredible pair of tickets to see Boogie Nights rock Eastbourne's Congress Theatre!
Staring huge names from the world of music & entertainment....Gareth Gates....Chico....Louisa Lytton (Ruby in Eastenders)..The Osmonds..the list goes on so need we say anymore! All you need to do is enter for free and answer a simple multiple choice question.

(L-R Andy Abraham, Gareth Gates, Louisa Lytton, Chico & Shane Richie Junior)

With a cast of 15 musicians, singers and dancers Boogie Nights – the 70’s Musical in Concert features all your favourites from the original show including Y.M.C.A. and Happy Days, We Are Family and Boogie Wonderland and promises a party atmosphere you won’t want to miss!

Boogie nights is at the Congress Theatre, Eastbourne on Thursday 21 February at 7.30pm. Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office on 01323 412000 or online at www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk.

And with the opportunity of winning tickets to see this with your grooviest dancing buddy, what more of an excuse do you need! So dust off your flares, polish up your disco balls and hop in the Gran Torino and rock on down to the Congress Theatre!

Youthwork the Conference in Eastbourne

Want to know what it's like to work on a conference here in Eastbourne? Read on...

Well I've just spent the weekend with 1,000 youth workers here at the Devonshire Park Centre in Eastbourne. They have been coming for quite a few years now, but each conference still seems to have its own particular aspect that reminds me that however many times you run an event, there is always something that crops up - a last minute room change or AV equipment need to be replaced… In some ways I am secretly pleased as it shows how good the staff are here, they constantly jump to assist and go that one step further, a real win with the Conference Organisers.

With the Congress Theatre packed with delegates having a good time (see our facebook page for pictures) – Scott Todd is a real hit with this crowd and the Floral Hall is packed with exhibitors and even a book shop! It confirms that conferences are still an important part of organisations and when bringing like-minded people together you can’t forget the buzz!

This year I heard quite a few of the delegates, in passing, mentioning how good the hotels are here and they particularly love the seafront walk before the conference in the morning. With plenty of delegates tweeting throughout the weekend too using the #ywc2011 hashtag, I'm now looking forward to 2012! The organisers have even updated their website with next year's dates already!

Gill

Conference Manager