Hastings welcomes the Torch!

HASTINGS OLYMPIC TORCH EVENT TUESDAY 17th JULY

     (afternoon & evening)

The Church of Hastings is involved in the Olympic Torch celebrations on July 17th by volunteering to be street marshals, praising the Lord in two locations, staging both a Messy Church for 9½ hours and facilitating a Mencap Special Bowls event amidst a park festival and opening 4 churches (of various denominations) to provide hospitality for spectators. Tony Calton is the Chairman and Reverend Chris Key is the sponsoring minister and Bishop Wallace Benn is coming to assist with activities. Reverend Chris Key is also hosting an Evening Praise event the day before.

The Torch will be carried by a relay of local runners (preceded by a cavalcade of sponsors, including Coca-Cola) along the Hastings seafront, passing Warrior Square & several churches, before stopping in front of Hastings Old Town for the main ceremony. Activities in the Town area and Warrior Square will culminate in a Fire Work Display, from the castle grounds. at 9:30 pm. The next morning the torch & cavalcade will be taken out of the town on its way to Dover, passing Schools and roads lined with school children.

Many Church Volunteers will marshal the rolling road closure along the seafront. Their role is not to manage the crowd but to assist the public and report inappropriate behaviour and medical issues to the authorities via mobiles/radios. A few will also marshal Warrior square and very energetic volunteers can marshal the following morning when school children line the route as the Torch cavalcade leaves Hastings.

As an act of hospitality churches located in amongst the celebrations and on the Torch Route (these include St Leonards Parish Church, Greek Orthodox “St Mary Magdalene”, Holy Trinity Church, Wellington Square Baptist Church & the Salvation Army van) will act as “Hubs” and open their doors and provide free refreshments, toilet facilities, respite and in some instances recreational activities with the help of volunteers from across the Hastings Church community.

Hastings College is hosting various activities in front of their college next to Hastings Railway Station from 4pm to 6pm. Good Christian singers have volunteered to praise the Lord for an hour, accompanied by an electric keyboard and guitar, and a PA provided by a Christian sound engineer.

The secular St Leonards Festival is being staged on Warrior Square and the Hastings Church is undertaking 3 activities with help from churches of all denominations, including the Bruderhof (Darvell) community.

Firstly, Messy Church marques covering an area of 40ft by 10ft will be erected next to St Leonards Festival’s children’s marquee from 12am to 9:30pm. The Church community will be undertaking arts and crafts activities for children and youths with Christian themes and music interludes, as well as face painting, short puppet shows, Christian DVD shows, badge making, tenpin bowling and much more. Activities will be split into time slots to cater for different age groups; mothers & toddlers, school children with parents/guardians and finally older teenagers with food breaks for the helpers and of course a break to witness the Torch cavalcade pass bye. A compulsory quiet diesel generator has already been hired.

Secondly, Mencap Special Olympic Soft bowls will demonstrate bowls and Curling (the curling is on castors). A space has been allocated next to the Messy Church Marquees for church volunteers to erect a 20 foot long wooden runway on the sloping grass. Material has been purchased and a trial erection completed. Volunteers will also accompany and help the Mencap participants watch the Torch cavalcade pass bye.

Thirdly, the Ark of Hope Nigerian gospel choir will praise the Lord for about half an hour on the festival’s stage alongside famous professional bands (Blair and Soul Express) as well good local performers.

Keith Hayden is heading the prayer support and prayer walks and the Reverend Chris Key is hosting an Evening of Praise the day before in the centre of Hastings.