marinalifeonline.co.uk » > Press Releases

Isn’t it time to end the Sovereign Harbour Slanging Match?

Jon Martin — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:37:06 +0000

Over recent weeks the ‘Letters’ pages of the local paper – the Eastbourne Herald – has seen a number of unreasoned and unpleasant retorts.

In an attempt to redress the balance, I wrote to the editor myself and today my letter appeared.

Read on to find out what I said…

“What started out as a reasonable question about attendance at Council meetings has seemingly degenerated into a personal vendetta. To my knowledge no Councillor was named in the original letter from Ian Weeks, but for some reason Cllr Bloom has taken it as a personal sleight – I guess if the cap fits?

The very unfortunate personal circumstances that he has recently experienced and continues to cope with in what is a very public role have no doubt affected him and my sympathy goes out to him and his family.

However, that should be no excuse for some of the inappropriate comments that have been made.

Whilst conventional Residents’ Associations may be able to focus on social niceties, it has been necessary for the SHRA to be more active politically to lobby for the rights of the majority that had seemingly been forgotten by the formal governance mechanism.

Like Councillors, SHRA Committee members also have a public-facing role, and those that volunteer should be applauded as it is only a minority that are willing to stand up and be counted.

Politics should be about reasoned debate, not slagging-off someone just because they have a different point-of-view.

So please can we stop the bickering and start working towards the common goal of making the Sovereign Harbour area of Eastbourne the type of place we all bought into when we moved there.”

Will he or won’t he?

Jon Martin — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:59:07 +0000

This weekend sees the annual Eastbourne Half Marathon and if previous years are anything to go by it should be a successful, well turned out, and well supported event.

The question on many peoples’ lips, especially those who live along the South Harbour promenade is “Will Elvis reappear this year>”

Checkout last year’s posts to see what you missed…

Checkout the video of Elvis from last year…

We’ll be there keeping a lookout, perhaps you will too…

Press Release: Marina Life in Web Revamp

Jon Martin — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:06:43 +0000

After month’s thinking about it, I’ve eventually got around to redesigning the web log.

There’s great things planned for the future and quite a bit of info from back into last year that I need to catch up on as well!!

Thanks for your patience, and keep visiting, as there’s a lot going on now we’re heading into Spring.

Take Care

Jon

June 2008 sees the Return of the Eastbourne Carnival

Jon Martin — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 10:06:22 +0000

As a youngster growing up in Eastbourne in the 1970s I always looked forward to the quintessentially British annual event that marked on of the high points in the Summer calader of almost every major seaside resort in the Country.

Tastes change and unfortunately the dual demons of economics and ‘health and safety’ have contributed to Eastbourne’s last attempt being 12 years ago.
But there’s great news…

The ‘lark in the park charity‘ which helps local children with special needs is planning a week of events based around Five Acres Field opposite the Sovereign Centre.

This week will run from 23rd June and culminate with the Carnival procession on Sat. 28th June.

The proposed route will take the procession from Fisherman’s Green (opposite the Beach pub), down the seafront past the Swimming pool, along Prince William Parade, then turning left into Ramsey Way, left again down Beatty Road before finishing at Five Acres itself.

Check the larkinthepark website (link above) for more up-to-date information and how you can get involved.

Sign of the Times … Only 3 Years Late!

Jon Martin — Tue, 29 May 2007 10:41:05 +0000

Just before the Bank Holiday weekend, four signs were erected on the beach of the outer marina …

These are a much needed, and long-overdue addition to this area of Eastbourne’s Sovereign Harbour.

Residents have been campaigning for over three years about the need for signs like these to increase public awareness to the potential dangers of the boat lanes and especially the mud which is exposed at low tides…

There have been at least three incidents in recent times where children have unwittingly got stuck in the innocent-looking mud and required Coastguard and other emergency services to assist in the rescue.

A couple of these have featured on the local Meridian News on ITV!

Summertime also sees the beach being used by locals and tourists alike as the sea is sheltered and appears safe for swimming in and playing about in inflatable toys and canoes, but, people in the sea are difficult to see (no pun intended ;->) by boat skippers and their crew, and accidents can all too easily happen.

Although the Bank Holiday weather was pretty dire, with torrential rain (well what did you expect), at least these signs are a victory for common sense and will hopefully prevent future accidents in one of Eastbourne’s best tourist locations.

Wishing you health, success and happiness in everything you do,

Local Dive Club Win Environment Award

Jon Martin — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 12:20:39 +0000

Eastbourne’s leading PADI scuba diving club, Planet Divers, were celebrating yesterday at the Annual Achievers Awards, run by the Eastbourne Herald newspaper.

The club’s efforts over the past four years were rewarded by winning the newly created ‘Environment’ award for helping to clear up one of their dive sites, in and around North Harbour of Sovereign Marina.

Claire Pooley, Planet Divers’ Project Aware Team Leader with the award

photo: Kiernan Pooley

Read on for more photos of the event, and also last year’s clean-up…

The Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI) is the world’s leading training organisation for scuba diving and they take environmental resposibility and marine protection very seriously.

Planet Divers take this on board and participate in PADI’s annual Project Aware exercise to clean-up dive sites and increase the awareness of pollution and its affects on the local environment to the general public.

Last year the event in North Harbour coincided with the Charity Dragon Boat races, and the Club’s marquee was swamped with celebrities involved in the races, as well as local people who were happy to help out.

Planet Divers Marquee at Project Aware 2006

photo: Planet Divers website

Each year, Planet Divers’ Project Aware event has got bigger and bigger, and has received more support from local businesses and residents.

Project Aware 2006 – The Rubbish Collected

photo: Planet Divers website

Although the majority of Planet Divers’ members are involved in Project Aware to some extent, Claire Pooley has taken on the role of Project Leader for these activities and has been the driving force behind getting local businesses to contribute something to the event.

Achievers Awards 2007 -
Claire Pooley is Congratulated by TV’s Beverley Thompson

photo: Kiernan Pooley

Watch this blog for details of further clean-ups, both in the marina and on the local beaches.

Jon Martin

Video: Elvis Seen in Eastbourne Fun Run

Jon Martin — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 14:00:08 +0000

Further to the recent review of the Eastbourne Fun Run (Tired Hands Support Tired Feet), I can exclusively reveal some video footage of Elvis, running past the SHRA event at Marj’s to support the runners.

Here’s the amazing video footage of Elvis the Kangaroo ;-)

Note that the video is stored and played from YouTube, it’s 45 seconds long, but I wouldn’t recommend playing it unless you have a Broadband connection as it is quite a large file ;-)

If the Elvis Video isn’t shown above, please click here to open it up in a new window

The identity of this mystery kangaroo will be revealed later, keep watching the posts on this blog so you don’t miss it.

Wishing you health, success and happiness in everything you do,

Jon

New Feature – Now You Can Contact Us

Jon Martin — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 22:09:05 +0000

I’m really excited as the facility for you to contact me directly from this blog has been added at last!
Just click on the Contact Us option in the menu bar under the graphic at the top of each page.

You can now send me your thoughts, comments and ideas on the content of this site ;-)

We have loads more planned and will let you know when something new is added

Enjoy this site

Jon

The Header Graphic Photos Are…

Jon Martin — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:01:59 +0000

The header graphic for this blog is made up of the following images…

Clockwise, from the bottom left:

1) Members of Planet Divers Scuba Club Prepare for a Dive in the North Harbour section of Sovereign Harbour;

2) At low tide, just to the East of the breakwater at the entrance to the outer harbour, the remains of the boiler of a sunken cargo ship can be seen;

3) This is me (Jon Martin) when I was scuba diving off the Great Barrier Reef;

4) An Egret wandering along the tide line at low tide on the beach in the Outer Harbour;

5) A majestic swan swimming in the Main Marina;

6) Two Cormorants think about drying their wings in the sun on the beach in the Outer Harbour;

7) Taken somewhere in the English Channel off of Eastbourne, a starfish;

8) The very familiar picture of the Martello Tower (thankfully not to be hidden behind a large block of flats for the time being) and the beach of the Outer Harbour as pleasure boats return from a hectic day at sea!

Wishing you health, wealth and happiness in everything you do,

Jon

An Introduction to Fish Identifiction

Jon Martin — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:00:14 +0000

Dr Frances Dipper, the author of British Sea Fishes, is leading this educational seminar to help anyone improve their understanding and recognition of fish in local British waters.

The event is being held at the Hastings Aquarium on Sunday 25th March 2007, starting at 10am. It’s been organised by the Kent and Sussex branches of Seasearch.

These events are always popular so prior booking is essential.

The seminar will cover:

Introduction to the form and function of fishes
Life history, feeding and reproduction
Range of fishes seen in British and Irish waters
How to identify Fish
Conservation of Fish in local waters

The seminar costs Â£30 and further information can be obtained from Bryony Chapman at the Kent Wildlife Trust on 10622 662 012

Don’t forget to mention marina-life.co.uk when enquiring.

Thanks

Jon