Coronavirus: Eastbourne establishments which have closed and events which have been cancelled or postponed

Closed or postponed

- Cineworld in The Beacon from Wednesday (March 18)

- Fort Fun until further notice

- The Towner Art Gallery from 5pm on Wednesday (March 18)

- Old Town and Pevensey libraries from Friday (March 20)

- Langney library from Wednesday (March 18) at 1pm

- Eastbourne theatres, all shows cancelled until April 19

- St Wilfrid’s Hospice closes all public areas

- Jasper Wood coffee shop in Cornfield Terrace will close on Saturday (March 21)

- The Big Future show, planned for April 28 at Eastbourne Sports Park, has been postponed

- East Sussex College is stopping face-to-face lessons from 5pm on Wednesday (March 18)

- Parkrun at Shinewater Park on Saturday (March 21) and through April ‘at least’, according to a spokesperson

- St Catherine’s college is closed to all pupils except Year 11 students for the rest of the week

- The Causeway School will be partly closed to Year 9 and 10 from tomorrow (Thursday) onwards

- The March 28 music session with Geoff Morley and Barber and Turner at Community Wise and the March 20 performance by Beatles tribute band Nothing is Real at the Alice Croft House have been cancelled

- All McDonald’s services have been closed in the town and throughout the UK

- Magnificent Motors and Beer and Cider By the Sea

- Polegate Community Association’s Executive Committee announces the closure of The Community Centre and coffee mornings

- Waitrose services in Eastbourne and Hailsham

- Bill’s Restaurant in Terminus Road

- The Eastbourne Group of the Civil Service Pensioners Alliance have cancelled their monthly meeting.

- Council ran enterprises including Devonshire Park Catering, Heritage Eastbourne, Stage Door Pub, DQ Terrace Bar & Café, The Story of Eastbourne exhibition, Pavilion Café and Eastbourne Tourist Information Centre

- Annual Eastbourne Civic Prayer Breakfast

- Pizza Express’s dine-in services have temporarily closed

- Nando’s in The Beacon and throughout the UK

- Wave Trust Eastbourne sites; Sovereign Harbour Community Centre, Motcombe Pool, Eastbourne Sports Park, Hampden Park Sports Centre, Cavendish Sports Centre, Regency Park Community Centre

- Timpson in Lottbridge Drove

- The Friends of Eastbourne Hospital fundraising events

- More shops in The Beacon close

Discount for NHS workers

Pizza Hut is offering a 50 per cent discount for all NHS workers, which is available everyday. A Valid NHS ID Card must be shown.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday (March 16) people should avoid unnecessary social contact, travel, and stay away from pubs and restaurants and should work from home if they can.

Here is a continually updated list of closures in the town:

More shops close in The Beacon

Timpson closed, Brufords closing from March 25, Schuh closed, Jojo Maman Bebe closed, Primark closed, Sports Direct closed, Smiggle closed, Lush closed, Fat Face closed, Menkind closed, Clarks closed, Scorch Comics closed, Phase Eight closed, Skechers closed, Boots concessions not trading, Cineworld closed, H&M closed, Shades closed

A spokesperson for The Beacon said on social media, “As we’re sure you’ll appreciate, this situation is ever evolving and the following list is expected to change. We recommend that all visitors check with the individual retailers before visiting.”

The Friends of Eastbourne Hospital fundraising events

A spokesperson said on Monday (March 23), “Following government advice the Friends of Eastbourne Hospital has had to cancel all fundraising events until the middle of July.

“Our main concern at this time is our volunteers’ and supporters’ health and safety, which is why we have made the decision to close the Friends Radiotherapy Café and the Friends Flower Shop, with immediate effect.

“The trust made the decision to suspend the ward trolley services last week. The Friends Shop is open for reduced hours and we continue to follow government and trust advice and acknowledge that this might need to change.”

Timpson in Lottbridge Drove

A spokesperson announced that all 2150 shops in the UK will close at 5pm and all employees will remain on full pay until the firm reopens.

Wave Leisure Trust sites

The sites, which were closed from 10pm on March 20, include Sovereign Harbour Community Centre, Motcombe Pool, Eastbourne Sports Park, Hampden Park Sports Centre, Cavendish Sports Centre, Regency Park Community Centre

Chief executive Duncan Kerr at Wave Leisure Trust, said, “The health and safety of our members and employees is our number one priority and so further to the advice from the government, we have made the decision to close all seventeen of our sites.”

A spokesperson said members will have payments suspended during this time and will not be charged whilst the centres are closed. Any bookings due within this period will also be cancelled and the team will arrange for a refund to be made.

Royal Hippodrome Theatre update

A theatre spokesperson said, “Following the latest government instruction, we will remain closed until further notice.”

Most shows are being rescheduled, according to the spokesperson, and those with tickets have been contacted by email.

Nando’s in The Beacon

A spokesperson said on Twitter (March 22), “We have decided that the best course of action right now is to temporarily close our restaurants until further notice.”

Pizza Express in the town and throughout the UK

The chain announced on Friday (March 20) they would be temporarily closing dine-in services in line with government advice, but said over half of their pizzerias will remain open for takeaway services.

Pizza Express managing director Zoe Bowley said, “In these times of crisis we believe our business has a duty to help feed the nation and we will continue to find ways to make our pizzas available as long as there is customer demand and we can do so safely, based on the best scientific advice.”

Annual Eastbourne Civic Prayer Breakfast has been cancelled

The group’s next meeting was due to be held on April 18

Devonshire Park Catering, Heritage Eastbourne, Stage Door Pub, DQ Terrace Bar & Café, The Story of Eastbourne exhibition, Pavilion Cafe have all been closed to the public from Friday (March 20) until further notice.

Eastbourne Tourist Information Centre will close on Sunday (March 22).

An Eastbourne council spokesperson said, “As the current Covid-19 situation continues, we have taken the decision to close a number of venues to ensure the safety of our visiting public and staff.

“Customers with bookings at any of these venues over the coming weeks, will be contacted by the Devonshire Park Catering team to arrange alternative dates or refunds.

“Eastbourne Tourist Information Centre will close its doors from Sunday, but will continue to be operational via telephone 01323 415415 from 9am to 1pm, Monday to Friday, for ticket refunds and any other general information.”

The Eastbourne Group of the Civil Service Pensioners Alliance

The group confirmed on Friday (March 20) they have cancelled their monthly meeting - their next one was at 10.30am on March 31.

Bill’s Restaurant in Terminus Road

The chain issued a message to say they were closing from Thursday (March 19).

A restaurant spokesperson said, “It is with a heavy heart that we inform you that due to the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and the advice from our government and the World Health Organisation, we are left with no option but to close Bill’s Restaurants until further notice.”

Waitrose in Eastbourne and Hailsham

Waitrose is creating a £1 million community support fund to be used as direct aid for individual communities. Each store will get £1 million which will be used to set up local delivery services to support people isolated in their homes; deliver essential items to local care homes and community groups; donate products to create care packages for customers to share with vulnerable neighbours.

Waitrose said their cafes are closed and stores will dedicate the first hour of opening as a priority shopping time for the elderly, the vulnerable and those who look after them.

A spokesperson said, “This is a rapidly-changing situation. We’ll continue to follow government advice as it develops and will let you know if we need to make more changes.”

Polegate Community Centre

A Polegate Community Association’s Executive Committee spokesperson said, “Firstly, our thoughts are with all those that have been affect by the current outbreak.

“Unfortunately, we have had to make a very difficult decision to close the community centre to the public on Friday (March 20).

“As you know we have also had to suspend the Saturday coffee mornings until further notice, we anticipate this to be for at least a period of 12 weeks.

“As the coffee mornings are such a big part of the community centre it was a difficult ruling to make but please be rest assured that we continue to put our valued supporters first and their health remains our first priority.”

Magnificent Motors and Beer and Cider By the Sea

An Eastbourne council spokesperson said, “As the current Covid-19 situation continues, the Eastbourne Events team are working hard to reschedule early season events where appropriate.

“We have however taken the difficult decision today to cancel Magnificent Motors and Beer and Cider By the Sea, with no suitable options for alternate dates.

“In a joint decision with the emergency services, the 999 Emergency Services Display will also understandably not take place, due to the resources required between now and July to plan and stage this event.

“All event participants will be informed over the coming days and ticketholders will be advised of the process for obtaining refunds.

“The council continues to closely monitor the UK Government and Public Health England advice and work continues on all other events that are scheduled to take place this season.”

McDonald’s in Terminus Road, Lottbridge Drove and Polegate

McDonald’s has announced that all its branches in the town and the UK will be closed from March 23 onwards.

Paul Pomroy, chief executive officer of McDonald’s UK and Ireland, said that – over the last 24 hours – it had become clear that maintaining safe social distancing whilst operating busy takeaway and drive thru restaurants was increasingly difficult.

McDonald’s has announced the temporary closure of all seating areas at restaurants across UK - but it will continue to operate its drive-thru, takeaway and delivery services.

Mr Pomroy said, “We have not taken this decision lightly and know that our restaurants have been playing an important role in the community providing hundreds of thousands of free drinks to frontline health and social workers and emergency services personnel.

“But I have been clear throughout this that we would only continue to operate whilst it was safe for our people and together with our franchisees, we feel now is the time to make this decision to temporarily close.”

Parkrun at Shinewater Park

The national event has been cancelled throughout the UK which will see no runs take place at Shinewater Park.

In an email sent to members, chief operating officer Tom Williams said, “In line with public health advice we have taken the decision to close all parkrun events across the UK with immediate effect. We very much expect closures to continue through April at least.”

The Towner Art Gallery

The Tower will be closing to the public from 5pm on Wednesday (March 18).

Exhibitions, cinema and events will not go ahead as planned during this temporary closure.

Anyone who has pre-booked events will be contacted with details of refund options, the gallery said.

Towner says it is exploring ways to ‘inspire everyone’ digitally and people are encouraged to keep checking its social media and website

Director Joe Hill said in a statement, “We also ask you to be mindful of the impact that COVID-19 will have on Towner as a charity and encourage you to consider making a donation to help support us during this extremely difficult period.

“If you have booked a ticket you may wish to consider waiving your refund and turning it into a donation, a generous gesture which would be very welcome.

“We thank you for your support and understanding and very much look forward to welcoming you back to Towner Eastbourne in the not too distant future.”

The Big Future Show

The Big Future Show, an employability and job seekers event planned to take place in Eastbourne Sports Park on April 28, has been postponed.

It is hoped the event will be rescheduled to September. This comes after months of planning with more than 90 exhibitors and 1,300 confirmed visitors.

Tim Sorensen, of or Eastbourne EBP, said, “we are very grateful for everyone’s patience and understanding during this unprecedented and challenging time but the safety and wellbeing of visitors, exhibitors and staff is a priority.

“We are determined that BFS 2020 will still deliver a great experience for visiting students, parents and the wider community”.

For the latest updates visit www.bigfuturesshow.org.uk

Fort Fun

The Fort Fun team said on Tuesday (March 17) they were ‘extremely devastated’ to announce, following government advice for everyone to avoid social places, it will be closed until further notice.

They said, “We are so very, very sorry. This is totally out of our control.

“This is not just a business to us this is our family. Our staff’s livelihoods. We are truly heartbroken to have to make this decision.”

Parties will be contacted to discuss options, and events and pre-booked tickets will be kept posted.

All memberships will be paused and it will not be collecting payments for April 2020. Annual pass holders will have additional time added to the end of their pass.

Jasper Wood coffee shop

The Jasper Wood owners said they will close on Saturday (March 21) as ‘it is the right thing to do’.

Their aim is to ‘stop the spread of the virus’ by limiting social interaction at their shop, which serves mostly elderly customers, they said.

Owners Chris Waterstone and Chris Munson said, “We talked it through that it was the right thing to do. We can always open back up again if we need to. But to stop the spread we have to shut down all the social interaction. A large percentage of our regulars are elderly.

“We are putting the NHS at risk and people at risk if we just stay open.

They plan to reopen once it is deemed safe to do so by health officials.

Libraries

Old Town and Pevensey community libraries will close on Friday (March 20) for four weeks due to the pandemic.A spokesperson for the libraries said in a statement, “We all fought hard to reopen our libraries so have not taken this decision lightly, however we want to protect our volunteers and service users, many of whom are in the ‘at risk’ category.”

Langney community library says it plans to close on Wednesday (March 18) at 1pm.

St Wilfrid’s Hospice

St Wilfrid’s Hospice in Eastbourne is closing its cafe, shop, and other public spaces due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The cafe, hopsice shop, salon, and public spaces will be closed from 5pm on Friday (March 13) until further notice, to reduce the risk to its patients.

Family members who wish to visit are not being restricted to the hospice’s inpatient unit – though anyone with a new continuous cough or high temperature is asked not to visit.

Cineworld

Cineworld and Picturehouse has announced the closure of all its cinemas across the UK starting from Wednesday (March 18).

Cineworld Group CEO, Mooky Greidinger said, “At Cineworld and Picturehouse we are committed to providing safe and healthy environments for our employees and guests and have therefore made the difficult decision to close our cinemas in UK and Ireland until further notice.”

Langney Shopping Centre - business as usual

Neal Avis, centre manager at Langney Shopping Centre, said, “It is business as usual. None of the stores have closed, none have indicated they are going to close.

“Retailers are trading very well and in better circumstances it would be very good news. We, as a centre, are managing our staff and making sure they are aware of sanitization and that the centre is completely cleaned down.

“It is so unprecedented. It is not your normal disaster. We are asking our staff to ensure they stay away if they feel ill and follow the NHS’ procedures.

“It is also down to the individuals coming into centre to be aware of their health. We can’t control that.”

Mr Avis also said it is unlikely the centre will close as customers need to get into the Tesco to do their shopping as the ‘demand on retail is huge.’

Eastbourne council said it is are awaiting further information from central government regarding an increase in business rates discounts for firms.

On March 11 central government announced its intention to increase the business rates retail discount to 100 per cent and increase the pubs discount for the 2020/21 financial year.

An Eastbourne Borough Council spokesperson said, “We are awaiting further information and instructions about these changes from the government.

“We will issue revised bills for rate payers who are eligible for the discounts as soon as we are in a position to do so.

“In the meantime, please make payments according to your current bill until you receive a revised bill from us. Any overpayment will be refunded to you.”

For more information see GOV.UK - Support for those affected by COVID-19.

• Coronavirus, or COVID-19, is an illness which affects the lungs and airways. Symptoms are a high temperature and continuous cough.

• NHS advice is to regularly wash your hands, cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, and try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell.

• If you live alone, stay at home for seven days if you have either a high temperature or a new, continuous cough.

• If you live with others, all household members must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days, from the day when the first person in the house became ill

• Call 111 if you feel you cannot cope with your symptoms at home, or your symptoms get worse.