OUT IN THE FIELD: Getting through coronavirus with chocolate buttons and wine

Now I know what a carbon footprint is – don’t laugh but only this week I also had to ask my younger colleagues exactly what Millennials and Gen Zs are – I have been looking at ways to reduce mine and cut the household C02 emissions at Field Towers. Regular readers will know I love recycling and am a big fan of fortnightly waste collection services. But all the publicity of late has got me thinking about how by changing everyday behaviour ever so slightly, we can all play a part in the fight against climate change. Some are pretty obvious but here’s just a few things I have discovered: I wasn’t aware that electronics suck energy even when they’re plugged in; you can wash your clothes in cold water and reduce emissions by 75 per cent; line-dry your clothes, turn down your thermostat at home and take shorter showers or even share one. My favourite though is buying food locally and eating seasonally which is great for the environment and when you support local farmers, you don’t have to worry about how far your food has travelled to get to you. My favourite is Chilley Farm, just down the road from me at Pevensey which sells local produce, but there are of course plenty around so you can buy local and support independent traders – and do your bit.

Winter garden in Eastbourne- where the works continue (Photo by Jon Rigby) SUS-190702-100953008

It would appear the world – not only in Eastbourne – really has gone mad in the last fortnight with the impending spread of the coronavirus. Photos of shopping trolleys brimming with toilet rolls, dried pasta and hand gel appear regularly on social media and the empty shelves in the town’s stores are testament to the sad fact that people are panicking and bulk-buying. By far the worst story I have heard so far is the idiots going to Eastbourne DGH and dispensing the hand gel into their own bottles so they can take it home. What ghastly people. We are not panicking in Field Towers and the only supplies we may have stocked up on are family-sized bags of chocolate buttons and all of the Sauvignon Blanc that we can possibly carry, so that if and when we get quarantined we won’t mind it even slightly. Joking aside, if you can, make sure your elderly and vulnerable neighbours are okay and looked after. The most important thing though is to keep calm. And keep on washing your hands.

A fairly important meeting takes place on Monday next week when more than £6 million in council tax will be set aside to pay for projects in the town. Some of that will go towards urgent repairs at the Bandstand so it can open safely in time for the busy summer season. Half a million quid is needed to repair the seafront lights so the prom doesn’t continue to be in complete darkness and thousands of pounds will be spent on moving the next phase of the Bedfordwell Road pumphouse housing project further on. In my humble opinion though, the most important request for cash is the grand old lady that is the Winter Garden. There is no other venue in Eastbourne that can cater for more than 250 guests in one sit down venue. The sooner it’s finished, the better.