'Come and join us in centenary street festivities'

Bexhillians are being encouraged to join in the town's Charter centenary celebrations on Saturday, May 25.

Town Mayor-elect Cllr Peter Fairhurst and his fellow Charter Trustees are hoping that, in an echo of the jubilation of May, 1902, townspeople will join them in a re-enactment of the arrival of the Royal charter elevating Bexhill to borough status.

The celebrations include a parade of horse-drawn carriages and veteran cars of the period, including an Argyll similar to the one used to transport the charter from the new Bexhill Central station to the Town Hall 100 years ago.

The programme starts at 11.30am when Rother chief executive Derek Stevens in his other role as clerk to the Charter Trustees, accepts the charter at the station.

He will be driven down Station Road to the Town Hall in the Argyll where he will present the charter to the Town Mayor.

After a short address encapsulating the last 100 years of town history, the Mayor will hand the charter to the chairman of Bexhill Youth Council, symbolising the future hope of the town.

The parade of horse-drawn carriages and veteran cars is due to leave the Town Hall at 12.10pm and will go via Buckhurst Place, Sackville Road, Western Road, Devonshire Road and Marina to the De La Warr Pavilion where the Charter Trustees and their guests will have lunch.

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TO mark Centenary Year, Bexhill Museum Association is dedicating its Summer series of Stepping Out walks to the events of 1902.

The public is invited to join in and learn about Bexhill's heritage.

The first walk, Stepping Out To The Birthplace of British Motor Racing is this Sunday, leaving The Sackville, De La Warr Parade, at 2pm the 2.5 mile walk under the leadership of Rother museums curator Julian Porter will last about two hours.

Sunday, May 26 sees Stepping Out To The Town Hall- The Story Of Bexhill's Incorporation.

The party will leave the seafront war memorial at 2pm under Julian's guidance. The two-mile walk is expected to take two hours.

Other walks include Stepping Out To Celebrate The Centenary of Bexhill's New Railway, leaving Gorringe's auction rooms at 2pm on Saturday, June 1; Stepping Out To Bexhill's New Central Station, Sunday, June 30, 2.30pm; Stepping Out To Bexhill's New Railway II, a six-mile 11am walk from Sidley car park to Crowhurst with return by train and Bexhill Community Bus on Saturday, July 20 and Stepping Out To Hear The Story Of The De La Warr Family, leaving Manor Gardens at 2pm on Sunday, September 15.