£200k Hastings Alexandra Park safety work after brutal attack on woman

Its bid for the money was prompted by Claire Noble and Kay Early who carried out a petition for safety improvements.

Kay was walking her dog in the park in June 2020 when she was attacked by a man who repeatedly punched her in the face.

She told the Observer at the time: “The anger and rage on his contorted face was terrifying and his fists quickly followed. Punch after punch rained down on my face, head and neck.

“I got my hands up quickly and shouted and screamed and fought back. I fought back hard.

“He had managed to hit me before I knew what was happening and I was too dazed to run, I knew I couldn’t outrun him. The blows and punches continued, the rage continued. I needed to get my face away from his fists so I dropped to the floor and started kicking him hard and fast in the gut and groin.”

Three women ran to help, shouting at the man to stop, and he fled. Kay was left with a black eye, cuts and bruises.

The incident was reported to the police and a man was arrested on suspicion of robbery but the case was dropped.

Kay, who said she had suffered with post traumatic stress disorder after the attack, was told her case could have progressed if there had been extra surveillance in the park to help track down the man who assaulted her.

More calls for extra safety measures also came after a teenage girl was sexually assaulted in Alexandra Park in March 2021

Cllr Judy Rogers, lead councillor for community safety and chair of the Safer Hastings Partnership, said: “As a White Ribbon accredited organisation, we are delighted to have been selected to receive this funding so that we can carry out improvement works in Alexandra Park. Sadly, we understand that these works are not a solution to the overall threat of violence faced by many women on a daily basis and a lot more needs to be done to combat this issue. However, we hope that the planned improvements which include the introduction of more lighting and CCTV help women and girls and everyone else who uses the park to feel safer.

“We want to thank Claire Noble and Kay Early who carried out a safety petition and have continued to be involved in conversations with us about improvements in the park. Their work over the many months highlighting the community’s concerns has been incredible. We are thankful to have people who care and dedicate so much of their own time to helping our community to become a safer place for everyone.”

The works will include cutting back vegetation and planting low ground cover plants to create open paths; installing more lighting to improve visibility; updating notice boards and map signage with help information; fencing the lower substation and other locations to limit hidden spaces; installing CCTV; and Improving some public transport points by providing live bus times and new signage with help information.

Cllr Maya Evans, lead councillor for the environment, added: “Our award-winning Alexandra Park is a real asset to the town and is popular with both residents and visitors, who enjoy its excellent offering of facilities. This has proven to be an essential space throughout the pandemic by offering a much-needed boost to mental and physical health.

“These improvement works will enable our park to continue to thrive and be enjoyed by all of our community.”

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