Three cheers for Eastbourne and civic philosophy!

What a fun morning it was gathered around the bandstand on the seafront.

I passed by chance and stopped to see what was happening. Expectation was in the air, the band setting up and seats and vantage points filling up. The weather was kind, no precipitation on the horizon and a happy throng of those of us who appreciate both fresh air and real music pressing round.

And then it started, the Ray Campbell Dance Band giving us old hit after old hit and an ad hoc display of jiving people who certainly knew their footwork.

Three cheers for Eastbourne and civic philosophy! What do us citizens want and need in these complicated times of civic confusion to crisis to catastrophe?

The Romans gave bread as part of civic life and over time and under Christianity that became corrupted into charity but if we could resurrect the notion of real civic life then surely Eastbourne has it.

I lived in this area as a child and know different parts of Britain pretty well now and civic philosophy has been large in my observations.

What is the formula? Well, a good public transport system of trains and buses and of course enough parking for the now widely owned personal motor car.

A visible Information Centre and dedicated Heritage Centre to let the visitor know they are entering somewhere with gravitas and history, and then something given to the ordinary citizens with no need to pay or commit, just pure giving to mark a day, New Year’s Day, here on the eve of a new decade in uncertain times.

The organisers behind the scenes and those old rockers (sorry guys but you did say it yourself!) at the bandstand on New Year’s morning gave us completeness and I’ll be back next year for sure.