A huge thank you to everyone involved in Airbourne. It was a great success yet again and brought many thousands to our town for a series of spectacular aerial and ground displays.
I loved every minute of it, and it was really interesting to meet people who come to Eastbourne every year for the event and also those who have come for the first time but will be back next year because they enjoyed it so much.
I spoke to Radio Airbourne about the many positives of the airshow and how it has always been a highlight of the summer season for a town where one in four local jobs depends on tourism. And for our hospitality industry, this event is simply brilliant and puts us on the map for all the right reasons.
So, we need to keep Airbourne flying, and I have written to the council asking it to guarantee its future, not just next year, but for many years to come. It is a seriously important investment. We are all mindful of our net zero ambitions, but much can be done around the event without stopping it while still achieving those important goals. Just like the tennis, this is one of Eastbourne’s tourist jewels in the crown. We cannot afford to stop it and it would be madness to do so.
Much love to the Lionesses following their defeat to Spain in the Women’s World Cup Final. The team made the nation proud and seeing everyone, including so many young girls, enthused and talking about the women’s beautiful game is real progress. When I was a girl, we had nothing quite like this and to have such talented role models is its own triumph.
The summer recess continues, and I am out and about in Eastbourne undertaking a run of visits and meetings, this week including the Foodbank to meet staff and volunteers and another with local B&B owners.
The school summer holidays aren’t over but with GCSE results out on the 24th, the new academic year has come into sharper focus. We will be waiting for results in our house, and I wish all our students across Eastbourne & Willingdon the very, very best as they plan for their next steps.
