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We want to celebrate the rich and diverse nature of 1066 Country of Origin. We have identified four themes that sum up the 1066 Country experience as it is now and are relevant to our target audiences. The idea is for you to develop stories and marketing messages that explore and illustrate these themes. The more we expand on the themes the more we will enrich the whole 1066 Country of Origin narrative.
1. Contemporary Living
How we spend our time well today.
1066 Country can offer experiences that reflect contemporary culture. The traditions of pubs, fish and chip bars and teashops are now complemented by more modern equivalents. 1066 Country also has craft brewers and vineyards, artisan bakers and organic farm shops.
For younger visitors the appeal of the traditional seaside experience can be reimagined in a retro context, sometimes knowingly ironic or tongue-in-cheek. Shopping enthusiasts can find anything from antiques and collectables to seaside souvenirs and craft-based artifacts.
Featuring the unusual and the different can help to create a new 1066 Country visitor experience.
1066 Country knows how to live the good life.
Find a cosy country pub with an open fire in winter. Taste a pint, or two, of the local brew. Enjoy a plate of scallops from Rye Bay or some salty Romney Marsh lamb.
Relax on a 1930s terrace overlooking the seafront in summer, gulls crying overhead, the light dazzling the water.
Seek out the quirky and the off-beat shops in the winding cobbled streets, pick up a souvenir to remember the moment.
Walk along the beach and have a cup of tea, your fish and chips warm in your hands, the fresh air on your face.
Take in a vineyard tour, taste some sparkling wine from the very land you’re standing on, check out the local produce in the craft breweries and farm shops.
It’s our chefs and shopkeepers, our farmers and fishermen, our winemakers and brewers, our bakers and basketmakers who make the difference here. Their craft makes the products of our land and sea legendary.
Take your time. Here we value the original.
2. Natural habitat
Where we can explore the exciting world around us.
1066 Country has a distinctive landscape, from Wealden hills and woodlands to a highly varied coastline. Much of the place is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and it has nature reserves that are also Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
For those interested in getting close to nature, 1066 Country has as much as anywhere in England. It is easy to get away from the hordes and discover both the history embedded in the landscape and the wildlife that inhabits it.
1066 Country connects and engages us with the natural world.
In 1066 Country you’re never far from nature. The countryside is here to explore, the wild to discover, much of it within walking distance of our towns and villages.
Set in a richly varied landscape, from ancient forests to rolling hills and fields, 1066 Country is as English as it comes. Our long coastline has sandy beaches, cliffs, salt marshes and shingle shores.
Pathways and cycle tracks etch the Wealden landscape, taking you to places as peaceful as anywhere in southern England. Explore old hollow ways and bluebell woods, listen to nightingales on early summer evenings.
So much of our history is told in our countryside, from the evidence of castle remains to medieval iron forges, from apple orchards and reed beds to winding rivers and shingle ridges.
Diverse habitats mean a richness of animal and plant life, and 1066 Country has remarkable protected reserves, parks and woodlands open to all.
Watch marsh harriers scan the levels or wintering plovers fill the sky. See horned poppies on the shingle and smell the heady scent of gorse on the summer clifftops.
The world surrounds us: it’s in our nature.
3. Human Spirit
How the place makes us feel, somewhere to relax and enjoy.
1066 Country provides an antidote to stressful lives and lifts the human spirit. Experience the freedom and sense of wellbeing that comes from being out in the open or inhaling the sea air. 1066 Country can be inviting or invigorating throughout the seasons.
Alternatively, you may want to let off steam, to enjoy the excitement of being part of a music festival, gig or sporting event. We can unleash our energy and regenerate ourselves just by being present, by being part of it all.
1066 Country can be an inspiration for every one of us.
1066 Country has something special for our inner selves. It has long been somewhere people have sought peace and freedom, away from the smoke. It provides an alternative means of escape.
Experience the energy and sense of wellbeing that comes from getting out in the open or inhaling the sea air — simply walking in the woods or across the headlands, or strolling along the shoreline.
Cycle across the levels, go up in a hot air balloon, see life from another angle. Get inspired by the majesty of ruined castles, the quietness of ancient churches, the misty bleakness of the marshes. Reflect on the places where history was made – the battlefields and invasion sites — now calm and peaceful.
Enjoy music, performance and art that takes you out of yourself and into a different space. Take the opportunity to chill out, to party, to lose yourself in the moment. Wander through vivid and exotic gardens or the evocative homes of writers Henry James and Rudyard Kipling.
Just a hop from the capital, 1066 Country is a place where you take in a potent mix of fresh air and fresh inspirations.
Relax. It’s 1066 Country.
4. Creative endeavour
What we can discover that inspires and motivates us.
For a very long time 1066 Country has been somewhere that attracts artists and creative spirits. Increasingly, making and performing are seen as giving greater meaning to our lives — we need to create. Being productive in terms of farming the land and fishing the sea are also creative acts, providing food for others and ourselves.
1066 Country has strong cultural roots and opportunities to share and experience creativity in its many forms, from visiting galleries and seeing exhibitions to taking part in the excitement of gigs, concerts, festivals and events throughout the year.
1066 Country draws creative spirits. It always has done. Its people are makers. From the land and sea they create original stuff — food, drink, craft, culture, music, art. Here imaginations can take wing.
The place inspires the stories that we tell and the myths that we love. Festivals, gigs, re-enactments and street parties reach out for those who want to play along. Follow the Battel Bonfire Boyes on a November night or the Jack-in-the-Green festivities in Hastings on May Day.
The cultural scene in 1066 Country spans the cutting-edge contemporary and enduring traditions. A cool, sleek contemporary art gallery sits beside tall, black fishermen’s huts on Hastings beach. A 1930s Modernist pavilion features art, music and performance and commands broad views from Bexhill’s seafront. Local music events take in jazz, blues, rock, classical and nearly everything in between.
It’s an eclectic mix — feisty, open–spirited and often challenging.
If you want to sit and listen or watch, you’re welcome. If want to get stuck in creatively, be our guest. There’s plenty on offer to encourage, motivate and enjoy — courses, workshops, festivals and events.
Come and imagine. Come and make creative stuff happen.
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