Discover Bexhill competition winners

TWO lucky ladies received food hampers and a local charity received a cheque for £400, thanks to a competition organised and run by the Discover Bexhill Website.

Among those attending the presentation ceremony, held at the Oasis Caf in Sea Road, were town Mayor Patrick Douart, wife Maureen, and owner of the Discover Bexhill Website, Alastair Hazell.

Alastair said the competition, which took place over a two week period, proved to be very popular and over a hundred entries had been received.

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He said: "The competition was run both on-line and - for those without a computer - with a poster and box placed in the Oasis caf."

In order to be in with a chance to win, entrants were asked to identify a photograph of Egerton Park lake, and to say what Bexhill was most famous for - the birthplace of British motor racing.

There was also one other item that people were asked to decide on, and that was to choose a local charity to receive a donation.

Discover Bexhill web-site is a non-profit-making company and Alastair chose to donate the money he'd accrued over the the year from charges to advertisers to a charity, which amounted to 400.

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The charity chosen was St Michaels Hospice, and gratefully receiving the cheque, presented by the Mayor, was Stuart Earl, who has recently been appointed on St Michaels Hospice management board.

He said: "I'm highly delighted, as my first official engagement, to be receiving money. It costs 9,000 a day to run the hospice and it doesn't go to people with big wages. There are so many rules and regulations nowadays and we only employ people of the highest calibre to ensure the care, rules and regulations are met. You can't put a price on this facility, which is right on our doorstep; nearly every family in the area at some time had some dealings with the hospice."

He added: "Thank you for the money, it is gratefully received."

Alastair presented the food hampers to the winning ladies, Jackie Bialeska, and Linda Clarke, who are both Bexhill residents.

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Generously, Jackie said: "It's fantastic to win the hamper but as I live alone I am going to donate it to St Michaels Hospice."

Whilst a delighted, Linda said: "It's marvellous, I haven't won anything for ages '“ it's lovely."

The Mayor spoke of a new tourism group that is being formed in the town in February in which he said they want to, "encourage tourism and business of all kinds", and he praised Alastair's work with the Discover Bexhill web-site, which receives on average 46,000 page views a month.

He said: "It's wonderful, not only for what you've achieved, but what you are doing is giving time and effort for Bexhill for which I say thank you very much."

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Alastair thanked all the local people for their support and said: "The accommodation suppliers '“ the B&B's '“ took a risk using my website but thanks to their support, we've raised between sixty to seventy thousand pounds for local tourism."

After the presentation ceremony guests enjoyed drinks and a buffet at the Oasis caf; a fitting location as both the Oasis caf and the Discover Bexhill website were Bexhill Achiever Award winners this year.

For more information visit Alastair's website at: www.discoverbexhill.com.

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