The Bexhill 100

posted by Stephanie Evans on 13 Apr 2007 at 3:13 pm

Just to say when I moved to Bexhill just over 7 years ago, the Bexhill 100 was a fantastic event at Easter time and it is such a shame that we no longer have it. It brought life and people to our town and the shops and hotels must have benefitted from all this. I really miss the event each year and I believe it was a big mistake to end it.

< back to previous | Post Follow-up |

The Bexhill 100 Was Fantastic

posted by Alastair (website owner) on 28 Apr 2007 at 11:24 pm

I couldn't agree with you more, Stephanie, though I must just point out that the Bexhill 100 Festival of Motoring was held on the May bank holiday weekend each year, not at Easter.

My father, Brian Hazell, was one of the organisers of the event and I used to help out with some marshaling each year. It was a fantastic, unique event and the people who organised it worked very hard to make it the success that it was.

I hope that one day it might return because I think this town, and in fact the whole area, misses it. But there would have to be some problems overcome and some things changed before that could ever happen. It would also need a team to come along who could do as dedicated a job as the original organisers of the event.

Alastair Hazell
(website owner)

Bexhill 100

posted by dave on 21 Mar 2009 at 8:55 pm

does anyone know if the bexhill 100 will be comming back, and why did it stop?

Bring Back The Bexhill 100!

posted by Cary on 12 Aug 2009 at 2:23 pm

I agree that the Bexhill 100 was a brilliant event for the town. Apart from the pure entertainment value, it brought much needed tourist revenue to the town, to the benefit of many local shops and businesses.

I appreciate that much hard work went into the organisation, particularly as the event grew year-on-year (I too, was involved in the marshalling).

I also believe that it suffered from lack of support from key parts of the community. For example, I was always amazed that during the event weekend, the DLW Pavilion inevitably never supported the event with other evening entertainment, particularly when so many people were visiting the town. As a few top level ideas..evening jazz and/or family entertainment on the terrace, maybe some local bands performing in the the theatre, BBQ, evening fireworks. It always appeared to me that such "popular" entertainment never fitted into the DLWP mentality?

In this regard, it was interesting last weekend to see the number of people at the Pavillion when there was a live band on the terrace on Sunday afternoon..so it clearly can work.

Picking-up other threads on this message board regarding the DLWP, is there not sufficient momentum and will to consider re-starting this event (with local business and Council support) and maybe combining with a co-ordinated weekend entertainment programme.

Without wishing to sound churlish, our Council seems more than willing to spend inordinate amounts of money on other strange ideas in Bexhill. Surely, supporting the Bexhill 100 is relatively small beer financially (compared with the financial support for the DLWP for example), particularly when considering the potential returns to the community, shops and businesses, let alone the "feel-good factor" for the town as a whole, as well as the tourism marketing value?

I still strongly believe that Bexhill is "missing a trick" no longer having such a sea front event..it works for Eastbourne with "Airborne"??

Bexhill 100

posted by dave on 05 Oct 2009 at 3:55 am

sadly the bexhill 100 fell prey to local politics,those involved know what a great event it was for the town and also the potential benifits and possibilities were never fully explored,sadly it all boiled down to not being able to charge admision,due to it being a public area on the sea front,very short sited in my view considering the huge financial benifits it had for the town and surounding area,maybe if council and local buisness stepped up to the plate instead of just finding ways to complain about things, then we might just see it come back...the event might be free,,,there I go upsetting the apple cart again,,, but the impact on the town goes way beyond the small amount that would be raised by charging admision.

Bexhill 100 Website

posted by Alastair (Webmaster) on 05 May 2010 at 4:59 pm

Last weekend saw the 20th anniversary of the first Bexhill 100 Festival Of Motoring. The event was much loved and is now sadly missed. It once attracted over a hundred thousand people to our town for the May bank holiday each year, bringing with it business for local shops and cafes and promotion for our great town.

We have re-built the Bexhill 100 Festival Of Motoring website to commemorate the event and to tell the fantastic story of how four local motoring enthusiasts took a group of fanciful ideas and turned them into a hugely successful event. Over thirteen glorious years, the event brought vehicles from all over Europe and the show became one of the most loved in the South of England.

The website contains information on Bexhill's motoring history, together with galleries of photographs from the original races in 1902, and from the time of the Bexhill 100. We will be adding new photographs and videos over the coming months. There is also a message board for people to add their own comments and memories of the event.

Sadly, two of the original five who started the event - Paul Foulkes-Halbard and my father, Brian Hazell - are no longer with us. But the event that they helped to build and organise takes its place at the head of Bexhill's rich history. This website is a testimonial to them and to all of the people who contributed to make the event what it was.

I would personally like to thank Brian Storkey for all the time and effort involved in putting together his memories of the event.

The website can be found at http://www.bexhill100.co.uk

Bexhill 100

posted by dave on 17 Oct 2010 at 1:52 am

Well maybe if the local council worried less about who is going to pay for the insurance for the event and concentrated more on the benefits for the town we might see it return.