A NEW commemorative 50p coin based on an iconic children’s character has launched – and one day it could be worth £1,000, experts say.

The Gruffalo’s Child 50p coin has gone on sale to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the popular children’s book by Julia Donaldson, first published in 2004.

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The new release follows that of two 50ps, unveiled in 2019, to celebrate two decades since the release of the first Gruffalo book.

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler has sold more than 13million copies and is a favourite with children around the world.

It follows the tale of a little mouse who goes out for a walk and convinces different predators, including a scary monster called a Gruffalo, to let him continue his journey rather than eat him.

The Gruffalo, who has knobbly knees, turned out toes and a poisonous wart on the end of his nose, has been loved by generations of kids.

The authors followed the original book’s release with that of the Gruffalo’s Child five years later and had another smash hit on their hands.

The new Gruffalo’s Child coin shows the Gruffalo’s Child (holding a Stick Man toy), with the story’s mouse protagonist sporting a sneaky smirk.

The scene on the coin is an original illustration by Axel Scheffler set in the wintery deep dark wood.

The new coins were designed with Magic Light Pictures, which has made the films of many of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s books.

The first of the two 2019 Gruffalo coins, also both designed by Magic Light Pictures, featured a close up of the Gruffalo’s head – warts and all.

The second, showed the entire beast standing in front of the mouse – in the deep, dark forest.

The Royal Mint sold the 2019 Gruffalo coins for £10.

But how much could they be worth?

The coins have already gained value and can now be found for around £15 on eBay, with one going for £26 in August.

Tenishia McSweeney, appraiser at Prestige Pawnbrokers, which is featured in Channel 4’s Posh Pawn, has also seen two silver-proof Gruffalo coins sell for £137.70 on eBay.

Oliver Miller, managing director of Bishop & Miller auctioneers, added: “With the release of the new Gruffalo 50p, people will ask me whether it’s an investment or not.

“What it comes down to is how many are minted – if it’s a low mint it’s worth more as the rarity goes up, if a huge amount are minted, these are worth less.

“The other factor is how popular will they be. I would say as a father of two fans of the Gruffalo these will be popular and could prove to be a nice little investment.”

The new Gruffalo’s Child standard coin is available for £12 from the Royal Mint, while a coloured version is available for £21.

Prices increase to £75 if you buy the coin with a silver proof, and £99.50 if you buy a gold proof version of the coin.

All the Gruffalo and Gruffalo’s Child coins are purely collectible items, so they won’t enter general circulation – meaning you can pay for items with them – and you’re not going to find them in your change.

Ms McSweeney said: “The 2024 gold-proof coin can be purchased for £99.50. It may be worth hedging your bets and going for the gold-proof coin if you hope for a future profit. In five years, you may be looking to hit the £1000 mark with a gold-proof Gruffalo coin.

“Commemorative proof coins like these can often be bought on the secondary market for less than they were originally purchased for, so the real value in these coins is the personal enjoyment of these often beautifully designed special coins.

“They make particularly lovely gifts to commemorate a newborn’s year of birth!”

Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coins at The Royal Mint added: “The heart-warming tale of The Gruffalo’s Child has captivated readers since its release twenty years ago, and this year, the curious little monster finds a permanent home on a 50 pence piece.

“Brought to life by Royal Mint expert craftspeople, this coin captures the true essence of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s much-loved story in beautiful detail. We hope fans of the book admire the design as much as we do.”

How to spot rare coins and banknotes

Rare coins and notes hiding down the back of your sofa could sell for hundreds of pounds.

If you are lucky enough to find a rare £10 note you might be able to sell it for multiple times its face value.

You can spot rare notes by keeping an eye out for the serial numbers.

These numbers can be found on the side with the Monarch’s face, just under the value £10 in the corner of the note.

Also if you have a serial number on your note that is quite quirky you could cash in thousands.

For example, one seller bagged £3,600 after spotting a specific serial number relating to the year Jane Austen was born on one of their notes.

You can check if your notes are worth anything on eBay, just tick “completed and sold items” and filter by the highest value.

It will give you an idea of what people are willing to pay for some notes.

But do bear in mind that yours is only worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.

This is also the case for coins, you can determine how rare your coin is by looking a the latest scarcity index.

The next step is to take a look at what has been recently sold on eBay.

Experts from Change Checker recommend looking at “sold listings” to be sure that the coin has sold for the specified amount rather than just been listed.

People can list things for any price they like, but it doesn’t mean it will sell for that amount.

We explain further how you can find out if you have a rare coin worth thousands sitting around the house.

What to do if you find a rare coin

If you think you might have a rare coin, it’s important to look after it and seek advice from an expert before attempting to do anything yourself.

Mr Miller said: “Do not clean it and do not damage it. If you clean it, it’s worth nothing and if you damage it the price shoots down.

“Then buzz over an email to a coin auction house. You really want to deal with people who deal with coins not your general auctioneers.

“They’ll guide you to know if you have a rare one or not.”

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A former Minnesota police officer who was convicted of killing a Black motorist when she used her handgun instead of her taser during a traffic stop is out of prison and delivering presentations at law enforcement conferences, stirring up a heated debate over how officers punished for misconduct should atone for their misdeeds.

After Kim Potter served her sentence for killing Daunte Wright, she met with the prosecutor who charged her case. That former prosecutor, Imran Ali, said Potter wanted to do something to help other officers avoid taking a life. Ali saw the presentation as a path toward redemption for police officers who have erred and an opportunity to promote healing in communities already shaken by police misconduct.

But Katie Wright, Daunte’s mother, said the plan amounts to an enraging scheme where her son’s killer would turn a profit from his death and dredge up painful memories in the process.

“I think that Kim Potter had her second chance. She got to go home with her children. That was her second chance,” Wright said. “I think that when we’re looking at police officers, when they’re making quote-unquote mistakes, they still get to live in our community. They still get to continue their lives. That’s their second chance. We don’t have a second chance to be able to bring our loved ones back.”

Potter, who did not respond to phone and email messages, had been set to deliver her presentation to a law enforcement agency in Washington state when it was abruptly canceled in September after news reports generated criticism. But other law enforcement groups, including one of the largest in Minnesota, have hosted the presentation and are continuing to invite Potter to speak.

Some see canceling her presentation as short-sighted, saying she could share a cautionary tale with others who have to make life-or-death decisions in the field.

“This is the definition of why I decided to walk away. You have somebody that recognizes the need for reform, recognizes the need for redemption, recognizes the need to engage. And still,” Ali said. “If you’re in law enforcement in this country, there is no redemption.”

Ali initially was co-counsel in the case against Potter. But he resigned, saying “vitriol” and “partisan politics” made it hard to pursue justice. Ali is now a law enforcement consultant and said he is working to help departments implement changes that could prevent more officers from making Potter’s mistake.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office took over the prosecution of Potter after Ali resigned, has said the former officer’s public expression of remorse could help the community heal.

Wright was killed on April 11, 2021, in Brooklyn Center, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from where the officer who killed George Floyd was on trial. Wright’s killing ignited protests as communities in Minneapolis and beyond were still reeling from Floyd’s murder. A jury later found Potter guilty of manslaughter. A judge said Potter never intended to hurt Wright and sentenced her to two years in prison. She was released after 16 months and later connected with Ali.

“I was like, wow. Even after being convicted, even after being driven out of your home, even after having so many death threats against you and having been incarcerated, you just don’t want to go away,” Ali said.

The pair have become a fixture at Minnesota Sheriff’s Association events. They delivered training sessions at conferences in June and September, with a future training scheduled in October. They also took their presentation out of state in May when Potter presented at a law enforcement conference in Indiana, event agendas show.

Jeff Storms, Wright’s attorney, said the description of the Washington training session in the contract prepared by Ali’s law firm reads more like an advertisement tailored for police officers who feel embattled, rather than a heartfelt story of Potter’s regrets.

“The officer, and the prosecutor who quit in protest, will deliver a dynamic presentation on the truth of what occurred, the increased violence and non-compliance directed towards law enforcement, the importance of training, and steps we can take in the future,” says the contract for the training session, which was obtained by The Associated Press.

That passage suggests Ali is engineering support for Potter and his law firm, Storms said.

“They profit from law enforcement training. And so to say this is simply about sort of a redemption arc for Ms. Potter in doing this training, it sounds really hard to believe that that’s the case,” Storms said.

Ali’s firm proposed a $8,000 charge for the training session, which includes speaking fees and travel costs, the contract says.

“To say my firm is trying to benefit off an $8,000 contract is ridiculous,” Ali said.

He did not say how much money Potter would earn, but said the amount was far less than what she might earn telling her story through a book deal or another project. Ali declined to show the AP the full presentation he and Potter had been set to deliver in Washington. But he described Potter’s opening line, which would read: “I killed Daunte Wright. I’m not proud of it. And neither should you be.”

Ali said he is committed to helping law enforcement agencies implement changes that would prevent more officers from making Potter’s mistake. The backlash to Potter telling her story at the training session speaks to a view among some that redemption for those convicted of crimes does not extend to police officers, Ali said.

“We can give the benefit of the doubt to people that are former Ku Klux Klan members or former skinheads that come in and educate, sometimes even our youth,” Ali said. “But we cannot give law enforcement that chance.”

Rachel Moran, a professor specializing in police accountability at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, said the perspectives of victims and their families should be considered by law enforcement agencies when they decide who to include at training sessions. But Potter’s voice might be able to penetrate a law enforcement culture that is skeptical of outside criticism, she said

“Police officers culturally do have a pattern of not wanting to hear outside perspectives and not believing other people can understand the situation,” she added. “So to hear from someone who is very much in their shoes, who’s actually willing to admit an error, I think that has potential to be heard more by officers than an outsider.”

In an interview, James Stuart, executive director of the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association, said Potter’s upcoming presentation would go on, despite the blowback. His organization has a responsibility to learn from the “national moment of upheaval” sparked by Potter’s killing of Wright.

“She’ll be the first to say she’s not a hero and it was a horrific tragic accident,” Stuart said. “I understand the concerns and the criticisms, but I would also hope they could understand the value of learning from mistakes and making sure that no other families find themselves in that same situation.”

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Lobbyists who previously worked as aides in the House of Commons have accessed confidential information from parliamentary email systems because Westminster authorities failed to close their accounts after they left.

Two ex-aides to MPs told the Financial Times they logged in to access the private contact details of MPs and their staff after they had taken up jobs at lobbying firms.

One said they had been asked by their new boss at a lobbying firm to use their continued access to Commons IT systems to get private email addresses that are not available to the public.

“They would ask me to go in and get email addresses from the internal systems for the six weeks I still had access after leaving,” the ex-aide said.

Others said they were able to see emails sent to their former MP’s inbox, which would have enabled them to see confidential constituent information as well as the parliamentarian’s private messages.

The ex-aides also said the access would have enabled them to see security information circulated to MPs and staff in parliament.

The revelations suggest the parliamentary authorities are failing to properly secure private or confidential information, even after a high-profile China spying scandal.

In April, a UK parliamentary researcher and another man were charged with spying for China after allegedly providing information that could be “useful to an enemy”.

The two were accused of giving “articles, notes, documents or information” to a foreign state, according to the Metropolitan Police. Both pleaded not guilty on Friday.

Parliament has different bodies responsible for various parts of its operations. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) handles payroll for MPs staff, but the aides are legally directly employed by their MPs. IPSA is separate from Parliamentary Digital Services, which handles email systems.

Two ex-aides said parliamentary authorities did not automatically close email accounts when a staffer’s employment ended.

“To close an account, the MP or office manager has to inform Parliamentary Digital Services directly the person has left,” one of the aides said. 

“If the MP is disorganised, or just a new MP with limited training on running their office, then it’s very possible that an account may remain for months until security clearance expires,” they added.

A third former staffer added: “You go through such a rigorous security process to get your pass, it’s mad they don’t restrict access to parliamentary accounts as soon as you leave.

The Labour party, which swept to power at the July UK general election after 14 years in opposition, last month privately warned its parliamentary staff about the risk of access by ex-employees.

It said in an email to all Labour parliamentary staff that it was “vital” that staffing records were kept updated so that anyone who had left Westminster was immediately prevented from receiving information.

The party added that only one member of each MPs office should be on internal mailing lists at any given time to prevent confidential information being leaked.

Many former MPs’ staff move into lobbying roles upon exiting parliament. These jobs frequently involve contacting parliamentarians — often the ones who formerly employed them — on behalf of commercial clients.

This year hundreds of aides left parliament largely because of the July general election, when 175 Conservative MPs lost their seats.

A House of Commons spokesperson said: “Network accounts sponsored by MPs are audited throughout the course of every Parliament, with accounts closed and access to the parliamentary estate removed, as soon as we are told to by either the sponsoring MP or by IPSA.”

They added: “Individual MPs, as the sponsors of their staff and owners of the data, are required to inform us of any changes or closures.

An IPSA spokesperson said: “Parliamentary accounts are administered by Parliamentary Digital Service, and IPSA sends data on a weekly basis confirming any members of staff whose leaving date has passed.”

Ex-Girlfriend Among Accusers

As the accusations mount, Diddy is currently in custody. His legal team is working diligently to secure his release, appealing a judge’s decision to keep him detained until the trial.

Combs has vehemently denied all allegations, calling them “disgusting claims” from individuals seeking “quick money.”

Among the accusers is Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, who filed a civil lawsuit last year alleging physical abuse and human trafficking.

As the legal proceedings unfold, the implications for Diddy’s career and personal life remain significant, raising questions about accountability in the entertainment industry.

The situation continues to develop, and with the increasing number of allegations, it is unclear how this will affect Combs’ future and reputation in the music industry. As investigations proceed, the outcomes of these serious allegations will undoubtedly resonate beyond the courtroom.

Loch nam Breac Dearga, is a hidden lochan perched 475 metres above the UK’s most voluminous lake, Loch Ness, on the Great Glen in Inverness-shire.

It holds an answer to how Britain reaches net zero.

The Great Glen’s topography of deep water surrounded by vertiginous hills provides ideal conditions for pumped storage hydropower, a system that uses large bodies of water to store power, facilitating the UK’s energy transition by tackling the problem of renewables’ intermittency.

As the UK increasingly turns to wind power to decarbonise the electricity grid, long-term energy storage is vital for dependable renewable power when the wind does not blow — a gap currently bridged by fossil fuels.

Pumped hydro schemes elevate water from a lower to a higher reservoir when electricity is abundant and cheap, releasing it back through a turbine to meet surges in demand.

Glen Earrach Energy, formed by the owners of the Balmacaan Estate where Loch nam Breac Dearga is situated, is planning the largest such scheme on Loch Ness, with a capacity of 2 gigawatts, seeking to tap into the home of the mythical monster for a vast so-called water battery.

The firm estimates that the scheme will reduce the national grid’s post-2030 carbon footprint by 10 per cent and save £2bn in grid operating costs in the first 20 years of operation. Its size and height differential will make it the most efficient in the UK, maximising power output while minimising the impact on Loch Ness water levels, it said.

“This is how the UK becomes a green energy superpower,” said Roderick MacLeod, director of family-owned Glen Earrach. “The UK has a massive offshore wind resource, so the question is how to smooth it out so it can be usable in the UK and also countries abroad,” he said.

The UK is playing catch-up with other parts of the world, such as China, Japan, the US and Europe, where the technology is growing rapidly as a means of stabilising renewables generation.

The world’s 179GW of pumped storage hydro capacity, which forms 90 per cent of overall installed global energy storage, is expected to increase by almost 50 per cent to about 240GW by the end of the decade, according to the International Hydropower Association.

The operator of the UK grid has projected that 7GW to 15GW of long-duration electricity storage would be required by 2050 as the government targets net zero emissions.

The UK’s four existing 2.8GW pumped storage hydro facilities in Wales and Scotland were built more than four decades ago, when energy was state owned.

But opposition is forming to a hydro “gold rush” around Scotland’s most famous loch.

The 300-megawatt Foyers Power Station, operated by energy group SSE, was commissioned half a century ago via a link to the 19th-century Loch Mhor Dam, which used to power aluminium production in the Highlands. Other prospects on Loch Ness include Statera’s 600MW at Loch Kemp and Statkraft’s 450MW at Loch na Cathrach.

The slew of projects around the tourist hotspot threatens the loch’s fragile ecosystem, including juvenile salmon and shoreline invertebrates, because of rapid, frequent water drawdowns, said Brian Shaw of the Ness District Salmon Fishery Board.

“There are huge risks involved — it’s hard to see how they [developers] can demonstrate they can leave biodiversity in a better condition, it’s simply not possible,” he said. “There is a gold rush of companies trying to get access to these waters.”

MacLeod, who aims to start construction in early 2026, said high-head projects such as Glen Earrach’s — with larger vertical distance between the lower and upper reservoirs — would benefit the local economy while also minimising water-level changes. The flow of water through Loch Ness would also help mitigate fluctuations, he added.

A Scottish government spokesperson said impacts on communities and nature were “important considerations” and all applications were subject to “site-specific assessments”.

As well as bringing local communities on side, other challenges to such grandiose engineering feats include expensive upfront costs, lengthy construction and uncertainty around operational revenues.

Glen Earrach said it had made significant progress in developing the £2bn project and was now seeking to raise equity funding.

The government, industry executives said, was set to unveil a “cap and floor” price stabilisation mechanism that would guarantee minimum revenue for operators while capping excessive returns.

Developers say such a mechanism — similar to the one used for electricity interconnectors that share power between neighbouring countries — could unlock billions of private sector investment into UK hydro projects, primarily in Scotland and Wales, where the most favourable geographical conditions are found.

“We are embracing the future of energy production and storage and will lay out further plans on this in due course,” said a UK government spokesperson.

Further south at Loch Lochy, energy group SSE is funding ground condition surveys at its 1.5GW Coire Glas project, drilling and blasting 1.2km tunnels into subterranean caverns near where an underground powerhouse complex could be located for the generators.

SSE has ploughed in £100mn so far ahead of an implementation of a cap and floor policy that Mike Seaton, project director for Coire Glas, hopes can be in place for developers by the first or second quarter of next year.

Seaton said SSE had garnered interest from other utilities and institutional funds for co-investment. “There are lots of interest, but they will need this cap and floor — without this there will be no projects,” he said.

Hastings in East Sussex was once much maligned, often a punchline to jokes about the “roughest” seaside towns in the country. Those in the know, though, know differently. This coastal community has a long-held artistic tradition and more recent implants – known to locals as “Down from Londons” (DFLs) – have added to this reputation.

While the town, made up of the Old Town, new town and edgy St Leonards-on-Sea, may still be a little rough around the edges, it’s full to the brim with eccentric art galleries, cosy pubs, Michelin-recommended places to eat – and some of the most quirky shops and museums you’ve ever seen (try the Fishermen’s Museum and True Crime Museum).

After you’ve got your 1066 history fix, antiqued up and down the streets of St Leonards, danced to live Irish music in The Albion, eaten from the imaginative menu at The Crown on All Saints St and washed it all down with a pint or two at the First In Last Out on the High Street, head to one of Hastings’ best stays – rounded up here…

Vive, Havelock Road

Hastings and Ibiza are rarely referred to in the same sentence, but Vive Hotel is where the two meet.

Open for just a year, this hotel in the up-and-coming new town was a collaboration between Jason Bull – who previously owned the snazzy Es Vive in Ibiza before he sold it to footballer Lionel Messi – and designer Sean Cochrane, who designed the Balearic escape.

Set in a former university building, rooms are modern and functional, with each acting as a studio, ideal for long or short stays.

Each space features white walls and clean lines and comes fully equipped with a luxury en-suite shower room, modern kitchenette, and desk area.

There are plans for a modern European restaurant, as well as a spa, creche and a playroom, slated to open in the near future.

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Rooms from £74, vivehotel.co.uk

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Hastings House, St Leonards-on-Sea

Although technically a separate town, St Leonards-on-Sea is frequently lumped in with Hastings. It offers a very different vibe, though, with artists in residence and achingly hip eateries everywhere you turn.

Hop off the train from London or Brighton one station before Hastings at St Leonards Warrior Square and take a short walk to Hastings House, set in a Regency townhouse, which is one of just a few five star residences in the area. Step inside this upscale B&B and you’ll be greeted with contemporary soft greys and exposed wood.

Most rooms have a sea view and are bright, clean and comfortable. Each comes with an en-suite bathroom, featuring wet room-style rainfall showers as well as robes and slippers – and some have luxurious freestanding bathtubs.

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Breakfast is included as standard, and guests can choose from a traditional Full English, French toast or a perfectly seaside-y smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.

Rooms from £115, hastingshouse.co.uk

St Benedict Victorian B&B, Pevensey Road

Hastings and St Leonards are well known for their quirkiness – and St Benedict Victorian B&B encapsulates that reputation perfectly.

Walk inside and you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped into a time machine. Located, aptly, in a late Victorian family house, this spectacular B&B has taken great care to recreate the 1800s with accurate interiors, many sourced from the town’s wealth of antiques shops.

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Each of the five rooms is named whimsically – The Old Nursery and The Colonel’s Room – and several feature William Morris wallpaper.

Owner Paul Oxborrow, who started the B&B in 2008, is clearly committed to presenting an accurate picture of the Victorian era but, luckily, there are baths, showers and plumbed-in loos as opposed to the more rudimentary methods of our forefathers.

In the colder months, the dark yet sumptuous interiors come into their own. Guests can warm up in front of a cosy open fire in the lounge and the Victorian lighting gleams off ornate gold picture frames and chandeliers, while heavily patterned rugs add extra snugness.

All stays include a full English cooked breakfast, served “country house style” in the dining room along with home made marmalade. Visitors can also take a stroll in the faithfully restored walled kitchen garden, flanked by authentic greenhouses.

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If you’re feeling inspired by the remarkable decor, take a brisk walk to nearby Norman Road, which has a seemingly endless array of antiques shops, perfect for picking up a Victorian era trinket as a souvenir of your trip to the ‘past’.

Rooms from £118, victorianbedandbreakfast.co.uk

The Laindons, Hastings Old Town

Locals know the Old Town as the “real” Hastings. With buildings dating back the 1400s, it’s a world away from the new town with its chain shops and utilitarian architecture.

The Laindons, a small but perfectly formed guest house in the middle of Old Hastings, is the perfect base to explore the narrow streets, packed with quirky gift shops and cute coffee spots.

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Each of its five rooms are named after colours and offer unique designs and vibes – think tiled fireplaces and nods to the sea beyond, like shell-shaped lamps and cushions adorned with crabs.

The Blue Room takes the nautical theme a step further, with a roll top bath in the room itself. The Yellow Room has perhaps the best view of all, thanks to its bay window which reveals a panorama over the delightfully quirky Old Town buildings.

Breakfast, included in the price, is served until 10 in the conservatory which overlooks the pretty East Hill nature park.

Free-range eggs and sausages and bacon come from local farms and jams and marmalades are hand-produced in nearby Battle.

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Rooms from £165, laindons.com

The Cloudesley, Cloudesley Road

If you’re a conscious traveller, The Cloudesley could be your best bet for a visit to Hastings.

A little inland, this environmentally-conscious B&B has previously been named one of the best in the country and it’s easy to see why.

Designed by Chelsea Flower Show award winner Shahriar Mazandi, relaxation and calm is the vibe here.

Rooms have no televisions and are painted in limewash from Francesca’s Paints and the showers are heated by solar panels.

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Carrying on this philosophy, there are no microwaves in the kitchen, Himalayan crystal salt is used in food preparation on-site, while fruit from the garden is served at breakfast when in season.

For a full-on escape, spa treatments and holistic therapies are on offer, from traditional massage to reflexology, and reiki in peaceful treatment rooms.

Rooms from £111, thecloudesley.co.uk

The Old Rectory, Harold Road

If you’re looking for a sign that Hastings truly is on the up and up, The Old Rectory is it. It has been recognised by the Michelin Guide’s new Michelin Keys, created to highlight outstanding hotels.

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Just inland from Hastings’ iconic fishermans’ huts, this stylish haunt is owned by Lionel Copley, a designer who previously worked with Katherine Hamnett.

His fashionable nous is evident in The Old Rectory, which dates back to mediaeval times and has had Victoian and Georgian wings added on over the intervening years.

The nine rooms, elegantly decked out, are all named after streets in Hastings Old Town. Some of them feature wallpaper designed by local artist Deborah Bowness and others feature shabby-chic chandeliers and gilded mirrors, adding a rustic-meets-glamorous touch to your environment.

The walled garden is a must-see and breakfast is a gem. The Old Rectory makes their own meat and veggie sausages and smoke their own kippers and salmon at an in-house smokery.

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Hastings is not known for its spas, but the venue here is hailed as one of the best for miles around.

On offer are a wide variety of treatments, including a Sculpted Facial, Oriental massage and reflexology and postural realignment body work. Bookings are open to non-residents, so make sure to book ahead.

Rooms from £135, theoldrectoryhastings.co.uk

The Jenny Lind Inn, High Street

If you like to be in the thick of it and experience life like a local, you could do a lot worse than a stay at The Jenny Lind Inn.

Downstairs is a cosy pub with a wide selection of real ales on tap and live music – think sea shanties, folk and blues – on several days a week.

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Upstairs, in the inn’s rooms, it’s a world away from the noisy fun in the bars below. The five bedrooms, which offer flexible accommodation for family groups and single occupancy rates, are cosy and comfortable. All have seagull’s eye views of the higgledy piggledy Old Town below, and are just two minutes walk from the beach.

The Jenny – as locals call it – also makes the perfect base to visit two of Hastings’ most interesting museums – the Flower Makers’ Museum and the Fishermen’s Museum, both offering unique insights into parts of the town’s rich history.

Rooms from £74, jennylindhastings.co.uk/stay