About Ore

The name Ore is undoubtedly linked to the Iron deposits that were  found in the area, centuries ago. "Red Lake" part of Ore is so-called because the water in the lake was red and "rusty" coloured with iron saturation. Red Lake was at the head of the Ore Valley which runs down behind Greville Road to Frederick Road where the Broomgrove Valley Starts.

Ore Ward includes the highest area of the Borough of Hastings. Ore is in the East of the Borough and includes the beautiful, Hastings Country Park. Ore Ward has boundaries with Baird, Tressell and Old Hastings Wards of Hastings, as well as Rother District Council and the sea.  The Boundary with the sea means that Ore Ward Has been granted "Objective 2 Status" to gain EU Grants. The main, A259 trunk road cuts through a large part of the Ward as Rye Road and Old London Road.

Ore Ward is a distinct area with its own "personality" and there is a real community spirit between the residents. Local people are fiercely independent and, although most are not wealthy, they have a strong sense of ownership and pride in our area. There are three, well organised, Resident's Associations representing much of the Ward. Ore Village is a vibrant, local shopping area with a full array of vital shops and traders.

Ore has a large and successful secondary school called Hillcrest. This has recently been awarded Specialist Language College status and can be seen flying several international flags each day. The Hillcrest site also houses the Sports Hall that is a community facility operating on behalf of Hastings Borough Council. We also have Sandown and Red Lake Community Primary schools.

There are still some pockets of great poverty within the Ward which have yet to be fully recognised by additional funding being provided. There is great confusion among some of the "outsider organisations" such as "Surestart", "Seaspace", "Amicus Housing Association" and "Millennium Communities". Their lack of knowledge of the local Hastings area has led them to look very silly when they start calling Broomgrove Valley, Farley Bank and Halton by the wrong names. Someone has mischievously (or maybe to test their gullibility) suggested that these distinct communities be re-labelled Ore Valley. Obviously this is factually wrong and is insulting to the residents of Broomgrove, Farley Bank and Halton as well as Ore.