March 1 2014.

The first signs of Spring are in the air and that means that it’s time for Newhaven Fort to open its doors for the new season, which starts today, Saturday 1st March.

Throughout the winter staff at the Fort have been hard at work revamping exhibitions, planning events and teaching over 1,000 hardy school children about the life on Britain’s Home Front during the Second World War. New items from the Fort’s collection are on display in several exhibitions including ‘Dieppe and D-Day’ and the ‘Home Front’. And new to the Fort this year is an exhibition put together by the International Brigade Memorial Trust. ‘Antifascistas’ tell the tale of the many British and Irish volunteers who fought in the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939.

Throughout 2014 Newhaven Fort will host an extensive programme of popular events, from open-air theatre and live music to military re-enactments and children’s activities during the school holidays.

Kicking off the programme this year are the Maestro Academy Players who will be bringing the music of the Big Band era to the Fort’s atmospheric Romney Hut on Saturday 22nd March at 7pm. Tickets are £8 and can be purchased now from Newhaven Fort or Meeching Estate Agents in Newhaven.

To mark the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War the Fort will also host two diverse dramatic productions during the summer. August will see Meeching Amateur Dramatic’s production of ‘The Better ‘Ole’, by Bruce Bairnsfather and Arthur Eliot. The play, which has not been produced locally since 1918, follows the wartime exploits of a British Tommy in France. And following on from the success of ‘The Port, The Beast & the Traveller’ in 2012, inroads Productions and Zap Art return to the Fort in September with a piece based on the impact of the Great War on the local area.

There's also Living History weekend in July and the annual Battle of Britain Commemoration in September to look forward to. As you can see, it’s set to be a great season, and there’s something for everyone so why not visit Newhaven Fort this year and see history come to life!

For more information on Newhaven Fort events visit:
Website: www.newhavenfort.org.uk 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/newhavenfort 
Twitter: @NewhavenFort