It’s a place to belong and a place to have fun – and it opens in Eastbourne Town Hall on Saturday
We are talking about the eagerly-anticipated opening of the Sussex Guildhall CIC Community Hub.
It’s about tackling loneliness and creating fun – the chance to get creative, learn new skills, and unwind, come in, stay a while and leave with new friends.
This exciting new project is the brainchild of Victoria Stephens, and here she explains the thinking about the new project.
She told me: “The focus is on fun for both families and children, and we are determined to make a difference to those who may be struggling with the cost of living. That is a lot of people locally, and we are fully aware of that.
“So from Saturday, we are proud to be opening at Room 1 in the Town Hall on Grove Road, in Little Chelsea. It’s a beautiful building and our room is going to be very special from day one.
“What does a Community Hub involve? For us, we will be running a non-profit cafe, the chance to come to the cafe and the also the chance to relax, which is so important for many people.
“Initially, the cafe will be open on Thursday and Friday from 10am until 2pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 10am until 5pm. Those times may change, and indeed increase, depending on the demand.
“There are board and tabletop games to enjoy – in fact, we have more than 200 board games. You can use them here or you can hire them out for a short period of time.
“We have books and puzzles galore, again for both children and adults. We will also be running a book swap scheme as well, where you can bring one book in and take another out.
“There will also be various arts and crafts activities, the chance for community groups to come and use part of the space, and we will be organising various events and activities.
“We are reaching out to people of all ages, and our mission initially is very simple – to get people in here using what we have.”
There has been welcomed funding from the National Lottery, Chalk Cliff Trust and the John Jackson Charitable Trust.
Victoria says there is limited access from the car park at the rear of the Town hall – otherwise you have to go to main Reception and ring the bell.
Everyone is welcome to attend the official opening on Saturday from 12 noon.
“We want to bring the community together in a quiet environment,’ says Victoria.
