19 October 2022 | by Helen Frederick
We’ve had a busy month packing down the Uniform Exchange until Easter and planning our winter activities- and not forgetting the opening night of The Little Green Cinema! . Our volunteers attended a couple of friendly sessions and we all got to know each other a bit more. What an amazing set of skills and knowledge we have collectively- We can do great things here in our little town of Seaford…If you’d like to volunteer, please let us know…
So what do we have to tell you? Well, we have home energy activities, a people’s assembly, more family events coming… and an announcement about funding!
We have arranged for Ovesco to run some drop in advice sessions for anyone struggling with their energy bill. The first session will be on Saturday 22 October from 10am to 12pm.. Watch our events section for more dates soon. We also have a display in the Hub showing energy saving tips and ideas for how we can start to detox from our addiction to oil and gas. Did you know Seaford is an ‘energy crisis hotspot’ according to new research by Friends of the Earth? No we didn’t either, and we’ve started thinking of ways to support local people to insulate their homes.
We found it really hard to find up to date information for our Home Energy Month, so along with Newhaven Green Centre and Lewes Climate Hub, we are working with East Sussex County Council to improve their Warm East Sussex website.
We’re excited to welcome Extinction Rebellion to the SEA Climate Hub as part to their UK bus tour this autumn! They will be facilitating a ‘Peoples Assembly’ for our community at 3pm on Saturday 22 October. We’ll discuss how we might respond to the cost of living and the climate crisis together. People’s Assemblies are a very powerful way for communities to discuss difficult challenges. Everyone’s views are heard and valued. All welcome. This event will be similar to the one we held at the Hub a few months ago to look at the future of the Climate Hub which I know people enjoyed.
The Extinction Rebellion Bus will be on the Seafront from 11am, and again from 5 to meet you on your way to Bonfire. Why not join them for entertainment, talks and activities?
We’re planning more storytime and art workshops over the next couple of months, with the first on Thursday 27th October at 11am. Good for all ages. A calm and enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours! Look out for dates on our events listings or our social media. If you’d like to help arrange a family activity on an environmental theme, please let us know.
You may have seen in the news this week that the Ouse Valley Climate Action (OVCA) partnership has just been awarded an incredible £2 million lottery grant. The funds are to be used to empower local people to help create one of the first communities in England to fully embrace climate action.
We are delighted that the SEA Climate Hub is one of the community projects to receive funds as part of the lottery bid, receiving £5000 for each of the next 3 years. This year, alongside an exciting grant of £2000 from Lewes District Food Partnership, this will help us to continue and expand the great work we are already doing in the community, as well as allowing us to get some new projects and campaigns off the ground, including an after-school club, a small-scale home-growing project, expansion of our climate library and setting up climate reading groups, and expanding our programme of inspiring talks and workshops. The OVCA partnership will also offer a supportive network to support SEA with areas such as volunteer training and resource sharing.
Across the OVCA partnership, which will also be supporting other projects in Seaford and the local area, the £2m funding will be used to focus on three key areas: nature recovery and climate resilience; people’s knowledge and skills; and greener energy and travel. For more info on the £2m lottery grant, see https://www.southdowns.gov.uk/?p=61599
We’ve partnered with Plastic Free Seaford and Seaford Bonfire Society on this poster campaign- which really speaks for itself! Have fun and stay safe x
