We did it
On 13th May 2022 we successfully raised £5,470 with 62 supporters in 72 days

We want a safe, welcoming space where everyone can gather to make Eastbourne a more sustainable, resilient community despite climate change.

by Andrew Durling in Eastbourne, England, United Kingdom

 New stretch target

We will purchase essential equipment for the hub, such as a projector, sound system, etc.


Vision:

We are a local voluntary group which wants to set up a community hub within Eastbourne that becomes a safe, welcoming space for local people to gather together to help each other develop a more resilient community able to adapt positively and creatively to the challenges of the Climate and Nature Emergencies. 

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The hub will facilitate some of the following activities: eco events, arts/crafts, talks, workshops, meetings, cinema, library, fundraising projects. It will be a space to meet and discuss, to inspire, to co-create, to design and  innovate, to incubate eco business start ups, and to understand what a truly sustainable future looks like. It will also be a place where local people in fuel poverty can gain advice about how to save on energy costs and get assistance for retrofits, energy saving equipment, or renewable energy systems. It will also be a place where local food networks can provide support to those in food poverty through, for example, distributing local organic food donated freely by local growers. The hub will be part of Eastbourne's  transition to a zero carbon society whereby the town will become greener, cleaner, healthier, safer, and more enjoyable for all. The hub will eventually become self-funded primarily from events, food and drink, and space hire.

The team behind the vision:

The Eastbourne Climate Coalition, initially composed of 27 local environmental and community groups was formed as part of the UK-wide COP26 Climate Coalition. After holding a very successful march and rally in Eastbourne during COP26, it decided to work towards following up on C0P26 by scaling up climate action across the Eastbourne area.

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The first major project of the coalition is to establish a Climate Hub within central Eastbourne in order to create a dedicated physical space for local climate and community groups to come together to collaborate with each other and to engage much more fully with the public on climate issues generally. To this end, the coalition has partnered with the Eastbourne Eco Action Network CIC to make use of the CIC's facilities to help raise the initial funds needed to source premises for the hub and help prepare it for launch. The CIC is run entirely by volunteers and has the target of helping to deliver a Net Zero town by 2030, collaborating with local community groups, local businesses, and Eastbourne Borough Council to achieve this.1644777530_ecn2030logo.jpg

All members of the coalition and the CIC are volunteers, so every penny raised will go towards establishing the hub, which will eventually become an independent, non-profit legal entity run by local people for local people. 

Advice and support will be sought from the national Climate Emergency Centres network, which has helped other towns and cities in the UK to successfully set up their own Climate Hubs. We have close connections with existing Climate Hubs in nearby Seaford and Lewes, who have already given us invaluable advice and help.

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Realising the vision:

The ideal premises for the Climate Hub would be somewhere in central Eastbourne where the public could easily access it, such as an empty shop or bank, or spare space within a community centre, in the main retail area, near the local public transport hubs. The premises would ideally have a kitchen adequate enough for servicing a cafe area and to cook meals for social functions. All food served within the hub will be vegetarian or vegan and sourced from local organic growers or farms that demonstrate good stewardship of the land. All the funds raised will help to: 

  • create a website that becomes an online complement to the Climate Hub as well as helping to promote the hub's premises
  • form a social enterprise with the legal and financial structures appropriate for taking responsibility for running the Climate Hub
  • source the actual premises and secure them with appropriate legal agreements if necessary
  • fit out and equip the premises ready for a public launch, sometime in 2022 hopefully.

Meet some of the members of the project team:

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Rachael Norris:  Business owner and campaigner for social and environmental justice

Andrew Durling : Executive Director of Eastbourne Eco Action Network CIC. Joint Coordinator of Eastbourne & District Friends of the Earth. Fellow of theRSA.org.

Noa Lachman:  Opera singer, Director of Rimmon and Climate campaigner

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Felicity Goodson:  Actress, yoga teacher and cycle campaigner

Evie Sier:  Environmental, social justice and peace campaigner. Eastbourne Greenpeace group contact and vegan society community organiser.

Sally Boys: Joint Co-ordinator of Eastbourne & District Friends of the Earth. Member of The Green Party.

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Carol Mills: Social, Economic, Environmental and Climate Justice Campaigner and Trade Unionist

Jill Shacklock: member of the Eastbourne Eco Action Network's Energy & Housing Group. Environmental Campaigner.

Oliver Sterno:  Community Leader and Director of Plastic Free Eastbourne, Coordinator of Refill Eastbourne, Director of EcoEducation 2030 

Caroline Tradewell:   Eastbourne Food Partnership, nutritional and health science student

Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation.

£100 or more

2 of 25 claimed

Become one of our Champion Sponsors!

Invitation to our exclusive pre-launch buffet event with a chance to get the full low-down in person from the core team about how the hub project is unfolding. As a Champion Sponsor, your name (or the logo of your organisation, if you prefer) will be placed on the list of Champion sponsors displayed prominently on a wall in the hub as well as listed on our hub website. You'll also get a big shout-out on our social media channels.

£5 or more

£5 Reward

You will receive an official thank you letter and a shout-out on our social media channels. You will also be recognised as a Supporter of our Climate Hub and placed on our list of benefactors on our website.

£10 or more

£20 Reward

You will receive an official thank you letter and a shout-out on our social media channels. You will also be recognised as a Supporter of our Climate Hub and placed on our list of benefactors on our website and also on the wall of the Climate Hub.

£20 or more

1 of 50 claimed

Seeds for a brighter future!

One of our partners in the Eastbourne Climate Coalition, the Eastbourne Food Partnership CIC, has just pledged to offer a bundle of high-quality seed packets for each donation of £20 or more. So help us grow a Climate Hub at the same time as you help to grow a more abundant local food system!

£30 or more

Have a tree named after you!

Some of our partners are busy planting new trees around Eastbourne. We'll dedicated one of those trees in your name. We'll post a photo of your name tag, attached to the tree, on our social media channels.

£50 or more

3 of 50 claimed

Pre-launch buffet.

Invitation to our exclusive pre-launch buffet event with a chance to get the full low-down in person from the core team about how the hub project is unfolding.

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