Celebration event at Leaf Hall marks10 years of community work in this part of Eastbourne

Since 2013, DWBL have invested in the formulation of the Devonshire Collective, improvements to The Royal Hippodrome, play equipment at Seaside Recreation Ground, free annual summer play schemes, a variety of free activities for all ages, salary of an additional key worker at Matthew 25 Mission, disabled WC facilities at Leaf Hall and at Seaside Recreation Ground, free music sessions for young people with Audio Active, and much more!

Please visit the website to see what has been achieved in greater detail - www.devonshirewestbiglocal.org

The event was opened by the Mayor of Eastbourne, Councillor Candy Vaughan at 12noon.

Also welcomed to the event were the Mayor’s Consort, Councillor Amanda Morris; Member of Parliament, Caroline Ansell; Deputy Lieutenant of East Sussex, Christopher Whittick; Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, Councillor Stephen Holt, and Deputy Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, Councillor Margaret Bannister. Councillor and leader of the Chamber of Commerce Christina Eubank also attended, lending the event the Chamber’s Chinese Dragons to create a fabulous display.

The library was filled with an informative exhibition of Devonshire West Big Local’s achievements throughout the area including films made as part of funded projects. Throughout the building was an exhibition of local artist Clare Hackney-Ring’s paintings, focussing on the history of local fishing families of Eastbourne.

Leaf Road was closed and filled with free activities for everyone to enjoy: - Tickles’ face painting, Amaze’s badge making, Eastbourne Studio Pottery’s fun with clay, and origami with Keng.

Upstairs in the beautiful Victorian Hall, Emma led an energetic Zumba session joined in by all ages, followed by 1066 Wing Chun’s very popular martial arts session, and then Sweet Circus engaged lots of children in their fun-filled circus skills workshop.

Local Ukulele Band Rolling Seas were first on the bill at the outdoor performance area, they were followed by the ever-popular Harry Court’s band, and the lovely ladies of Vocalize.

Robinson’s Drama Academy’s SEN section stole the show with their signed dance performance of What’s New Pussycat? and Rolling Seas ended the event with their audience waving and joining in with their last number I Am Sailing.

Volunteers for Our Neighbourhood based at Leaf Hall’s Community Kitchen gave out more than 350 drinks, 150 lunches of delicious home-made curry, dahl, rice, assorted salads, and pumpkin soup, followed by an immeasurable number of slices of pizza and cheesy-toasts.

They followed this by portioning more than 25 assorted home-made traybakes – in the hope that no one went home hungry – and they definitely succeeded!

Audio Active brought the day to a close, entertaining from 6pm to 8pm with marvellous performances young people had been refining at Leaf Hall during the past year at their free Audio Active sessions.