Hastings Food Project are delighted to announce our Healthy Hastings Grant programme, open to any food related projects working in Hastings and St Leonards.

These grants are funded by East Sussex County Council as part of the Good Food East Sussex network www.goodfoodeastsussex.org.uk

Hastings Food Project are offering 14 grants of up to £500, and we are inviting applications from organisations to run an event or activity under the banner of Healthy Hastings. These events and activities must be delivered during Good Food East Sussex Month (October 2026). Healthy Hastings can be interpreted quite broadly – some examples might include a food festival, a cookery workshop, a community dining opportunity, a general health event focused on food, a physical activity involving food in some way – please be as creative and innovative as you like!

Please visit the grant application form for full details, which can be found HERE.

We particularly welcome applications from projects which support vulnerable households and underrepresented groups.

If you have any questions please contact Debby Anderson on debby@hastingsvolutaryaction.org.uk, or 01424 444010

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS IS 5PM ON 11TH AUGUST 2026

We had gorgeous blue skies and blazing sun for our Refugee Week football tournament on Sunday. What a morning! Thank you so much to all the players who helped make it such a success. Who needs the World Cup when we have this much talent on our home pitch?! And well done to the lads from Khalid’s Kitchen who took home the trophy.

We definitely couldn’t have done this without the kindness and generosity of the folk at Hastings United, Play Sport and Education Futures Trust who gave their time, skills and knowledge, plus use of their great space and equipment.

This was HVA/Links’ and Simo Rafi’s first attempt putting on a tournament like this to see if there was an appetite for it. Since there clearly was, you can watch this space for future events building on this one!

If you’re interested to be involved, or to support future football events in some way, please get in touch with marc@hastingsvoluntaryaction.org.uk

There is an enclosed courtyard space at Jackson Hall that was out of bounds for many years, as it featured bricks with crumbling mortar, and a wall at risk of collapse.

In line with their corporate social responsibility commitments, a team from Balfour Beatty visited the Jackson Hall site to clear the overgrowth and repair the walls.

Since then, an alternative education provider that operates from Jackson Hall, Enjoycation, have brought the space back into use, and are turning it into a learning garden!

Team HVA are supporting the project as part of their staff volunteering hours, including painting the walls and carrying bucket after bucket of gravel into the space.

There is more work to come, but we are so pleased that these collaborative efforts have enabled us to bring the abandoned space back into use.

If you’d like to make a donation towards the Learning Garden, you can do so here.

We’re proud to be strengthening our partnership with East Sussex College Group to deliver new community food programmes across Hastings.

From Cooking on a Budget workshops to the new Broomgrove Bake Off, these courses are designed to help local adults build confidence, develop practical life skills, improve wellbeing, and explore pathways into further learning and employment.

The programmes are open to adults across the community, including those looking to gain new skills, meet new people, and learn in a supportive environment.

Read more HERE

Our Age-Friendly offer in Hastings continues to grow, touching on so many age-related themes, and we have lots coming up. Coffee mornings, reminiscence activities, cookery workshops, specialist info drop-ins and more! Get the dates in your diary, and join us for one of our vibrant sessions.

There is always room for new partners to join our monthly Ageing Network meetings, or to host activities with us at Central Hall. Get in touch!

HVA have a range of events and activities planned for Volunteers’ Week 2026, some in collaboration with our friends at Rother Voluntary Action. We’d love to see you!

Tuesday 2nd June: HVA are holding an organisation / volunteering information stand in Hastings Town Centre. If you are interested in being involved in some way please complete this short form.

Wednesday 3rd June, 3-6pm: HVA & RVA Volunteers Week Celebration Picnic
HVA & Rother Voluntary Action invite local groups, organisations and their volunteers to join us for a picnic at Ashburnham Place to celebrate Volunteers Week! For more details and to book yourself a place, visit Eventbrite.

And in the lead up to Volunteers’ Week the HVA crew will be doing a team volunteering activity. Watch this space for photos!