News

A 3 year old community-led housing group is getting ready to develop
land and build its first five affordable homes for people in housing need.
There are more than 500 similar groups across the UK, which are on
track to deliver thousands of new homes, and help alleviate the housing crisis.

More than just housing, this movement is all about communities making
supportive, affordable, secure homes, together.

Eastbourne Community Land Trust (ECLT) is a registered Community Benefit Society, and
currently, the Society’s 70 members are looking for new people to get involved. Co-
founder, Sandy Medway says:

“We are local volunteers with a passion to see community led homes make a significant
difference in Eastbourne. Our affordable home ownership scheme will enable people on
low incomes to own their own home and feel secure.”

Anyone can become a CLT Member for just £1 and get involved or have a say in how the
Society is run.

The first housing project is in Langney where we are acquiring a plot of land to build five
new houses (two 3Bed and three 2Bed). These are for key worker families in housing
need and if you know of anyone who may be interested then please encourage them to
get in touch via our website at eastbourneclt.co.uk or via our Facebook page
@EastbournCommunityLandTrust

The Society raises funds through donations, and by raising finance through Community
Shares, Grants, Mortgages, and Investment Loans. The CLT model is a proven,
independent and sustainable way to create affordable housing, through community-led
development.

CLTs are set up and run by local volunteers, and because homes are
subject to an asset lock, community members become long-term stewards of the land it
owns and the homes it builds. This ensures genuine affordability based on what people
actually earn in their area, not just for now but for every future occupier.

The Community Land Trust movement is a young and rapidly growing movement in
England, as more and more communities take the future of their neighbourhood into their
own hands. Half the CLTs in the UK were formed in the last few years, and with every site
development, CLT member organisations are encouraged to share good practice.

The Society’s trustees in Eastbourne have benefitted during lockdown from networking with
other CLTs to learn about the progress being made by other community led housing
groups.

Chair of Trustees for Eastbourne CLT, Sandy Medway, says, “As a new community-led
housing group, we have learned much during lockdown from other groups, who are ahead
of us with their developments. We are astounded by what they have achieved. As
volunteers we’ve been particularly encouraged and helped by leaders of schemes in
Sussex. The government is channeling funds into community-led housing projects and
Eastbourne CLT is now ready to benefit from this resource.

The guest speaker at the Society’s AGM on 21 October is Tom Warder, leader of the
Sussex Community-led Housing Hub, who will give an overview of the unfolding landscape
of emerging Sussex based CLTs. Members of Eastbourne CLT will also be sharing their
plans for the Langney site, and their passion for making a positive difference. Check out
our Facebook page for details and to get an invite.

Councillor Alan Shuttleworth, and others from Eastbourne Borough Council, have been
hugely supportive of the group, commending their ability to mobilise sufficient interest to
form a committed membership, willing to serve and set up the Society.

To read more, visit the Society’s website at eastbourneclt.co.uk. To join the ECLT mailing
list for updates, or to enquire about membership, contact the Society’s Chief Officer, Mrs
Sandy Medway, on 07710 309893, or by email at eastbourneclt.office@gmail.com
To Donate visit https://tinyurl.com/558h9yhz or

– END –

Further details from Sandy Medway at eastbourneclt.office@gmail.com

This Sunday 24th October, sees the  re-starting of the Upper Room meetings.

The time is 7:30pm and the venue is St Barnabas next to the Langney Shopping Centre.

‘We are really pleased that God has led us to start this again. A chance to linger in his presence, with no agenda other than seeking His face. We never quite know what will happen and what direction God will take us in on these evenings. There is freedom and also a bit of quiet time in which to contemplate and commune with Jesus.’

For more details please click on the link below:

https://twcc.church/church-life/midweek/upper-room/

Eastbourne community church, the Gather Collective, are inviting people from other churches to participate in a midday fortnightly book club around the themes of creation care, climate change and food topics. The group will meet in person and via Zoom, with the face to face version coming from the Gather Community Garden Quiet Room and the Zoom call being broadcast from there at the same time.

It starts on 13^th October from 12.30 -1.30 pm.

Initially it will start with a book called PlanetWise – dare to care for God’s world, written by Dave Bookless, who heads up A Rocha UK, and is also a vicar at a church in Southall, London. It is clear that the issues of climate change, living simply and sustainably, and with less waste, etc are important issues of our time. Especially for those of us who believe that this world belongs to God and He cares about how we treat it.

Here’s a quote from the back of the book:  This is not another book on green issues to make you feel guilty. There is hope. God can take your small and insignificant efforts and multiply them in his great plan, Besides, honouring him, living simply can be an exciting adventure.

There are other recommendations from Ruth Valerio, Elaine Storkey and Nicky Gumbel.

If this is something that would interest you, you can order the book from the Christian resource centre  or via an online retailer. We will begin by reading through the Introduction and Chapter 1 before we meet. There are questions after each chapter that can help us in expressing our thoughts on the day.

What about lunch if you attend in person?
It would be helpful to bring a packed lunch and a flask of something warm, so that we can eat and reflect together from the outset.

How long will it last?
There are 9 relatively short chapters, so it would take 5 weeks (doing 2 chapters per session), meaning that we would finish on the 8^th December, (meeting every other week).

It would be helpful if you could let them know if this is something you would be up for. You can register your interest here

The Hospital Chaplaincy & Pastoral Support Team are looking for Volunteers to assist with providing spiritual support for patients and relatives at both Eastbourne DGH and Hastings Conquest Hospital.

Training and support will be provided. If you, or anyone you know, may be interested please contact Lead Chaplain Graham Atfield on 07972 242753 or by email to graham.atfield@nhs.net.’

Church & Tenant Empowerment Worker

Part-time vacancy (20 hours)

About the role

We are looking for someone to join the Kingdom Way Trust team in Eastbourne as an Empowerment Worker for our Hope into Action tenants and supporting churches. Much of the role will be spending time with tenants and volunteers however some admin is required which can either be done from home or in office space provided.

As an Empowerment Worker you will be supporting our tenants with their needs and you would empower them towards a fulfilled life. Tenants may be singles or families.

You will also be working with our partner churches – each house is partnered with a local church – to train, equip, encourage for their role in mentoring, befriending and giving practical support to tenants.
About you

For this role, you would be someone with a passion for the vulnerable, in agreement with our values and able to work with both tenants and church volunteers. You will need to be able to work with tenants with support needs, including poor mental health, past offending, in recovery from drug and alcohol dependency. We value good listening skills. The ability to work in a flexible team and learn new skills is important as we foster working within a strong supportive team across all the projects of Kingdom Way Trust.

We love diversity and we value your unique skills, strengths, knowledge and experience. Becoming one of our team may realise your potential, helping us to raise our performance in empowering those we serve.
About us

Kingdom Way Trust provides housing and support for vulnerable adults. Together with the church, through the Hope into Action model, we provide a home and direct support to people whom others have often given up on.
To apply

For the Job Description & Application form visit: www.kingdomwaytrust.org/hope-into-action

Closing date for applications 17th October 2021.

Or contact roland@kingdomwaytrust.org for any further information about this role.

This is a message from Susie Marriott

Hello dear friends! 

Earlier this month, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced a new £1 million fund to help faith groups support communities.

Faith groups will be able to apply for a share of the £1 million Faith New Deal Pilot Fund for projects providing innovative solutions to issues such as food poverty and poor mental health. Projects combating loneliness and isolation, providing debt advice and helping those who were unemployed during the COVID-19 outbreak get back to work are set to benefit from the new pilot.

The deadline for the application window of this scheme has been extended until 14 October.

Councils are encouraged to promote the Faith New Deal Pilot Fund on social media channels, with wider partners and local voluntary sector partners.

Announcement:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-1-million-fund-to-help-faith-groups-support-communities

Loneliness and isolation has become a widespread social problem and the pandemic has made this worse for many people. Linking Lives is working here in Eastbourne and across the UK to link people together. Friendships are formed through regular meetings, both by phone and in person. We also look for ways to re introduce people to their own local community.

The video below gives an introduction to Linking Lives Eastbourne. You can find out more at linkingliveseastbourne.com