Eastbourne Borough Council Leader: Volunteers 'make a profound difference'

Whether you volunteer with a local charity, help run a residents’ group, fundraise for good causes, or quietly care for family, friends, and neighbours, your contributions make a profound difference. Eastbourne would not be the same without you.

On Friday, I had the privilege of joining the Friends of Eastbourne Seafront at their Volunteers’ Day event. I had the chance to personally thank their hardworking team, who help to keep our seafront welcoming, well-maintained, and beautiful.

I’m also looking forward to joining the Welcome Team on patrol soon, to see first-hand the fantastic work they do in keeping our seafront safe and friendly for everyone.

It was also wonderful to see so many residents participating in the Seafront Consultation meetings last week. This ongoing conversation is about shaping the future of our much-loved seafront together. I was truly encouraged by the positive and thoughtful ideas people shared, and it’s clear how much our seafront means to all of us. We are now bringing those ideas together, and I look forward to sharing the next steps with you soon.

Finally, I want to congratulate our brilliant Wellbeing Team in the Housing and Homelessness Department, who have been nationally recognised for their outstanding work. They were recently awarded the Excellent Support Award at the Homeless Link Excellence Awards 2025—a truly superb achievement.

As regular readers will know, supporting those facing housing challenges is one of the toughest tasks councils across the country are dealing with right now. In the interest of transparency, I should mention that my sister-in-law works in this team, which has given me some personal insight into just how committed and resilient they are.

Thank you again to everyone in Eastbourne who gives their time, energy, and heart to help our town thrive. You make all the difference.