Groups in Newhaven benefit from community grants scheme

LYT productions was one of the groups to benefit from funding

Set up by Newhaven Enterprise Zone and managed by the Sussex Community Foundationm, the fund supports charities and not-for-profit organisations which benefit the Newhaven area.

This year’s successful projects have all demonstrated how they foster innovation in community participation, address inequality, raise aspirations and develop opportunities for people in Newhaven to be more actively engaged.

They include Hillcrest Community Partnership, which received £7,000 towards its multi-space community centre, and Newhaven Gig Rowing Club, which received £5,000.

Newhaven Open Call - an artist led initiative that invites local people and visitors to the area to make art and share their experience with others – received £5,000.

Helen Turner, one of the tutors at Newhaven Open Call, which also benefited from 2020’s fund, said: “It is fantastic to have support through the Newhaven EZ Community fund and there is no doubt that it has contributed a great deal to those living in our communities.

“For our students, these art classes give hope and an outlet into being in the world.”

N.I.P.P.E.R.S, which provides inclusive, out-of-school play and forest school activities for children, secured £3,000 in funding.

LYT Productions, an organisation dedicated to local events and production, secured £5,000 which will help the community engagement phase of their project – funding workshops with the local artists, in collaboration with local schools and community groups.

Corinne Day, Programme Director at Newhaven Enterprise Zone, said: “The Newhaven EZ Community Fund is now in its third year and is a real success story.

“It is great to see increased awareness and take up of this funding, and to hear the many stories of how it has encouraged active participation in Newhaven – in sports, the arts and celebration of the town’s history and culture.”

The Newhaven EZ Community Fund has an annual pot of £25,000, which will hopefully grow over time in conjunction with the growth of the business sector locally.

The fund supports organisations which help to encourage a sense of place and to build on the thriving community in the town, the Newhaven Enterprise Zone said.