With just 11 days to go we have just under £1000 to reach our target!

Every £1 helps, please if you can donate, get involved, buy a brick and become part of our legacy for this incredible building to serve our community for years to come!

Donate here : https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/buy-a-brick-for-our-heart-of-sidley-hub or by scanning this QR Code !

Join us by the tree from 4pm outside the New Inn pub as we switch on

our festive lights at 4.30pm!

We’ll have entertainment from Sidley’s very own Uncle Bumble, All Saints School Choir & brass band carols!

We’ll then head on to Freedom Church 5-7pm for our free family event –

all are welcome!

Grab a present from Santa or The Grinch, help yourself to yummy free food & refreshments

served by the wonderful Cooking Pops & Sidley Cricket Club!

We’ll have community stalls, performances, face painting, free festive activities & lots more!

For all info be sure to follow our dedicated Facebook Event Page:

https://fb.me/e/5Y6D1KPsW

 

 

Plans are underway for Heart of Sidley’s Annual Festive Family Event & Lights Switch On!

Save the date and keep an eye on our Facebook page for more info coming very soon!

https://www.facebook.com/heart.ofsidley/

Our Crowdfunder is now live!

Check out our page – share far and wide! Let’s kit out this brilliant new Community Hub!

 

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/buy-a-brick-for-our-heart-of-sidley-hub

We Need Your Help!

We’ve been treated to some FANTASTIC weather to kick off this Summer’s HAF Holiday Club

Space To Create for ages 8-11 in partnership with Culture Shift 🧡

Day 1 – We made dens and wicker fish outside, inside we created ocean creatures with clay and used watercolours

Day 2 – We made animal masks and used water colours to creates Trees of Life. We then made musical instruments using recycled materials and decorated our dens

Day 3 – Today we are making aliens with clay, and water colour planets. We are also outside using how to use hammers and saws safely, and making rubber band lasers!

#heartof sidley #actbelongcommit #cultureshift #haf #holidayclub #summer #community

Heart of Sidley are SO grateful for all of the support we receive from our amazing community.

We would like to thank Cllr Coleman for his continued support, and take a moment to share with you this AMAZING speech he presented to the Planning Committee in support of our application.

 

“Thank you chair and members of the committee.

I am absolutely buzzing about this application and I’m sure, given the glowing report that the officers have put together, that many of you will be as well.

I think the members of the public who commented on the application were absolutely spot on when they said this would be a game changer for Sidley and the wider area.

It is absolutely incredible that we have managed to secure the levelling up funding to see this project through especially in the current financial circumstances, and it is an absolute testament to the Rother officers, to Huw Merriman and his team to the De La Warr pavilion and to the Heart of Sidley for the incredible effort that they have put into bidding for this funding and developing this plan which is the perfect scheme to make best use of every single penny.

This project is community led – Heart of Sidley have been leading this project every single step of the way and I think that shows in the comprehensive design that is before you.

As the report says, this will be a vast improvement to the rundown changing rooms that are there currently, and this project goes beyond just changing rooms too.

Having changing places right next to a play park makes total sense. To actually have toilets on the rec will be a great improvement, especially for those with disabilities and those with young children.

The cafe and kitchen will not only provide a great facility for users of the recreation ground to grab a bite to eat, to stay hydrated and to socialise in a safe environment, but it also provides local jobs.

The hireable spaces are so needed in our community. Sidley doesn’t have the hireable spaces we need and I get so many organisations who want to put on events or classes here but can’t find the space to do it.

Its great to see car parking included. The roadside parking in Canada way is an issue especially when there are events on, so having a car park there will address those issues especially if it’s combined with County’s plans to double yellow parts of Canada way.

And more holistically, I feel it’s important to stress how fundamentally brilliant this planning application is because this is not just policy compliant, this is not just the bare minimum, this is an absolutely exemplary application.

The use of local materials

The architecture inspired by the De La Warr

Even things like the cafe windows overlooking the play area to enhance child safety

Or the lift to ensure accessibility to the first floor

All of these things have been thoroughly considered and it makes this application almost impossible in my view to say no to

I think this plan is ambitious in its alignment with our climate strategies

solar panels

air source heat pumps

EV charge points

lower carbon construction methods

All of the things that this committee press on developers time and time again to try and get right, and here we have a scheme which exemplifies exactly what is needed in that area.

This also goes above and beyond with biodiversity net gain requirements too.

Combined with the skateboard and BMX park, plus the improvements to St Marys Rec, this will solidify Sidley’s new era as a destination for recreation.

This project is designed by the community for the community, and funding like this doesn’t come about every day, so I hope this committee will see it sail through, thank you.”

 

You can watch Cllr Coleman delivering his speech here : https://www.facebook.com/share/v/eBNXprrE4zBiw6CK/