Who are we?
Community+ (previously St Leonards Community group) has been involved in various activities in the St Leonards area since 2011.
Initiated by a small group from King’s Church 1066, we have always been passionate about combining creativity with community.
Running craft & games evenings open to people of all ages and abilities, we have a lot of fun together exploring creativity through a variety of art and craft projects.
Some of the crafts made started to attract sales and the money was donated to St Michael’s Hospice, this in turn led to having a craft stall at the Hospice monthly coffee mornings. Since then we have attended many local fundraising events over the years selling our handmade craft items, along with a wide variety being available at the Tourist Information and Hastings Museum shops.
In 2018 the group reached a milestone and had raised £10,000 for St Michael’s Hospice. This was in addition to the amounts raised for other charities, such as Mulberry House, the Parchment Trust, an orphanage in South Africa, Hastings Foodbank and Baby Basics.
St Michael’s Hospice Community Fundraiser went along to meet the group and learn more about their fundraising.
“It has been fantastic to come along and see such community spirit in this very special group. Meeting the members and hearing their reason for joining the group has been really humbling. I have met members who have worked at the Hospice as part of our Hospice at Home team and some members have lost someone close to them at the Hospice and wanted to continue to support us. Some of the members are here for the friendships and company they have gained from attending.”
“It is clear when you attend the groups they are not just about crafts, but also about caring for the wider community. It is easy to see why so many people are keen to be involved”
Prior to the pandemic we were running two community based craft groups and a knitting group for all abilities – the main purpose of which was to build friendships and work together in the community.
Due to the current restrictions, we have had to pause the groups for the time being, with some of our members continuing to make craft items from home. During the first lockdown we joined with St Leonards makers to help make ppe which was supplied to our NHS and key workers. We have also made and sold hundreds of facemasks with a range of unique designs.
We are hoping that as restrictions ease, we can begin to meet together again in small groups.
For now, we are limited to selling online, and are very appreciative of all the support and sales we have achieved so far!
