The Bexhill Family Collective

The Bexhill Family Collective was established in August 2020 to address the closure of nurseries and children's centres in Bexhill. In March 2021, we opened Dragonflies Community Nursery on the site of Rainbow Childcare Centre, which had shut down in December 2020. During the first few months of engaging with the local community, we became aware of how the pandemic and the current cost of living crisis were affecting the residents of Bexhill and Rother. The Bexhill Family Collective CIC now strives to address the needs of local people with the goal of providing access to work, education, and leisure that will enable them to lead fulfilling lives in the future.

PROJECTS

Collective Garden

A NEW COMMUNITY GREEN SPACE

Situated off Watermill lane, within Preston Road Outdoors, The Collective Garden provides opportunity for local people to grow fruit and vegetables whilst accessing a range of wellbeing, community and family activities. Our garden is in the early stages of development, with a dedicated group of volunteers who are always looking for new people to help us to grow and expand.

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Community Pantry

HELP US TO PREVENT FOOD WASTE

From January 2025 we are excited to announce that our Community Pantry will move to a larger and more accessible venue. We will be operating from the Sidley Family Hub on Wednesday mornings from 10am. We purchase food in bulk and also collect food that would otherwise go to landfill, and redistribute from our community pantry. As of December 2024, we have served the equivalent of 95,417 meals and saved 117,106kg in CO2. We accept donations on Wednesday mornings between 9am and 10am of ambient products e.g. tins and packets. Unfortunately we cannot accept refrigerated or frozen goods.

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Outdoor Adventures

FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN UNDER 5

Our outdoor adventurer sessions are designed to instil a love of the great outdoors, teach respect for the environment and increase an inner knowledge that happiness is not reliant on a sunny day! Our sessions meet at The Collective Garden, but the content changes along with the seasonal offerings, cultural celebrations and what tasks are on offer within the garden.
The sessions are open to families with children under 5 years and those home educating. Our sessions are led by a Forest School Leader. Sessions will start in February 2025, charged at £4 a family and you can register you interest below.

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Craft, Coffee & Cake

AN INFORMAL SESSION FOR ADULTS

Our Craft, coffee and Cake sessions run Friday afternoons 12.30-2.30pm from the Sidley Family Hub. The sessions are a friendly group where we ask people to share their skills for attendees to learn new skills. Some people take part in new activities, whilst others bring along their current craft project and enjoy spending time with like minded people. We ask for a £2 donation toward the cost of running these sessions, but a contribution is not mandatory to attend. Cake donations also welcome.

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Holiday & Food Project

KIDS ACTIVITIES DURING SCHOOL BREAKS

We have been working with Heart of Sidley since August 2021 to provide School holiday activities. Our work is focused on children aged 5-8 years old, however, Heart of Sidley provides activities for older children. Spaces are widely advertised on The Bexhill Family Collective and Heart of Sidley Facebook pages.

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Dragonflies Nursery

Dragonflies Community Nursery is a community run nursery providing Early Years education with focus on developing young minds who will become future achievers. The staff team are passionate and dedicated practitioners who provide a safe, nurturing, happy and stimulating environment where children can play, explore, and experiment to become confident, inquisitive, and capable learners.

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