A huge thank you to our amazing volunteers this past weekend for their incredible efforts in rescuing a fantastic amount of food!

One standout moment was saving over 20 crates of oranges from a single store.

Thanks to the collaboration of our partner stores and the dedication of our volunteers, an incredible 1,575 oranges—weighing approximately 189kg—were rescued and redistributed, equating to £406.35 worth of surplus food!

The last few bags of oranges were distributed at our Community Pantry today!

To help us continue making food rescues like this possible, please consider making a monthly donation. Just £10 a month could help cover fuel costs for our surplus food collections, ensuring more good food reaches those who need it.

Every contribution makes a real difference—fighting waste, feeding the community, and protecting the environment.

Donate here: https://localgiving.org/charity/havenscommunityhub

#FoodRescue #CommunityImpact #Donation #FoodWastePrevention

On Sunday, 9th February 2025, Havens Community Hub was featured on BBC Politics South East, shining a spotlight on the vital role of volunteers and the charities that serve as a safety net for our communities.

The segment, filmed by journalist Marcella Whittingdale, highlighted the incredible work of the Hub’s projects, including:
Havens Connections Café– a space for social connection and support
Havens Food Cooperative– a food waste prevention initiative tackling food insecurity
Havens Happy Clubs– a support service for older adults
Havens Community Cars– a volunteer-led transport service

A Call for Greater Support for the Voluntary Sector

During the broadcast, an important discussion unfolded about the crucial role of voluntary organisations and how local and national authorities could do more to support them. The segment emphasised that:

·        These initiatives are lifelines for individuals and families, providing essential services like food access, social opportunities, and transport.

·        Their success is powered by dedicated volunteers who give their time and energy to make a difference.

·        Despite their impact, many causes struggle with funding and resources, making long-term sustainability a challenge.

The “Upside-Down” Approach to Community Development

Paula Woolven, Founder and CEO of Havens Community Hub, spoke about the Hub’s unique “upside-down” method of community development. Unlike traditional top-down approaches, the Hub starts by identifying real needs within the community before developing innovative, sustainable initiatives to address them.

This approach ensures that every project is rooted in genuine community demand, creating long-lasting solutions that truly make a difference. The BBC South East feature showcased how this grassroots model has successfully shaped essential local services, demonstrating the power of people-led change in the Havens area, East Sussex.

To watch the segment visit: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m000dk0t/politics-south-east

To get involved with the Hub and its projects view: https://www.havenscommunityhub.co.uk/ or contact havenscommunityhub@gmail.com

A heartfelt thank you to the Sussex Association of Bonfire & Carnival Societies for hosting their annual Carol Service each December. Each year, a different bonfire society takes on the role of chairing the service, and for Christmas 2024, this went to South Heighton Bonfire Society. The chairing society selects local causes to receive the church collection, and we were delighted and grateful that they chose Havens Community Hub for this event. We truly appreciate their support and generosity.

Havens Food Cooperative Manager Rebecca and Founder and CEO of the Hub Paula were delighted to be invited to present at the Seaford Women's Probus lunch last week.

They had a great time meeting members of the club and networking with community members.

If you have a group that would like to know more about the Hub and our community projects please get in touch at havenscommunityhub@gmail.com or 01273 918226.

We have been shortlisted as a finalist for the Pride of Britain Fund!

We need your votes to help our charity receive funding. Use the following link to vote:

https://data.reachplc.com/250124925273049

Just follow the link below > select South East > scroll down and find our project ‘Havens Food Cooperative’ > accept the T&Cs > submit your vote

Thank you for your support!

The children at Kimmy’s Nursery had an arts and crafts session and made some beautiful butterfly paintings to display and raise funds for our community café! 🦋✨

Each artwork is a burst of creativity and colour, and they’re now proudly exhibited for everyone to enjoy. Parents and Carers of Children were invited to the Café for a private art viewing and could purchase the framed paintings, with all funds raised in aid of the Havens Connections Cafe’s pay it forward scheme.

Pop by, and enjoy coffee and cake in the café with the lovely artwork on display! 💚🎨

To see more about our Pay it Forward Scheme or make a donation please visit: https://localgiving.org/fundraising/payitforwardcafe

#CommunityArt #Kimmy’sNursery #HavensCommunityHub

Quiz Mistress Deborah Lennard brought everyone together for a fantastic charity quiz night at the EBM Centre in Peacehaven last Friday, raising over £300 for Havens Community Hub projects. With seven teams ready to compete, the 'Cornish Pasties' took home the trophy, closely followed by the 'Blue Whales' in second place.

The evening was filled with laughter and great food, and drinks from Paul Margo of the EBM Centre in Peacehaven. The money raised will go toward some amazing initiatives, like the Havens Food Cooperative which helps reduce food waste by redistributing it, and the Havens Connections Café that runs a pay it forward scheme for people to access hot meals and drinks.

Paula Woolven, the CEO and Founder of Havens Community Hub, expressed her heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated and supported the event. She highlighted how the funds will make a real difference in the community through the Hub’s projects.

https://localgiving.org/charity/havenscommunityhub

Havens Food Cooperative were delighted to visit the House of Lords, invited by Fareshare Sussex and Surrey at their event celebrating their growth and expansion over the past year.

Havens Food Cooperative partner with Fareshare to prevent food waste across the community, receiving donations from their warehouse and also collecting from slots on their foodiverse surplus food collection system. Havens Food Cooperative had an excellent evening attending this event which bought together, key partners from the food industry, peers, and MPs, in one of the most iconic and inspiring venues.

Havens Connections Café had an amazing delivery of surplus flowers from the Havens Food Cooperative Project this week, all collected from local stores as part of their waste-prevention initiative.

The blooms were perfect for decorating the Café, brightening up the tables, and chasing the January blues away with an array of different colours!

#Warmwelcomeweek #Warmspace #communitycafe

The EBM Centre in Peacehaven are hosting a quiz night in aid of Havens Community Hub and its projects, on Friday 31st January from 7pm!

Book your tickets now for a fun evening of trivia:

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/morgwyns.../t-norjmrg

Havens Food Cooperative were very grateful to receive a big donation of seasonal surplus stock this week from Tates Garden Centre (Paradise Park), Newhaven.

We would like to say a huge thank you to the team at for their donation of treats that we have been able to redistribute this week to many of our Pop Up Pantry locations and supported groups! Surplus food provided was redistributed to the Deans Senior Tea Club, the Havens Connections Café and more, preventing waste and supporting the community!

The volunteers at the Havens Food Cooperative could put the elves to shame with the amount of dedication they showed over the Christmas and New Year period. Taking on extra routes and facing colder evenings but still delivering support and care with a smile. Thank you to everyone who supported us and continues to help us make a positive impact in our community, fighting waste and feeding the community together.

Over the Christmas period we were privileged to have a visit from Kimmy’s Nursery just down the hall from us! The children spent the afternoon making us some fantastic salt dough decorations for the Christmas Tree in the Café and they decorated the tree spectacularly! We finished the afternoon of crafting off with a delicious Christmas Dinner enjoyed by everyone!

We were lucky to have some of the crew join us from Good Morning Britain and record our Havens Connections Cafe as a local warm hub in Newhaven. Here are some behind the scenes from our busy morning, or you can catch up on this mornings episode at: https://www.itv.com/goodmorningbritain (8th January 2025.)

The 20th January-24th we will be partaking in #warmwelcomeweek and offering free teas and coffees between 10am-12pm to welcome new visitors to our community café in this cold time of year, so do come and visit us, whether you are just looking for a cuppa and a change of scenery or actively seeking support we're here to welcome all.

Warm Welcome Week starts on Blue Monday, running from Monday 20 January to Sunday 26 January 2025 and Havens Connections Café are getting involved!

For too many people, January is the coldest, loneliest, and most challenging time of the year—in recent years, the phrase ‘Blue Monday’ has been adopted to describe the month’s lowest point. As well as taking its toll on mental health, this long, dark month can be financially difficult, and many households face the stark choice between heating  and eating.

This January, we’re joining with the Warm Spaces Community and taking ‘Blue Monday’ back by giving it a colourful makeover. Everyone is invited to embrace a warming palette—whether you simply pop on an old orange bobble hat or jumper, together we will chase away the blues this winter.

We are chasing the blues away with a kaleidoscope of orange, red, purple, and pink and creating a surge of warmth and positivity in the coldest week of the coldest month.

Havens Connections Café is a registered Warm Welcome Space and Warm Welcome Spaces are inclusive spaces where people of all cultures,  backgrounds, needs, and faiths can come together as one community. Together, we  can reduce isolation and loneliness and create a sense of belonging.

To celebrate Warm Welcome Week we will have free teas and coffees available between 10am-12pm Monday 20th January-Friday 24th January, at the Café so come and join us for a cuppa, the kettle is always on.

#WarmWelcomeWeek #WarmWelcomeSpace

Exciting news!

Community volunteers, Katherine Kenway and Paula Woolven, are hosting weekly prize bingo afternoons from 3pm at the Havens Connections Café in the Hillcrest Community Centre, Bay Vue Road, Newhaven, starting Monday, January 6th.

All proceeds will be donated to the cafe's Pay-It-Forward scheme, which allows cafe users to 'pay as they feel' if they are experiencing difficult situations or receive home-cooked refreshments free.

The fun starts at 3 pm, with doors opening at 2.30 pm to purchase refreshments.

Tickets must be pre-booked due to limited space at https://bit.ly/havensbingo

To donate to the Pay-It-Forward scheme, please see: https://localgiving.org/fundraising/payitforwardcafe 

This weekend we hosted an End of Year Celebration Party to honor the incredible volunteers who support Havens Community Hub's the projects all throughout the year. From delicious food and laughter to sharing stories of the impact you've all made this year, it was a night to remember!

Your dedication, kindness, and hard work continue to inspire us and make such a difference in our community. Thank you for everything you do!

Here’s to another amazing year ahead!

Havens Community Hub's Current Projects: Havens Food Cooperative Havens Connections Cafe Havens Support & Volunteer Hub

Havens Community Hub's Legacy Charities: Havens Community Cars CIO Havens Happy Clubs

This December Havens Community Hub, got to be part of the Lidl Toy Bank Scheme.

We received and redistributed over 100 toys through this scheme and were able to support several families and the Seahaven Baby Bank with donations of toys in the festive period.

Thank you for everyone that was involved, to those that donated a toy in store, for the amazing staff at Newhaven Lidl for facilitating the donation point and the wonderful volunteers who collected and distributed the toys this month.💚

Havens Food Cooperative are pleased to share that the Community Pantry based in Thompson Road, Denton, will still be open daily throughout the Christmas and New Year period.

In previous years we have seen huge amounts of surplus bread and veg available over the festive period so we invite visitors to check in at the Pantry and take what they can to help prevent food waste in our community!

Our Pantry opens from 9am daily, until supply lasts!

On Tuesday we had the CTLA in to Havens Connections Cafe for their Travel Club’s Christmas Lunch! A two course Christmas meal with all the trimmings was enjoyed by 21 people!

There’s still time to book your Christmas meal at the Cafe- just contact havensconnectionscafe@gmail.com for a menu and more information.