Info Hub Official Launch

HEART were really pleased to officially launch The Community Info Hub last Thursday evening. What a brilliant mix of people it was! Movers and shakers, volunteers, trustees, supporters, partners in crime – the list goes on… The room was alive with chatter as people networked, laughed, and tried to eat canapes gracefully (not always successfully – you know who you are).

The Community Info Hub has really grown over the last 11 months. The pilot “mini” hub started in the side room of the Town Hall funded by the local Primary Care Network where we learnt what was really needed by the community and how to deliver it. Then we expanded into taking the whole space on, refurbishing it with the help of our volunteers and some fundraising, into the warm, clean, and welcoming space it is now. You’re never more than two meters away from a plant.

After taking control of the unruly mob, the speeches were started by co-founder of HEART Kim who took everyone through a digital slide display (are you still with me?) about what the hub does. The cat slide at the end probably got the most attention. The audience seemed suitably impressed by the achievements of the hub so far, giving us a huge round of applause and were able to laugh at Kim’s sad tale of her broken plastic trumpet that she couldn’t use to blow her own trumpet.

We then had a speech by Steve Manwaring from Hastings Voluntary Action who have been big supporters of HEART from the beginning, even when we were sat round a table trying to work out how we were going to put a team together to help people through the pandemic.

Next up was a speech by Kim Debling from The National Lottery, who was delighted to announce the £119,000 Community Fund that has been awarded to HEART and presented it to us on a great, big, silly sized cheque.

There were many thank yous to all the organisations that have supported HEART and getting the Community Info Hub up and running which included Citizens Advice 1066, Hastings Borough Council, Eggtooth and Tech Resort. This led seamlessly to saying thank you to all our excellent volunteers, (yes you lot) and then the all-important cutting of the ribbon by Alison and Mandy, two of our brilliant Info Hub volunteers.

There were two more special thank yous. Firstly, to the other co-founder of HEART and fundraiser extraordinaire, Alastair Fairley, who couldn’t be at the launch and was hugely missed. And secondly, to the amazing Community Info Hub Manager - Maria, who is an integral, star performer of the HEART team, if you ever get to have a chat with Maria, your day will be better.

And just one final mention to Lisa, Pamela, Angela, Callum and Dave who helped us enormously with the event and washing up all those glasses!