Charlotte Craig

We have beaten our Christmas fundraising target to raise £34,612 for First Base, our day centre we run for people facing homelessness in Brighton and Hove. The money was raised thanks to generous support from individuals, businesses and community partners. First Base provides practical essentials such as hot food, showers and clean dry clothes, alongside in-depth advice and support to move people away from homelessness for good. It acts as a hub for different partners in the city and offers a range of support services, from physical and mental health support to help with securing qualifications and employment. The most … Read more

We have recently welcomed two new members to our Board of Trustees, Mary Davies and Lee Davies, who replaced two members who decided to leave us at the end of 2023. Mary and Lee will be continuing the important work of the Board, who are ultimately responsible for ensuring that everything BHT Sussex does is effective, efficient and fulfils our statutory responsibilities. After beginning the recruitment process back in August, Mary and Lee were announced as the chosen candidates to join the board in November. The process included discussion panels with current BHT Sussex clients and tenants, who offered valuable … Read more

Our 2023 Christmas appeal film has been released. The film was made to support our annual Christmas campaign, which raises money for First Base, our day centre providing practical support and advice to get people off the streets. As usual, the film was kindly donated by Big Egg Films, who work with us every year. This year’s film highlights the story of a real client that First Base helped move away from rough sleeping and into accommodation. You can watch the film below, and share our social media posts about it on Twitter/X, Instagram and Facebook. As mentioned in the … Read more

Today marks World Homeless Day, an internationally recognised day which happens annually on 10th October. The purpose of this day is to draw attention to the needs of people who experience homelessness locally and highlight the issue on a global scale. Today also marks World Mental Health Day, which emphasises the importance of treating mental health on par with physical health; they are both equally important. At BHT Sussex, we are well known for our work with homelessness, but we also centre much of our work on the mental health of our clients. It is therefore important for us to … Read more

The annual Brighton and Hastings Legal Walks took place over the past 2 weeks in September and raised much needed funds for local advice services in Brighton and Hastings. These include Citizen’s Advice, Money Advice Plus, Possibility People, BHT Sussex’s Advice Centres and Hastings Advice and Representation Centre. With many people affected by the Cost-of-Living Crisis and rising housing costs, these services are currently in huge demand. The Legal Walks are organised by London Legal Support Trust which supports law centres and legal advice agencies in London and the Southeast. Our Advice Centre staff walked their 10km in solidarity with … Read more

BHT Sussex recently welcomed our friend and long-time supporter Caroline Lucas, as well as her colleague Liz Collis, to our office, where the two met with David Chaffey, our Chief Executive Officer, and Daniel O’Connell, Head of HR and Learning & Development. Caroline engaged in a wide-ranging discussion about housing and homelessness, mental health, the role of the police, government policy, environmental issues, and housing advice. Caroline also championed the wonderful work our staff do across the organisation. As a dedicated supporter of BHT Sussex, Caroline continues to lobby for our Make Work Pay for Everyone campaign, and also recently … Read more

More than one hundred people attended our popular ‘Getting Ready for Work’ event which took place at the Friends Meeting House in Brighton last week. Our Accommodation for Work project organise the popular event annually. The event brings together local work and learning providers who offer a range of therapeutic, learning, and work-related opportunities to clients, tenants and keyworkers of homeless services in the city. Providers at the event offered a wide range of opportunities, including volunteering, work placements and internships, further education, careers advice and vocational training. BHT Sussex’s own Work Placement Programme and Employability and Skills Placement Programme … Read more

Clients in our Addiction Services were recently surprised with a visit from Norman Cook, AKA Fatboy Slim. Norman gave a talk to the clients about his own journey of recovery and how this has impacted his life and work. He also held a Q&A session, took photos with clients and had an informal chat to everyone. Staff noted how accommodating and humble he was throughout the session. The clients found the visit motivating, engaging and meaningful, offering the following feedback: I’ve got big respect for him coming over and talking to us, especially as he’s that famous and must be … Read more

BHT Sussex offered its support to the nationwide Baton of Hope relay and subsequent Evening of Hope at the Brighton Dome on Wednesday night. The Baton of Hope initiative is the UK’s biggest suicide prevention campaign, aiming to raise awareness and open conversations about suicide and suicide prevention. The baton set off from Glasgow in June and arrived in Brighton on Wednesday, finishing at Downing Street on Thursday. Joan Riddell, BHT Sussex’s HR Manager, was one of Brighton’s baton carriers, and had this to say about the experience: I was delighted and honoured to have been part of the Baton … Read more

More than 55,000 volunteers will ‘repair the world’ this November, as the theme for the UK’s largest faith-based day of social action was announced. The details of Mitzvah Day 2023 were revealed at a launch event last Thursday in Brighton attended by faith and community leaders, and charity partner BHT Sussex. Mitzvah Day Founder and Chair Laura Marks CBE told those gathered: Tikkun olam, the Jewish value to repair the world, is integral to all faiths and belief systems. That is why this year we aim to give our time, collectively, to address the human inflicted damage both on vulnerable … Read more