Haven Young Creatives receives £5k funding from Newhaven Enterprise Zone

An arts charity in Newhaven which provides free drama workshops for children and young people has received nearly £5,000 from Newhaven Enterprise Zone’s Community Fund to employ an early years artist.

Haven Young Creatives will use the funding to provide extra support to children with additional needs during its weekly term time drama classes which take place in The Hillcrest Centre.

Newhaven community groups are urged to apply for support from the Community Fund by Friday 9 May 2025, as a total of £26,000 is still available. 

Corinne Day, programme director at Newhaven Enterprise Zone said: “We are so pleased to be able to help Haven Young Creatives to enhance their drama classes which enrich the lives of children and young people in the town. 

“We’re also asking community groups to apply for support from the Community Fund next year. Newhaven has so many groups which work tirelessly to make the town a better place to live and we’re looking forward to lending a helping hand in 2025.”

Haven Young Creatives is a charity which works with children, young people and adults, running regular drama sessions, designing work experience programmes and producing community outdoor arts events such as Harbour Lights. 

Run by Siou Hannam and Bex Milner, who have a wealth of experience in participatory arts, the group was set up to give Newhaven free access to high quality arts. 

Haven Young Creatives co-artistic director Bex said: “The money from Newhaven Enterprise Zone will enable us to employ an early years artist to be an assistant facilitator for our weekly drama groups. 

“They will play a vital role in supporting children and young people who have additional needs and will be trained to use our methodology. 

“This money will be vital to the growth of our organisation and how we work with children and young people with additional needs.”

The group runs weekly drama sessions every Tuesday during term time at The Hillcrest Centre in Newhaven from 4pm - 5.30pm for children aged 8-12, and from 5.45pm - 7.45pm for young people aged 13-19. 

Haven Young Creatives relies exclusively on funding which comes from sources such as Lottery Award for All, BN9, the Arts Council, Chalk Cliff Trust and Newhaven Town Council. 

The drama classes help children and young people to build confidence, self-esteem and resilience, giving them a space away from the pressures of school and the outside world. 

Groups in Newhaven which are invited to apply to the Community Fund, include those which create opportunities for training, education, employment and enterprise, improve life skills, employability and develop aspirations, improve the quality of the local environment and shared public space, enhance shared community assets and resources, encourage the use of sustainable transport and promote and deliver initiatives for improved quality of life, including health and wellbeing.

They should apply via the Sussex Community Foundation which manages the fund on behalf of the Enterprise Zone. 

For more information, please visit: https://sussexcommunityfoundation.org/newhaven-ez-fund/

For more information about Haven Young Creatives please visit: https://www.havenyoungcreatives.com/

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Editors notes

About Newhaven Enterprise Zone: 

Newhaven Enterprise Zone’s mission is to transform Newhaven into a thriving business destination by 2030, with a repurposed town centre, to support growth sectors and boost the economy.

Its current investment plan includes seven key initiatives, including new grant programmes to drive productivity, business growth and investment, helping to create sustainable, inclusive jobs that benefit the entire community.

https://newhavenenterprisezone.com/ 

About Sussex Community Foundation: 

Sussex Community Foundation is a registered charity that exists to make Sussex a fairer and more equal place. We do this by enabling local people to support local causes, making grants to small charities and voluntary groups working in communities across Sussex. 

We bring together people who are passionate about creating lasting, local change and offer expert local philanthropy advice. Whether philanthropists and investors or charity founders and volunteers we help them do more together than they ever could on their own.

https://sussexcommunityfoundation.org/