Hailsham Queers was founded in 2023 to provide a social network for LGBT+ people in one of the more rural parts of East Sussex.
We currently have members located throughout Hailsham District and Eastbourne, so naturally the majority of our meetups occur within the local area although we do occasionally travel outside.
Some of our previous activities have included cinema and art gallery trips, coffee outings, festivals, countryside walks, stargazing, pottery painting, guided fossil hunts, various open days, karaoke, and even a fun afternoon in the kids area at Middle Farm! We occasionally visit other local queer spaces such as the Bourne Out cafe and The Hart pub. Follow our socials to see what we're up to next near you.
Our founder, Vic (pronouns: xe/hir), moved to the Hailsham area from West London in 2016. During the COVID-19 pandemic, xe had time to investigate local opportunities for socialising and realised that there were very few options for queer people in the Hailsham District without easy access to Brighton and Eastbourne. Vic decided to change that as soon as time and money allowed, and Hailsham Queers was born at the end of July 2023!
Amongst other things, Vic is passionate about promoting positive mental health practises within the LGBT+ community, especially given the current political climate. Xe is a fully trained Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) with considerable experience dealing with issues commonly faced by queer people.
1. Be respectful of everyone's lived experiences. We will not tolerate any less, and any reports of negative experiences will be taken very seriously so we can ensure all members feel safe.
2. New members will only be added to the WhatsApp chat when they have attended an event in person. Again, we need to put the safety of our members above all else.
3. Be prepared to take part! The whole point of a social group is to meet people, hence why we don't host online events. We would absolutely love to receive suggestions for meetups or invitations to join others.
