Hastings Borough Council (HBC) together with a range of voluntary organisations and partners from the local community has developed a community hub to help residents in need of support during the Covid-19 crisis.

Those who do not have family or local support at hand and those who are self-isolating because they have the virus or have symptoms of it can contact HBC to be registered and the council will then triage them in terms of need and support required. In some cases either the council or community partners will be able to directly help them through volunteers, in other cases the support will be provided by other agencies.

Residents, or their friends, family or carers, can contact the council through its website, www.hastings.gov.uk, or call the council on a special helpline 01424 451019 which is open 9am – 5pm Monday – Thursday and 9am – 4.30pm on Friday. It is also open this weekend from 10am – 4 pm. 

Council leader Councillor Kim Forward says: “A lot of people have worked incredibly hard over the last three days to set up this community hub, really going above and beyond to ensure that those who need our help most will get it. I am very grateful to them, our partners Hastings Voluntary Action (HVA), HEART (Hastings Emergency Action Response Team), Hastings & St Leonards Neighbourhood Watch, Hastings Foodbank, Heart of Hastings, East Sussex County Council, the NHS, the RSA and the many other organisations who are helping with this vitally important scheme.” 

Steve Manwaring, director of HVA, added: “In these unprecedented times we have to look after the most vulnerable in our community. We are delighted to be working with HBC on this project, which we have set up just this week. We will also be working with many other local organisations to help provide this service, which shows Hastings at its very best – it’s great to see the local community coming together to help those most at risk.”