The Mayor's Civic Harvest Festival is at Emmanuel Church at 10.30am on Sunday 4 October. Bring tinned or dried food, or drop it at the Town Hall by 2 October.

The Mayor of Eastbourne’s Civic Harvest Festival is on Sunday 4 October at 10.30am, at Emmanuel Church on Upperton Road, and anyone can go. Guests are asked to be seated by 10.15am.

The practical part is the food. Everything brought on the day goes to Matthew 25 Mission, the Eastbourne charity that works with people facing homelessness, addiction and mental ill health from Brodie Hall on Seaside.

If you cannot get there, you can still give. Food and donations can be left at the Town Hall on Grove Road, marked for the Mayor’s Office, by Friday 2 October. That is the deadline, two days before the service.

What to bring

The Mayor’s office has asked for non-perishable food only:

  • dried goods
  • canned goods
  • non-refrigerated dairy products

There is also a retiring collection at the service for the Mayor’s two chosen charities. Cheques should be made payable to The Mayor of Eastbourne’s Charity. The Mayor’s Office can be reached on 01323 415020.

Two panels. By Friday 2 October, leave non-perishable food or a donation at Eastbourne Town Hall on Grove Road, marked for the Mayor's Office. On Sunday 4 October at 10.30am, bring food to the service at Emmanuel Church, 48A Upperton Road, seated by 10.15am. All food goes to Matthew 25 Mission and the retiring collection is shared with SASBAH
Graphic by Eastbourne Live. Source: Eastbourne Borough Council.

Councillor Margaret Bannister, who has been Mayor since 20 May and whose term runs to 26 May 2027, said: “Harvest Festival is a wonderful opportunity to come together as a community, give thanks for what we have and support those who need a helping hand.”

The two charities

The Mayor picks the charities she supports for her year in office. Councillor Bannister chose two, both with Eastbourne addresses.

Matthew 25 Mission is a registered charity, number 1163389, based at Brodie Hall on Seaside, BN22 7NN. It takes its name from a verse in Matthew’s gospel and says it was founded on Christian values with an inclusive culture that welcomes anyone of any faith, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. Its own account of what it does is built round four things: a kitchen where guests can also pick up food preparation and hygiene experience, keyworkers who help with food, clothing, housing, addiction and mental health, a charity shop opposite Brodie Hall that doubles as a route into volunteering, and an outreach project that acts as an advocate with other agencies.

SASBAH, the Sussex Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, is registered charity number 1175032 and works from 39 Church Street, Eastbourne. It was founded in 1965 and says it has more than 50 years of supporting people with spina bifida, hydrocephalus and related conditions across Sussex, through advisers, support groups, respite for carers and residential breaks for children and young people.

Food collected on 4 October goes to Matthew 25 Mission specifically. The retiring collection is split between both.

Getting there, and getting in

Emmanuel Church is at 48A Upperton Road, BN21 1LQ, a Methodist and United Reformed partnership formed when four congregations came together: Central and Greenfield Methodist, and St Andrew’s and Upperton United Reformed.

A few things the council’s announcement does not say, from the church’s own pages:

  • Sunday morning worship is normally at 10.30am, so the Mayor’s service sits in the regular slot rather than replacing it.
  • Morning services are live streamed on the church website and on YouTube, so anyone who cannot attend can still watch.
  • The aisles are wide and seating can be moved for wheelchairs. Ask a steward on arrival.
  • There is a creche at the rear of the sanctuary where you can still see and hear the service.
  • The camera sits at the rear centre of the sanctuary. If you would rather not appear on the stream, sit in the back three rows.
  • There is no dress code.

Tea, coffee and cake are served afterwards.

One thing to check before you drive

Both addresses in this story sit on roads that are currently inside live closure orders, and it is worth ten seconds before you set off.

Upperton Road is the A259, and a traffic order that commenced on 21 September closes Hartfield Road from its junction with Upperton Road, along with Grove Road and Southfields Road, for the station area bus scheme. The Town Hall is on Grove Road, which is inside the same order, with works anticipated as far ahead as 22 February 2027.

Neither road is shut for the whole of that window, and no phasing plan has been published, which is exactly why it is worth checking. The current position, with every diversion route, is on our Eastbourne roadworks and travel page.

What it means for you

If you want to help and cannot spare a Sunday morning, the Town Hall drop-off by Friday 2 October is the simplest route, and it is the bit most likely to be missed. Tinned and dried food, nothing that needs a fridge.

If you are going to the service, arrive by 10.15am, bring a tin, and expect to be there about an hour.

If you want to give to Matthew 25 Mission at other times of the year, the charity runs its own shop opposite Brodie Hall on Seaside and takes volunteers there as well as in the mission itself.

More of what is on in the town over the coming weeks is on things to do in Eastbourne.

Sources