At Monday’s Rye Town Council meeting, two organisations requested support from the grant fund, designed to support activities with direct benefits for Rye. Funding is severely limited this year, with only £5,829 available to be allocated.
Two applications were reviewed:
- One (for £1,400) from a Sussex family support charity seeking funding to sustain their family support service in Rye. Over the next 12 months, Family Support Work (FSW) plan to provide intensive, personalised support to 15–20 highly vulnerable families, benefiting around 80 children, parents, and carers.
- The second application (for £2,000) was requested to enhance the annual Pirates Day, which had its first, very successful, event last year. The organisers are planning to considerably expand the event in 2026 with a strong focus on family and child oriented activities. This year the event is scheduled to take place on 8 August.
Councillors Boyd and Hughes both expressed strong support for the family support application, referring to the excellent work they do and praising the open ended support that they provide. The grant was then unanimously approved.
The discussion on Pirates Day was more complicated. Representatives from the organisers explained their desire to build on the success of the first year. Their intent is to extend the activities, while at the same time making sure that that all necessary support services were in place to ensure a professionally organised and safe experience for participants. Funding is also being sought from donors but they are reluctant to introduce entry charging, feeling that a free family event was much more appropriate.
While many councillors expressed high levels of support for the event itself, and commented how successful the first year had been, some concerns were raised as to whether it was appropriate for taxpayers’ money to be used to support this type of activity, rather than through donors and self-financing. Questions were raised on the financial plan and some concerns raised that a charitable structure had not been adopted by the organisers. Councillor Thorpe also mentioned the timing, and wondered if an event later in the year would better benefit the town. However, the overall view was that the event had shown benefit to the town and the organisers were advised to continue fundraising and then return to the council if a small shortfall in funding remained to see if a small “top up” grant could be provided.
On hearing about the grant award Gemma Cannon-Arthurs, grants manager at FSW told Rye News, “We are incredibly grateful to Rye Town Council for recognising the challenges facing local families and investing in support that makes a real difference. This funding will help us provide both practical help and positive experiences for children and parents who are often dealing with significant financial and emotional pressures. The grant will enable us to continue supporting vulnerable families while also giving children opportunities to enjoy activities such as climbing, sailing and trampolining, creating positive memories, building confidence and improving wellbeing. At the same time, it will help us provide emergency food and fuel support to families facing crisis situations.”
Family Support Work (FSW) is a Sussex charity that provides practical and emotional support to families facing challenges including poor mental health, financial hardship, isolation, domestic abuse and substance misuse. A team of 15 practitioners works directly with children and parents in their homes, often over extended periods, building trusted relationships and delivering tailored support that helps families create lasting positive change. Alongside this intensive family support, FSW provide a wide range of community services designed to reduce isolation and improve wellbeing. All of their services are provided free of charge. For more information on FSW click here.
Image Credits: Kt bruce .