Hailsham community art project progressing well, but more sponsorship needed

A project involving the installation of pieces of community art on the inside panels of the Eastwell Place bridge, located near Hailsham town centre, is progressing well although people are still being invited to take part by sponsoring one of the panels.

Hailsham Town Council is part-funding the new community art project being carried out by the Hailsham Festival Committee and is providing £1,200 from its Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) fund towards the initiative.

Eastwell Place bridge, an old railway line single-level linear footbridge completed in 1913 and spanning the Cuckoo Trail, is a well-used route linking the town centre with the western and southern wards of the town. Having been subject to graffiti over the years, the bridge has since been cleared of the graffiti and, in order to prevent cases from happening again, the Hailsham Festival Committee is undertaking a community arts project involving all of the panels on the inside of the bridge being painted with designs submitted by the public at large.

The bridge consists of 66 separate flat steel panels and, with the last maintenance painting carried out approximately eight years ago, only the surfaces of the inner side faces are being painted/decorated.

The artwork for the bridge will be included in the 2023 Hailsham Festival of Arts and Culture, taking place in September.

The festival is now extending its sponsorship offer to anybody who would like to get involved, not only businesses and community organisations, but individuals too.

In return, business's company names, contact details and an optional QR code will be included on the foot of the panel(s) sponsored, and for panels sponsored by individuals, your name or that of your children, grandchildren or anyone else you choose will be displayed at the foot of a panel along with the artist's name.

"Firstly, East Sussex County Council has been supportive throughout the various stages of the project, offering advice and information regarding external funding - and project organisers are grateful for this," said Deputy Town Clerk and Business Enterprise Manager Mickey Caira.

"The Town Council is delighted to work alongside Hailsham Festival organisers by contributing towards the funding required to deliver this project. This project is yet another collaboration between the Town Council, Hailsham Festival and other partners to support and improve the town centre for residents, businesses, local organisations and visitors.

"We are very much looking forward to realising Hailsham Festival's community vision in delivering this piece of public art, and it is hoped that the artwork will promote Hailsham's heritage and identity to people - and draw on the unique local history and culture of our town.

"If they haven't done so already, I would encourage as many local businesses and individuals as possible to offer their support by sponsoring one or more of the bridge panels. Community participation, including support from businesses and residents, is a fundamental part of the project."

Hailsham Festival Chair, Tony Biggin, said: "We are delighted to be facilitating this exciting initiative and we are grateful to Hailsham Town Council for providing a significant proportion of the necessary funding.

"We look forward to working with local artists, residents and businesses as the project continues to get under way."

The installation is set to be in place for 10 years. For further details or if you are interested in sponsoring one or more of the panels, contact Hailsham Festival on 01323 844020 or [email protected].