I am delighted to announce that Charlotte Brazier and Helen Lawrence, founders of the Hailsham Crisis Support Group, have been awarded the Wealden Hero Award this week.
Charlotte is the managing director of Sunflowers Mental Health & Wellbeing CIC, which offers counselling and mental health support. Throughout the pandemic, Charlotte has been running online mental health groups and managing a mental health and counselling team, which made wellbeing calls to those struggling with isolation. She has continued to support Wealden Council in their Covid-19 programs, signposting hundreds of people in and around Hailsham and offering counselling sessions.
At the start of the coronavirus crisis, Charlotte set up the Hailsham Crisis Support Facebook page, which Helen came across in search of creating one herself. Although they have not met before, they joined forces and together they coordinated the Hailsham Crisis Support Group. Helen runs the King's Head Cacklebury pub in Hailsham and she has used the premises as a hub for the group to operate from.
Charlotte and Helen have mobilised a group of volunteers to help with shopping and delivering of groceries, collecting prescriptions, dog walking, wellbeing calls, and other services predominantly for people in Hailsham, but also for residents in Polegate, Pevensey, Halland, and other neighbouring areas. The group of Hailsham Crisis Support volunteers have since grown to over 70.
The Hailsham Crisis Support volunteers continue to support those in need. If you need their help, please get in touch at: [email protected] or 07851 963253. The group’s wellbeing callers trained during the pandemic are now championing a new project - 'Sunflowers Supporting Sussex'. They are currently providing wellbeing support to people in Hailsham and surrounding areas, but are looking into expanding into new teams to cover most of Wealden. For more information, please email: [email protected].
Helen and Charlotte have taken the community sprit to the next level. They have joined forces and created a wonderful project, focusing not only on providing physical help, but also much-needed mental health support. They provided a crucial service to Hailsham residents and supported hundreds of people along the way. I know from the many nominations they received how greatly valued they are by Hailsham residents and I am proud to present them with the Wealden Hero Award.
