Community
Taking responsibility within the local community is a fundamental commitment of The George in Rye and its employees.
In 2013 a scheme was introduced whereby a discretionary donation is added to every guest’s bill. Guests are asked on check-out if they would like to donate to our chosen local charity and we then match every £1 donated by our guests. Here are some of the charities we have supported in the past:
1066 Pink Ladies is a breast cancer support group for women in Rye, Hastings and Rother (and as far north as Tunbridge Wells). Founded over 30 years ago, the group supports people at any point in their journey through breast cancer. 1066 pink ladies is fully endorsed by the local hospital consultants who distribute the group’s information on diagnosis and regularly attend meetings to educate and inform women of the latest medical developments. There are now over 70 members and the area covered has been widened. The aim is to provide a safe place for patients to meet and discuss their needs in confidence and to offer support and help in a relaxed, informal venue away from the hospital environment. There are talks and Q&As with professionals such as oncologists, surgeons, dieticians and fitness instructors, as well as complementary therapies for women going through chemotherapy, hair loss and radiation and other emotional and physical side effects of diagnosis and treatment.
Based in nearby Peasmarsh, Hands of Hope mission is to use growing and cooking to bring communities together to address the challenges of loneliness and obesity and through education encourage people to lead healthier, happier lives. They run projects in schools and community projects (alongside local County Councils and National Health Organisations) aimed at tackling the social isolation felt by older residents in rural locations which leads to poor health, loss of independence and lower quality of life. Funds are currently being raised for ‘The Wall’ – a Community space to teach, train and encourage healthy food choices among adults and children, bringing both generations together to support our aims of tackling childhood obesity and adult loneliness. Registered charity 1168016
Dom’s Food Mission in Hastings aims to help feed the homeless and families in food poverty and to make an impact on food waste in Hastings and the surrounding area. It began with car park drop-offs and donation days where people could donate food items to help the cause. The charity now feeds thousands of mouths every month and is run by a team of dedicated volunteers. In the three years since its inception Dom’s Food Mission has won celebrity support and several awards, including “Services to the Community” and “24/7 legend” award and has signed partnerships with Morrisons, Marks and Spencers, Tesco, Sainsburys, Costa coffee, KFC, and more. The charity requires financial support in order to continue its good work.
Prostate Cancer UK was featured on the scheme in June 2018 as local resident and restaurateur Simon Aylett is undertaking the challenge of his life. Simon, inspired by his own personal battle with the disease, is riding his giant e-bike from Rye to the southern tip of Sicily, covering around 2,000 miles, to raise funds for the charity. “I have been fighting prostate cancer for five years now and I want to help the charity to continue their fantastic work,” he says. The George and our guests have already donated £1,000 and you too can donate by clicking here.
RHSC is part of a national Sailability movement affiliated to the national umbrella organisation, the Royal Yachting Association (RYA). Through this over 50,000 young people and adults with disabilities are introduced to sailing each year, with many going on to sail on a regular basis. This is one of the few sports where able-bodied sailors and the less-abled can participate on equal terms. At RHSC Sailability people with disabilities from ARRCC Rye, Little Gates Care Farm in Northiam, Hastings & Rother Disabilities Forum and Hastings & Rother Voluntary Action for the Blind attend sailing days.
The RNLI Station at Rye Harbour has operated lifeboats for over 200 years. The crew are all unpaid volunteers and follow in the footsteps of a previous crew, who in 1928 launched their lifeboat to go the assistance of a stricken vessel and were all tragically drowned in the greatest loss the RNLI has suffered in its history. In recent years Rye Harbour RNLI has been equipped with an Atlantic 85 inshore RIB, capable of operating in a Force 7 near gale in open seas and can reach 35 knots to reach a casualty. In 2016 the crew were responding to a call for assistance when the boat collided with an unlit and partially submerged obstacle, damaging the boat beyond repair and injuring three crew members. Rye Harbour RNLI need to raise £64,000 towards the cost of a new Atlantic 85 boat and have requested the help of local businesses such as The George in Rye.
Dragonflies is a free pre and post bereavement service supporting local children and young people age 0 – 18 years. Dragonflies offers a safe place for children and young people to express their grief and to share ways of coping with their loss. Dragonflies is a project of FSN, a local children and families charity. During the past 10 years, Dragonflies have supported 1,750 children and young people living within Hastings, Rother and surrounding areas. Dragonflies provides initial home visits, peer group support for children and young people, therapeutic activities to strengthen emotional well-being, family days to help support the whole family and training for volunteers. FSN Registered charity number 208446.
The George provided £1000 of sponsorship towards a place in the 2016 London Marathon. Gemma Brooks, who married at The George in 2008, was chosen as the winner of the place. All proceeds went to the NSPCC’s Childline appeal.
Rye & District Community Transport’s Chairman, the late John Izod, was delighted to receive the donation. “I am overwhelmed by the generosity of the George’s guests and very grateful to the hotel and its management and staff for organising the collection. RDCT operates the 326 Rye Town service without financial support so we have a big hole to fill to ensure that we maintain the 326 and all the other services that we provide. Donations like this are a big help and also encourage us to continue in our efforts.”
The Hub on Rye Hill ‘Day Centre‘ provide help and social interaction to the elderly people of Rye and the surrounding villages. Dave Pellen, from the Centre, said, “This very kind and wonderful donation allows the Rye and District Day Centre to ensure that the costs of providing services to the elderly community of Rye and surrounding villages are kept at an affordable level, which in turn aids the well-being of the members, allowing us to provide just that little more help and support.”
St Michael’s Hospice offers specialist, palliative care to people with life-limiting illnesses in Hastings and Rother, an area which serves over 175,000 people, including residents of Rye. The Hospice welcomes around 400 in-patients; provides 3,700 Hospice at Home visits; and offers 1,000 hours of bereavement counselling. In order to offer such specialist and professional care, the Hospice must raise nearly £10,000 every day. The Hospice is featured on our Guest Check Out scheme ever year.
Demelza Hospice Care supports families across Kent, South East London and East Sussex, ”adding life to days when days cannot be added to life”. In June 2015, five women from Rye took part in the Demelza 101 Challenge when they climbed Ben Nevis to raise funds for the charity. Thirteen year old Rye boy Daniel Thomas has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and has respite care at Demelza. His mother, Kate, is one of the team who climbed the mountain and The George’s donation was added to the team’s fundraising efforts.
The Mary Shipstone Fund was set up by 7 year old Mary’s family following her tragic murder at the hands of her abusive father in September 2014. Mary and her family had been on the run for many years and Mary had been receiving music therapy at The Music Well to help her deal with the emotional trauma of her situation. The Music Well are now wishing to build the fund to provide music therapy sessions for other traumatised, abused and neglected children and their families.
The George in Rye was proud to host The Oliver Curd Trust Christmas Party in the Georgian ballroom and a cheque was presented to the Trust on the evening. The Trust was set up in memory of Oliver who was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer, Ewings Sarcoma, and lost his long brave fight with the disease in November 2007. The objective and purpose of the charity is to provide fully-equipped holiday accommodation to families supporting children and young people in the UK suffering from childhood cancer and other life threatening illnesses. The Oliver Curd Trust is a charity that seeks to provide holiday memories, happiness and periods of escape for these children and their families during very difficult and trying times.
Charity for Kids’ aim is to to help sick, disabled & terminally-ill children in the Hastings and Rye area by providing them with equipment that they need or funding services they may require. There are no wages at Charity for Kids, it is run entirely by volunteers and all funds raised go back into the Community.
ARRCC (Activities, Respite, Rehabilitation, Care Centres) is based in Rye and provides a range of support, advice and training opportunities for physically and sensory impaired adults aged 18 + with the aim of helping members develop abilities, learn new skills, encourage social inclusion and enable people to live independently. They try to give disabled adults the confidence to make the most of their lives and give them access to all the opportunities available to the wider community.
The Seaview Project in Hastings offers services for some of the most marginalised and vulnerable people in the Hastings and St Leonards community. Seaview is a wellbeing centre and aims to provide an open access Day Centre where people can find help, friendship, comfort and inspiration, to help them access decent and affordable accommodation and to enable them to achieve self-dependence.
The NSPCC’s “Now I Know” campaign which aims to protect primary school children from abuse and neglect. The money raised through the Guest Check Out Scheme will go towards putting specially trained volunteers into primary schools across the UK.
The Sara Lee Trust is a regular recipient of the Guest Check Out Scheme. It is a local charity which provides complementary therapies, counselling and creative therapies to people in Hastings & Rother living through cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
The Kent Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance plays a vital role in the Rye area in getting casualties to hospital quickly, responding to everything from car to horse riding accidents. The Air Ambulance has been featured on the Guest Check Out scheme a number of times.