News

Jubiliee Rose Garden

A rose garden is being created to celebrate the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth the 2nd.  It will be established on the existing area of bare grass directly in front of Hailsham Library.  The idea is to have five raised beds containing a variety of roses that have royal connections.  The area will be punctuated with benches where people can sit amongst the flower beds to read/relax/contemplate.  An inner pathway will separate the beds from an inner area of grass and trees.  The path be paved and, on these, the names of those who have financially supported the garden will be inscribed. 
 
As this is a Hailsham in Bloom initiative, it is intended to cover the costs purely from donations/sponsorship.  In order for a sponsor to be identified on the pathway, a minimum sponsorship of £30 will be required.  The cost of the materials will be a significant sum for HiB to shoulder so sponsorship of more than the minimum amount would be very welcome; the more finance raised, the better the final garden can be. 

Click here to see the Hailsham In Bloom's webpage for more details and sponsorship opportunities. 

Regular Meetings

The Chamber meets on the second Tuesday of every month at the meeting rooms at Freedom Leisure.  This is the chance for members and potential new members to raise issues and concerns.  We are also occasionally visited by members of other Chambers or local authorities to discuss wider issues.

Meetings start at 6pm.  The forthcoming dates are:

• February 21st (third Tuesday to avoid Valentines Day - who said romance was dead!)
• March 13th
• April 10th
• May 8th - this will be the AGM.  proposals for the Agenda are welcome and full details will be emailed to members soon. 
• June 12th

We look forward to seeing you there!

Hailsham Breakfast Club

The Hailsham Breakfast Club was formed in 2008 by Chamber members Simon Marden and Sam Elsby, and is formally affiliated to the Hailsham & District Chamber of Commerce.  It is currently run by the Chamber's Vice Chairman, Andrew Rannie of Hart Reade Solicitors.

The Breakfast Club meets at the Corn Exchange, on Hailsham’s High Street, on the first Thursday of each month between 7.00 and 8.45 am.  It is open to both members of the Chamber and non-members.   The only criterion is that attendees should have a genuine business or personal connection with Hailsham.   Everyone is given an opportunity, if they wish, to talk for one minute about their business.  After this, one of the regular members, or the occasional guest speaker, is invited to give a ten-minute talk.

There is no annual or membership fee, simply the cost of the breakfast at £8.  Invitations and replies are all by e-mail only.   If you would like to be added to the mailing list, please e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with the name and nature of your business.  

Networking Event

Friday 24 February sees the return of the AptlyNetworked's monthly networking event for businesses in the Hailsham area. 

AptlyNetworked will be hosting the free event between 4.30pm and 6pm in the function room of the Corn Exchange in Hailsham's High Street.  As well as providing an opportunity for casual networking over a drink, there will also be 10 minute seminar on a business related topic.  This month's guest speaker is yet to be annouced. 

For further information, please email AptlyNetworked's Joe Ferguson on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or visit www.aptlynetworked.co.uk. 

Microsoft Telephone Scam continues

This long running scam has resurfaced again recently with a Chamber member reporting that they have been called by someone purporting to be from Microsoft Tech Support.  The caller said that the member's computer had been hacked and was being used to send out malware and spam emails and that was needed was to download a piece of software to fix the problem.  Sensibly, the member hung up at this point but other reports of this scam advise that this software would have given the scammers sufficient details to steal the member's identity. 

Another common variation on this scam involves being told that your computer is running slowly and has a virus but that, for a fee, Microsoft can fix it remotely.  For full details of the Microsoft scam, visit their information page. 

If you receive any phonecalls of this nature, the best advice is simply to hang up but if you can, try and get some details and then report the matter to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. 

How to improve Hailsham?

That is the question that Hailsham Town Council are trying to answer and they would like suggestions from as many people as possible and, as a Stakeholder in the Town, they have asked the Chamber of Commerce for its views. 

The intention is to look at short to medium goals and to produce a range of options for further consideration.  Some ideas already on the table include traffic calming measures and pedestrianisation of the High Street.  If you have any thoughts on these or indeed any suggestions of your own then please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Chamber and Council Links

The Chamber are pleased to announce that closer links have now been forged with Hailsham Town Council. 

Councillor Steve McAuliffe is now regularly attending meetings of the Chamber and keeps the Chamber updated of relevant Council business.  Councillor McAuliffe also reports back to the Council on concerns and issues raised by the Chamber so if any Members feel they want to raise anything with the Council in a relaxed forum, please come along to one of the regular meetings or contact a Chamber Committee Member. 

Change of Address

After many years of using a PO Box address for Chamber business, the cost has now become disproportionate and so, at the latest meeting, it was decided to give up the PO Box address with immediate effect. 

Committee member Anton Bree, of Ross & Co Chartered Surveyors, has kindly agreed to act as the Chamber's mailbox so please now direct all future correspondence to: