Speaker Meeting

The Pelham - Fifteen Years of vision and success

This evening's meeting we were delighted to welcome back Ollie Jeffs, Chief Executive of the Pelham  

The Pelham started in 2010 when a local Baptist church had the vision to convert a derelict Victorian station hotel into a community hub to serve the people of Sidley and Bexhill. The initial appeal for funds for a deposit to purchase the building were so successful that instead of requiring a mortgage and extra funding for renovation, the monies were sufficient to purchase the building outright and begin the rebuilding work.

The quality of the renovation work and the contribution this building has made to the local community were recognised with a special Civic Pride award given to The Pelham at the biennial Bexhill Heritage Civic Pride awards event this month.

This sense of vision and belief in the project has enabled this building and those who strive to serve the local community to become a key part of the life of Sidley and the surrounding area. Through the doors The Pelham has a weekly footfall of 1000 and annual footfall of 50,000! Over 65 different organisations have used The Pelham as a base too, either once or hundreds of times!

Ollie shared with us some of the comments that were written on a special wall to celebrate the completions of the top floor renovation project. “a home from home” ... “a problem solving engine” ... “a safe space” ... “warm and welcoming” ... “every town needs a Pelham” ... “place of love & care” ... “Thank you for always putting a smile on your face”.

This final phase of development has brought into being extra meeting space for health services together with purpose designed counselling rooms. More details about the Pelham can be found in their latest Newsletter