The Sussex Beacon's Community Services Team receives major boost

The Sussex Beacon has successfully secured a three-year funding award from the National Lottery – Reaching Communities England, to support the delivery and growth of the Community Services Team’s work across Sussex.

Announcing the news, The Beacon’s Community Services Manager, Alan Spink, said: “During 2024/25, our services continued to grow. We accepted 259 new referrals and supported 151 individuals, delivering 906 intensive one-to-one sessions to people living with HIV. Our peer mentor programme continued to be a vital source of support, with trained volunteers supporting 50 individuals through 695 structured peer sessions, helping to reduce isolation and build confidence.

“We also ran 152 peer support groups across Sussex, providing safe, welcoming spaces for connection and shared experience, including 97 women actively engaging with our Women & Families Group. Alongside this, we supported families through early parenthood, including 16 newborn babies assisted via our formula milk programme, with 416 cartons of formula milk provided."

According to Sussex Beacon, the Reaching Communities Fund will "support a significant proportion of the costs of delivering these vital activities", however, as "services continue to expand and to reach more people living with HIV across Sussex, ongoing support from the local communities, partners, and supporters will remain essential to ensure this work is sustained and grown".

The new grant will enable the Beacon to reach more people living with HIV who are isolated and in need of support across all areas of Sussex. It will also allow further development of the trained volunteer peer mentor programme, expansion of peer-led groups, and strengthen pathways into more specialist services, ensuring people living with HIV can access the right support at the right time.