Hailsham Queers was founded in 2023 to provide a social network for LGBT+ people in one of the more rural parts of East Sussex.

We currently have members located throughout Hailsham District and Eastbourne, so naturally the majority of our meetups occur within the local area, although we do occasionally travel outside.

Some of our previous activities have included cinema and art gallery trips, coffee outings, festivals, countryside walks, stargazing, pottery painting, guided fossil hunts, various open days, karaoke, and even a fun afternoon in the kids area at Middle Farm! We occasionally visit other local queer spaces such as The Forbidden Fruit in Hastings, and various Brighton and Hove locations. Follow our socials to see what we're up to next near you!

Our founder, Vic (pronouns: xe/hir), moved to the Hailsham area from West London in 2016. During the COVID-19 pandemic, xe had time to investigate local opportunities for socialising and realised that there were very few options for queer people in the Hailsham District without easy access to Brighton and Eastbourne. Vic decided to change that as soon as time and money allowed, and Hailsham Queers was born at the end of July 2023!

Amongst other things, Vic is passionate about promoting positive mental health practises within the LGBT+ community, especially given the current political climate. Xe is a fully trained Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) with considerable experience dealing with issues commonly faced by queer people.