East Sussex College & Hastings Voluntary Action Strengthen Partnership: Cooking up new food programmes
East Sussex College and Hastings Voluntary Action (HVA) have strengthened their partnership to deliver a series of culinary education programmes designed to bring people together, build confidence, and support local residents with practical life and employability skills.
The collaboration will see jointly designed courses delivered across Hastings, supported through HVA’s wider food project work, with a focus on food education, community cohesion, health and wellbeing, and pathways into further learning and employment through food-related education and community support initiatives.
Two new programmes will launch this academic year, with three cookery workshops planned across June and July, and additional community food education opportunities already in development for the future. The courses are open to local adults of any age, including those who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), individuals in receipt of benefits, and anyone in work earning under £25,000 per year.
The first course, Cooking on a Budget, will take place on the first three Mondays of June at Central Hall from 10am-1pm. Participants will learn how to prepare affordable, nutritious meals while developing practical cooking skills, improving healthy eating habits, and supporting financial wellbeing.
A second Cooking on a Budget workshop will also run at Central Hall on Fridays 3rd, 10th, and 17th July from 10.30am-12.30pm, offering more local residents the opportunity to gain practical cooking skills and learn how to prepare affordable, healthy meals.
A second course, Broomgrove Bake Off, will run at Broomgrove Community Centre on the first three Tuesdays of June from 9.30am-12.30pm. This course will get participants baking sweet and savoury pastries and cakes from scratch, while embedding literacy and numeracy skills through recipe reading, weighing, timing, and portioning activities.
Elaine Remon, Head of Adult and Future Skills at East Sussex College, said: “We are incredibly proud to be working alongside Hastings Voluntary Action to deliver training opportunities for our local communities. These courses are about much more than learning to cook or bake - they are about building confidence, improving wellbeing, developing essential skills, and helping people feel more connected within their community. Partnerships like this play a vital role in creating accessible opportunities for lifelong learning and progression.”
The courses have been designed to provide participants with valuable transferable skills to support progression into other educational courses, vocational training, and employment opportunities within hospitality and related sectors.
Alongside employability benefits, the programmes aim to improve essential English, maths, and digital skills in an accessible and supportive environment.
Debby Anderson, Age Friendly Project Lead and Food Project Lead at Hastings Voluntary Action said: “This work is being delivered through our wider food project and dedicated funding stream, which is focused on food education and community-based support. We are pleased to be working in partnership with East Sussex College to deliver these programmes, and look forward to exploring further opportunities to promote adult learning within the community, building on this strong foundation of food-related education.”
The partnership between East Sussex College and HVA will continue growing over the coming academic year, with both organisations developing further community-led learning opportunities that are inclusive, accessible, and responsive to local needs.
For more information about Hastings Voluntary Action’s community food project work and how you can book your place, visit Hastings Voluntary Action.