Our community support projects
As a not-for-profit, our goal is to help everyone have access to wellbeing activities, sometimes targeted and specialist, regardless of age, disability, status, family or financial situation.
The Unity Centre is run by Unity Lewes CIC, a not-for-profit community interest company with a core aim of providing wellbeing for our whole community inclusively, regardless of age, disability, status, family or financial situation. Sometimes this involves targeted and specialist projects for particular groups within our community.
Our community projects are summarised here. To make them possible we are indebted to all of you: our funding bodies, listed further down, and the kind generosity of our members, customers and supporters through your donations and day-to-day custom. Every spa appointment, every class booking, every gift purchase and every membership, as well as every kind donation, makes our community support viable. Thank you.
Here’s what we’re currently doing in the community…
Unity Floatation Therapy project
Unity Floatation Therapy project
Thanks to National Lottery funding we are able to provide free floatation therapy programmes to eligible members of our region and communities who are living with or experiencing physical disabilities, certain chronic difficulties or chronic mental health challenges, together with key health, emergency and care workers.
We are also inviting donations to enable us to keep the project going over a longer period.
NURTURE
for survivors
We’re pleased to be able to provide these free, eight-week courses of regular yoga relaxation, meditation, self-care and two saunas for women who have experienced physical and domestic abuse, thanks to funding by The National Lottery Awards for All and Safer Communities Eastbourne & Lewes District Partnership.
Full details are here.
Massage for Ukrainian refugees and hosts
Массаж для украинских беженцев и хозяев
Масаж для українських біженців та господарів
For refugees from Ukraine and members of their host families in East Sussex, we’re offering free massage therapies at a series of special Friday massage clinics. This is made possible with the generosity of 3VA, which offers extensive support for Ukrainians and host families.
CHAIR YOGA (was ‘Breathe easier’)
Free chair yoga and a safe, sociable space for people over 60 to talk about age-related mistreatment, from abuse to rip-offs and scams
Chair Yoga (Breathe easier) offers a series of free two-hour sessions of breathing, meditation and gentle chair stretches/yoga followed by social time over tea and cake. It’s for you if you’re over 60 and live in Sussex, especially if you’ve experienced – or you’re worried about – being mistreated or taken advantage of, because of your age.
With thanks to the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner’s Community Safety Fund for its financial support.
CHAIR YOGA
Some past projects
Sixty5+
From May 2022
Sixty5+ was a Unity Centre initiative in the summer and autumn of 2022 that provided free therapeutic support sessions to people aged 65 and above, thanks to funding kindly provided by the Sussex Community Foundation. The support we offered was in two forms:
- regular live music sessions for small groups of people living with dementia
- one-to-one therapy sessions
In some circumstances we were also able to help with transport costs when attending sessions.
Unity Bespoke Holistic Lifeline Covid project
From October 2020
This project ran from October 2020 to spring 2021, providing therapeutic support to those with learning differences or physical disabilities and those at high risk from, or affected by, Covid-19 and Long Covid, together with physical, emotional and mental support for key workers, including NHS.
The support covered a wide range of services associated with the Unity Centre, as diverse as, for example, therapeutic yoga, breathing, art therapy, music, psychotherapy, floatation therapy and massage … among many others.
The Unity Bespoke Holistic Lifeline Covid Project was funded by a National Lottery Emergency Covid-19 Grant between October 2020 and April 2021 and a smaller version was then funded by Awards for All, with our thanks to the National Lottery.
Project for children adopted or in foster care
From 27 February 2020
This was a year long project for children under 12 who had been adopted or were in foster care.
Three groups of four children (so 12 in all) received an hour’s yoga and meditation class bi-weekly for a year and also came together for two hour sessions of yoga, art or music on alternate months.
During this time, parents and carers also received their own meditation, sharing and yoga session.
Stroke Club Project
From 19 March 2020
A year long project for those who had suffered a debilitating stroke.
14 people received two-hour sessions on alternating Thursday mornings, offering chair yoga, music, art and relaxation, together with refreshments and lunch on site.
We are very grateful for SCF and Chalk Cliff Trust for their contributions towards this project.
And in the future…
Future Project Goals
- Support Group For Teenagers
- Project For Children With Learning/Behavioural Difficulties
- Yoga and Mindfulness For The Deaf Community
- Yoga With A Difference – a project and training to support those with PMLD and neurological conditions
Our funding bodies
At Unity Lewes CIC and The Unity Centre we are indebted to the following for their grant funding that enables us to run these community projects that are so important to us. We would like to thank:
Chalk Cliff Trust
Safer Communities Eastbourne & Lewes District Partnership
Safer in Sussex Community Fund
Sported
Sport England Emergency Covid-19 Fund
Sussex Community Foundation
The Lewes Fund
The National Lottery
And our Unity Centre members and supporters – for your donations and because a percentage of membership subscriptions is used to support the centre’s community work.
Our deepest thanks to
The Unity Centre is run by Unity Lewes CIC, a not-for-profit community interest company.