29:h April 2025
Dear Crouch Bowling Club
Thank you, so much for the beautifully crafted patchworks for the Community Coat, the response to our call for patches has been astonishing. As part of the celebrations of Seaford Town Council's 25" Anniversary, I reached out to Seaford residents, local artisans, community groups and schools to help design a Community Coat representing the amazing commitment of all those who currently work, volunteer and engage with Seaford communities.
Our work on the coat is now complete, and we have 91 patches from 50 organisations and individuals. This voluntary project aimed to demonstrate a 'moment in time', as an inclusive community initiative bringing people together in Seaford to celebrate our groups, organisations and natural surroundings. The logo above was crafted for the coat and we are indebted to the remarkable sewists that have come forward to offer their skills for this project.
I have felt incredibly privileged to have experienced the joy of sharing the coat, first as I led the Lantern Parade with our Town Crier Peter White for Christmas Magic last November, and since then on the occasions I have worn it to community events and visited local schools. I have been very touched by the stories that I have been hearing of local groups developing their patches together, such community activity underpins the aspirations we had for making this project a success.
After my last showing of the coat at our Town Forum on Thursday 1" May, please do come along, https://www.seafordtowncouncil.gov.uk/events/seaford-town-forum/ the Community Coat will be displayed for the next few weeks at Wave Leisure and will then reside in the Council Chamber. This project has reminded us that we truly have a golden thread of opportunity that connects our residents across all ages to a robust core of community concern which identifies local need and harnesses the skills and energy of local volunteers.
With my gratitude,
Sally Matull
ClIr Sally Markwell
Mayor of Seaford