Eastbourne charity 'at risk of folding' amid Fort Fun controversy

Non-profit organisation Defiant Sports was offered a joint five-year lease by Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) last spring to develop part of the site into an accessible sports area for the community.

After spending an estimated £75,000 clearing the area, the charity suddenly announced last month that it was no longer allowed to use the site – a decision from the council which was reportedly ‘out of [the charity’s] hands’ and ‘non-negotiable’.

Loretta Lock, managing director of Defiant Sports, said: "We’ve done an awful lot of work on that site that they now don’t have to do.

"It’s all empty words and promises, we are feeling like they used us.”

Mrs Lock had previously spoken out about the ‘frustrating’ vandalism on the Fort Fun site, which the council has cited as the reason for the delay to the site reopening. However, Mrs Lock has largely blamed the delays on the council ‘stalling all year’ and making the charity ‘jump through hoops’.

In a statement, EBC said the decision to remove Defiant Sports from the renovation plans was made because the council ‘had to identify the best way of getting the venue open and ready in the coming months’.

The statement read: "We completely understand how disappointed Loretta is and are trying very hard to help find a new venue for her and her team.

“With this in mind, we are hopeful of discussing ideas for alternative sites and facilities with Loretta soon.

“A number of factors, including high levels of vandalism and anti-social behaviour, greatly hampered progress at Fort Fun, but we are confident our residents and visitors will be enjoying the facilities again during the summer season.”

Defiant Sports is now left without funding, which Mrs Lock said puts the organisation ‘at risk of folding’. The charity is also unable to stay in its current venue, due to planning permission being submitted to change the use of the site, Mrs Lock said.

"As soon as that goes through, we’re homeless, effectively”, she said.

"Everything was going towards that new site, that’s where all our funding bids were heading. Without the grants coming in and without the ongoing funding, we just can’t afford to operate.”

All staff have had to reduce their hours to part-time, which means the inclusion hub can only open two days a week, while Mrs Lock said she is also being forced to look for work elsewhere.

"This may be the end of Defiant Sports now,” she added.

“And the bigger picture is, if this is the end, what else is there for this sector of the community?

"We support a sector of the community that are unsupported elsewhere, so the fact the council thinks its OK to treat them like this when there’s very little out there for them in the first place is very disappointing.

“We work with everybody, from people with disabilities to substance abuse, people at risk of crime, and people who suffer with mental-health issues. All of those people now don’t have a drop-in facility to go to.

“As a council, they should have a duty of looking after people with a barrier to participation and making the town more accessible, and it’s clear that's not a priority for them.”