Seahaven Responders win BBC award for bravery

The Seahaven Responders are volunteers who support 999 teams in East Sussex, and attended more than 1,000 calls in 2022 across Newhaven, Peacehaven and Seaford.

The winners were announced at a ceremony on Monday, September 25, at Ashdown Park Hotel in East Grinstead.

Winners were announced in eight categories including bravery, volunteering, and fundraising. The other finalists received Highly Commended awards.

Jack Stonehouse, team leader for the charity, has been a volunteer for 10 years. He said: “It is extremely satisfying knowing you’ve helped someone in their time of need. Although we don’t replace an ambulance response, being so close to an incident in our local area means we often get there first.

“It is a great thing to do for your local community, you don’t need any experience as all the training and equipment is provided. We have a highly experienced team who will help you during your training and during the first few months of passing training, so there is a great amount of support.

"I’ve been involved in volunteering from a young age, starting off teaching lifesaving to primary school children, before volunteering for Seaford Lifeguards for a number of years. I’ve always wanted to help the local community, and Seahaven Responders is a great way to achieve this. I’ve gained a huge amount of experience over the years.”

To find out more about Seahaven Responders, go to: seahavenresponders.org