A MUCH-LOVED community service in Hailsham is set to close after five years, with its organiser saying a lack of donations from users is the primary reason for the closure.
The Community Fridge, based at the Old Forge in the town centre, is run by a volunteer-led Community Interest Company. It will cease operating in March after funding and public contributions failed to cover rising running costs.
The closure was confirmed following a social media post by a concerned resident, prompting a response from organiser Zoe Prior, who has overseen the project since its inception.
She said: “I’m afraid it is true. We were lucky to be lottery funded last year, but I knew we would need funds from March 2026 for our running costs, so I started the conversation in January 2025.
“I have spent a year trying to encourage users to donate to keep us open, but donations have actually dropped off. It would only need everyone to give 50p every time they enjoyed a bag of food, but too many people have decided to give nothing.”
She stressed that the Community Fridge was never intended to be a free service without community support.
Zoe added: “A community fridge is run totally by volunteers, and the community who use it should want to support it – that is why we don’t charge. We are very disappointed, but five years was a good run.”
Founded in 2022 by three local women, Pass It On in Your Community was created to give something back after the founders themselves experienced difficult times. Since then, it has grown into a vital support network for many local residents.
The project currently redistributes around 2,000 bags of free food every month, sourced from individuals, local allotment growers and major supermarkets including Asda, Tesco, Waitrose, Co-op, Sainsbury’s and Lidl.
Alongside the Community Fridge, the organisation also provides preloved clothing, school uniforms and books, all free of charge, helping families struggling with the cost of living.
Local councillor Mary Laxton paid tribute to the scale of the effort and the commitment behind it.
“The lease is up, running costs have increased, and quite frankly, Zoe has given five years of her life to run this phenomenal service with her volunteers. It’s one hell of a service and personal commitment that she has given this community 364 days a year.”
In 2024, the Community Fridge won the Group/Organisation of the Year category at the annual Hailsham Hero Awards.
In a follow-up comment, after the news was announced, Zoe added: “We, as a community, have saved tonnes of waste food from being thrown away. Please respect our decision. If anyone is interested in knowing how we run our set-up and see the amount of work that goes into it, with a view to running one elsewhere, please do contact us or pop in.”
