Community Grant Awards: Sweet Circus CIC

Hailsham Town Council has provided funding of £500 to Sweet Circus CIC, one of a number of recent grants given to local community groups and voluntary associations as part of the Council’s 2025/26 Community Grants Scheme.

A total of £12,215.47 has been awarded to a wide range of non-profit organisations, aimed at enhancing facilities, activities, and projects that benefit the residents of Hailsham. Such funds are intended to assist organisations that rely on public donations, fundraising, and volunteers to deliver valuable services to the community.​

Sweet Circus CIC is a small community circus striving to improve the physical, mental and social health of the community. While its services are open to all, preference is given to those with barriers to participation.  They can also offer teacher/instructor training, inclusion training and educational consultancy, and have walkabout/ambient performers and workshops available in a range of disciplines including dance and movement, body percussion, clowning and drama.

Sweet Circus was delighted to receive the grant from the Town Council, which will help towards the costs of buying additional circus equipment.

“We are thrilled that Hailsham Town Council have granted us £500 towards the purchase of specialist aerial bungee equipment,” said Miz Wells, representing Sweet Circus. “This will help us enable teenagers with special educational needs to get up, bouncing, dancing and laughing with their parents and carers. From all of us and on behalf of our students, thank you!”

“The Town Council is pleased to offer a grant of £500 to Sweet Circus, which does an excellent job working to promote fun, accessible, inclusive activities for all, whilst encouraging a diverse and cohesive community,” said the Town Mayor, Cllr Chris Bryant. “Our grant scheme is the main way in which the Town Council provides funding and support to the voluntary sector. Small grants such as these are a valuable addition to this mix and can make a considerable difference to them when planning and funding a worthwhile project.”

A full list of recipients of the Community Grants Scheme can be found here.

Due to an underspend in the 2025/26 grants budget, a second round of grant applications will commence later this year whereby the remaining £3,784 will be shared among successful applicants. The new deadline for applications will be announced soon.