Health, exercise and wellbeing are essential parts of everyday life and are crucial in terms of leading a happy and healthy lifestyle. As the first tier of local government in Hailsham, closest to residents, the Town Council plays a significant role in ensuring our local community is healthier and Hailsham is a thriving place to live.
Residents can benefit from many recreational, exercise and sports opportunities offered at the Town Council’s public open spaces, maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle in the process and getting involved in specific activities by joining one of the many clubs which operate locally.
Hailsham has a thriving sports community and ample public open spaces where people can engage in moderate exercise, and is home to numerous clubs and groups suitable for people of all ages, each offering different ways to become more active and engage in activities with family members, friends, neighbours and co-workers – whilst supporting the local community at the same time.
Your Town Council continues to work in partnership with local organisations such as Hailsham Active to optimise our current sports, leisure and exercise facilities, details of which are available on this page.
Sports & Fitness Clubs in Hailsham
Click here for details about sports, leisure and exercise groups in Hailsham.
Hailsham Recreation Ground, Western Road
The Hailsham Recreation Ground in Western Road, created in 1855 as a result of an Enclosure Award for the parish of Hailsham, currently includes a football pitch, four all-weather tennis courts and general recreation area (Beaconsfield, purchased by Hailsham Parish Council in the 1930s), a cricket pitch, sports pavilion, hildren’s play area and outdoor gym.
The recreation ground is home to many active local sporting organisations, Hailsham Cricket Club being one of the oldest in East Sussex having been established in 1871. The club has been playing at their ground on Western Road in Hailsham ever since and have on a number of occasions throughout their history won championship awards.
Hailsham Town Football Club, known as ‘The Stringers’, currently in the second division of the Southern Combination League, still uses the recreation ground to this day. Additionally, Hailsham Tennis Club, which was established in 1905 has been based there for over 50 years.
New members are always welcome to join the sports clubs and exercise groups who use the recreation ground.
In 2020, the recreation ground benefited from the construction of a new all-weather perimeter path (of which the Town Council allocated over £137,000 from Section 106 developer contributions for leisure facilities), giving access around and through the park all year and suitable for walking, cycling and running. More recently, the Town Council was awarded £58,333 from the Veolia Environmental Trust through the Landfill Communities Fund towards the cost of lighting the new perimeter footpath.
The recreation ground is a much-loved community site and provides local users with many opportunities to enjoy the vibrant open space for sport, leisure and other activities.
EXTERNAL LINKS: Hailsham Town Football Club | Hailsham Cricket Club | Hailsham Tennis Club
Maurice Thornton Playing Field, Marshfoot Lane
The Maurice Thornton Playing Field site provides several pitches for junior football and is home to the Hailsham United Junior Football Club, which was established in 1982 and at present has over 200 players and 28 FA-trained coaches.
Leisure facilities on site include a children’s play area and the Tony Tack Memorial Skate Park, which consists of a concrete bowl with built–in ramps and jumps and has benefited younger people in the Hailsham community. The proposal to construct the skate park in 2012 was part of a wider package of improvements to recreational facilities in the town at the time, including the installation of an outdoor gym on the Western Road Recreation Ground.
The outdoor gym equipment on site adjacent to the Maurice Thornton Playing Field includes those for rowing, steps, arm exercises and weight lifting.
EXTERNAL LINKS: Hailsham United Junior Football Club |
Hailsham Country Park, Gleneagles Drive
The Council-maintained Country Park, situated off Gleneagles Drive, covers approximately 22 acres and incorporates woodland, a recreational grass area, two ponds and a lake. A water course skirts the open field area and all-weather footpaths can be found throughout the park to encourage people of all ages to enjoy this precious open space area.
Hailsham Town Council is proud of its many improvements to the country park site in recent years, including the construction of a new path around Wentworth Pond and other area-specific projects such as the more upgrading and resurfacing of the pathway around the lake, making it more accessible for disabled users.
Sports & Fitness Clubs in Hailsham
Click here for details about sports, leisure and exercise groups in Hailsham.