Seaford Annual Town Meeting

About the Annual Town Meeting

Each year the Town Council facilitates an Annual Town Meeting (also known as the Town Forum). This is a public meeting, not a Town Council meeting, and is a chance for members of the public to ask any questions of the Council and receive updates on the Council’s activities over the previous year.

The event also usually includes presentations from charities and organisations that have received financial grants from the Town Council; giving an insight into how the money has been spent and the benefit this has brought to the town. The Mayor of Seaford will also present the annual Mayor’s Awards, which are given to members of the community or organisations that have worked hard for the benefit of the town or have overcome great barriers. The prestigious Don Mabey Award is also presented; an award first bestowed in 2014 in memory of the late Don Mabey MBE and his services for Seaford. The Don Mabey Award is given to selected residents of the Seaford community for outstanding services to the town of Seaford.

2026 Seaford Annual Town Meeting

Seaford Town Council is pleased to announce the details of this municipal year’s Annual Town Meeting that it is facilitating.

Date: Thursday 30th April 2026

Venue: TBC

Agenda: To be issued in 2026

2025 Town Forum

Seaford Town Council hosted another well-attended Town Forum on Thursday 1^st May at Cross Way Church.

The Town Council is legally required to host an annual town meeting (Town Forum), with the purpose of enabling residents to ask questions of its local council. However, the Town Council embraces the opportunity to also share information about what it has been doing – its achievements in the year and its future plans – to aid with openness, accountability and increased public awareness of the Town Council’s activities and aims.

Members of the public attending the Town Forum as Cross Ways Church in Seaford.

Before the meeting, attendees enjoyed refreshments and networking. Recipients of the Town Council’s Large Grants in 2024 – 2025 hosted stalls which presented to the community how grant funds had been spent. Stalls were hosted by Bishopstone United Charities; Cuckmere Valley Canoe Club; Culture Connect Project CIC; Family Support Work (FSW); GIA (Gardening in Action) CIC; Newhaven & Seaford Sea Cadet Corps; Seaford Bonfire Society; Seaford Community Events Committee; Seaford District Guides; Seaford Dramatic Society (Seaford Little Theatre); SEDS Connective; St James’s Trust (Seaford); St Wilfrid’s Hospice (Eastbourne); and Teddy Treats Children’s Charity.

Opening the meeting, the Mayor reflected on the 2024–2025 year and discussed future projects in the town, including: Lewes District Council’s Local Plan; the 80^th year celebration of VE Day; South Hill Barn development; and a review of the Town Council’s 2023 – 2027 Strategic Plan. The Mayor paid tribute to the Town Council’s 25^th anniversary, which included wearing the Mayor’s Community Coat adorned with over 90 patches created by the community about what Seaford represents for them.

Past Mayors Laurie Holland (1999-2000 and Freeman of the Town), Rosemary Collict (2006-2007), Cllr Linda Wallraven (2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2017-2018 and 2018-2019), Mark Brown (2014-2015), Dave Argent (2015-2016), Nazish Adil (2019-2020) and Cllr Olivia Honeyman (2022-2023 and 2023-2024) were invited to share memories of their time as Mayor of Seaford. The past mayors offered their thanks to everyone in the community for their co-operation with the Town Council and efforts and care in the town.

Seaford Town Council Mayors holding up the Seaford Town Flag in from of them.

(Past Mayors of Seaford – Back row, left to right, Dave Argent, Laurie Holland, Cllr Sally Markwell, Cllr Olivia Honeyman, Nazish Adil. Front row, left to right, Rosemary Collict, Cllr Linda Wallraven & Mark Brown)

The town was then presented with a new Seaford Town Flag – a gift to the town marking the Town Council’s 25^th anniversary. The flag’s unique design uses the symbols, colours and town motto from the Seaford Coat of Arms:

The Lymphad or ship is similar to the one on Seaford’s original corporation seal, a reminder of the town’s former status as a port.
The half-lion/half-ship symbol appears on the badges of many Cinque Ports member towns, and serves as a reminder that Seaford for some hundreds of years was associated with the group as a “limb” of Hastings.
The eagle, also represented on the old town seal, comes from the arms of the de Aquila family who owned land hereabouts in medieval times.
The Latin motto “E Ventis Vires” translates as “From the wind – strength”.

(Seaford Town Flag – left to right, Cllr Sally Markwell, first Mayor of Seaford and Freeman of the Town, Laurie Holland & Flag Custodian, Dave Argent.)

The Mayor proceeded to introduce her chosen charity for her year in office, SeaFriends. Mary Lumley of SeaFriends provided an overview of the incredible work of SeaFriends with tackling loneliness before the Mayor presented the charity with £800 from the Mayor’s recent ‘incognito’ fundraising event.

The Mayor presenting Mary Lumley with a certificate.

(SeaFriends £800 donation – The Mayor of Seaford 2024-2025, Cllr Sally Markwell & Mary Lumley of SeaFriends)

The Mayor then took the opportunity to celebrate those in the community providing exceptional support and services to people in and around Seaford. Awards were presented as follows:

Highly Commended Certificates:

To: Miranda Bearns-Lowles, Carol Trimbee and Vicki Skippings for commitment and collaboration to ensure the success of Christmas Magic 2024.

(Miranda Bearns-Lowles, Carol Trimbee & The Mayor of Seaford 2024-2025, Cllr Sally Markwell)

To: Duncan Kerr and Gavin Lisle of Wave Leisure for hosting of voluntary groups.

The Mayor of Seaford standing with Duncan Kerr

(Duncan Kerr & The Mayor of Seaford 2024-2025, Cllr Sally Markwell)

To: Zoe Jones of Seaford Library (to be presented onsite at the library) for her involvement in the Seaford Community, through hosting of community displays and local groups.

Mayor’s Awards:

Mayor’s Award for Innovation – Chris Goode, Seahaven Poets

The Mayor of Seaford standing with Chris Goode

(Chris Goode & The Mayor of Seaford 2024-2025, Cllr Sally Markwell)

Mayor’s Award for Creativity – Dawn Monk and Terri Simmons

The Mayor of Seaford standing with Dawn Monk and Terri Simmons

(Dawn Monk, Terri Simmons & The Mayor of Seaford 2024-2025, Cllr Sally Markwell)

Mayor’s Award for Entertainment – Anne Vickers, Strum 4 Fun

The Mayor of Seaford standing with Anne Vickers

(Anne Vickers & The Mayor of Seaford 2024-2025, Cllr Sally Markwell)

Mayor’s Award for Community Support – Len Fisher and Tom Bonner, Seahaven FM

The Mayor of Seaford standing with Len Fisher

(Len Fisher & The Mayor of Seaford 2024-2025, Cllr Sally Markwell)

Don Mabey Award:

To: Mary Lumley for her hard work and commitment with SeaFriends and Cycling Without Age.

The Mayor of Seaford also presented the retired Don Mabey shield to the Town Crier, Peter White, to take custodianship of, as a previous recipient of the Don Mabey Award and to recognise his continued work in and around the town.

The Mayor of Seaford standing with Mary Lumley

(Mary Lumley of SeaFriends & The Mayor of Seaford 2024-2025, Cllr Sally Markwell)

The Mayor of Seaford standing with the Town Crier, Peter White.

(Town Crier, Peter White & The Mayor of Seaford 2024-2025, Cllr Sally Markwell)

The Mayor of Seaford (2024-2025), Councillor Sally Markwell has said: “What a wonderful evening of celebration, nostalgia, and honour! I was so pleased to meet all our grant awardees and hear of their successful projects during this past year. I also felt very privileged to meet so many of our former Mayors, hearing their reflections of their role demonstrated their pride and commitment in their service to Seaford. We were also able to recognise with gratitude the special contributions made by a number of organisations and individuals that have supported me during my Mayoral year. Thank you all for being so prepared to support our civic responsibilities. I hope everyone enjoyed the evening as much as me!”

The presentation from the meeting can be found below:

1. Town Clerk – Town Forum presentation 2025

2. SeaFriends Presentation 2025

The draft minutes of the meeting can be found below.

The video of the Town Forum will be available shortly on the Town Council’s You-Tube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgtznqupgyI