Hastings Direct’s leadership team came together in Bexhill last week to support the local community and businesses by completing a Big Community Challenge!
Meeting at The Club at the Waterfront, the company’s leadership team, made up of 85 senior managers and directors received their bi-annual business update from Chief Executive Officer Gary Hoffman and Chief Finance Officer Richard Hoskins before heading into Bexhill to complete their Big Community Challenge.
Two groups headed to the beach to clean up and collect unwanted items from the coastline – one starting at Galley Hill and the other at the Sovereign Light Café. Both handed in many sacks of rubbish and interesting items to the coastguard’s office, including an old shopping trolley!
Another group made their way to the Bexhill Caring Community centre where they hosted an afternoon of tea, treats and bingo. Gary Hoffman and colleagues visited Bexhill Academy to chat to year 10 students about careers and employability – Gary even giving a quick interview to Bexhill FM while he was at the school.
Charity shops Cancer Research and Mind were taken over by Hastings Direct for the afternoon as the colleagues donated to the shops, sorted stock, assisted customers and helped on the till. They also hosted tombola stands outside with one lucky Bexhill local winning a bottle of expensive champagne after buying a raffle ticket for just 20p!
Representatives from the general insurance provider also chatted with members of the public in Devonshire Square about careers at Hastings Direct while the final group met with local businesses and suppliers in Hastings, Bexhill and Eastbourne who kindly donated prizes for the company’s annual charity raffle with all proceeds benefiting Hastings Direct’s local charity partners.
Lucy Johnson, Managing Director, Underwriting Services, said;
“Twelve of the leadership team headed to Bexhill Caring Community to run an afternoon of bingo. We were armed with enough tea, coffee, cakes and biscuits to sink a battleship and we all had a great time. The best part of the day was spending time with our guests, chatting to them and finding out about their lives and families. It was definitely a successful event - we’ve already been asked us to repeat it again the future.”