St Mary in the Castle:
Drivers Group
St Mary in the Castle Drivers Group is a volunteer-led, community-based group of over 45 members, brought together by a shared love for the building and hope for its future. We want to see St Mary’s restored, reopened and revived for the benefit of future generations.
Claire Carr
Trustee ; Comms Team member
Claire has experience in local government and of working in St Mary in the Castle when it was a venue.
Anthony Flaum
Membership Secretary
Anthony manages communications to members and contributes his knowledge and experience of arts venue management from his work in Opera. He is an Opera singer and producer.
David Rogers
Trustee
David is and has been a Trustee and Board Member of a number of organisations, including Hastings and Rother Health and Social Care Forum, and Hastings Contemporary.
Claire Innes
Trustee ; Design
MA Architecture student Claire is centring her Masters project on StMinC, contributing invaluable spatial understanding and creative skills.
Come to our
OPEN DAY
On 8th November inside Pelham Arcade
Chat to the Drivers and the architects OMMX
And take a look around the building!
About us...
St Mary in the Castle Drivers Group is a volunteer-led, community-based group of over 45 members, brought together by a shared love for the building and hope for its future. We want to see St Mary’s restored, reopened and revived for the benefit of future generations.
The Building
St Mary in the Castle and the Pelham Arcade are a group of Grade II* listed buildings on the Hastings seafront. They are vital to the town's identity and cultural offering.
First built in 1825 as a chapel by the Earl of Chichester and as part of the beautiful Pelham Crescent, St Mary in the Castle has passed through various hands, part of various projects.
Most recently a well-loved concert venue, exhibition space and cafe, St Mary closed in 2022, as COVID finally made the running of the venue unsustainable.
The Group
The Drivers group was borne in July 2024 when we held a public forum inviting ideas from the community for the future of St Mary in the Castle.
Since then we've met regularly to try to progress the restoration of the building. We've received support from the council, and some funding from the Architectural Heritage Fund, to explore the options available for the building.
Join us!
The group is community-based and voluntary, and completely open to accepting more Drivers. We meet monthly, on Zoom or in-person around Hastings.
If you share our passion for St Mary in the Castle, please join us! We are always open to new members willing to contribute their time, expertise and enthusiasm to the cause. We are always stronger together!
So what's happening?
Keep up to date by reading our blog
Get in Touch
Do you have time to contribute as a Driver or want to stay up to date as an Enthusiast?
Enthusiasts will receive newsletter updates about what's happening with St Mary's, while Drivers are more actively involved, attending monthly meetings and helping where they can.