The RSA welcomed Brighton and Sussex visitors to an open event at The Harbour Hotel on the seafront exploring community led projects with high social impact. RSA, a charity formed in 1754, has over 30,000 international fellowship members. Their recently formed steering group for Sussex is promoting social enterprise projects led by local entrepreneurs below.
Ann Longley, FRSA Transformational leadership and skill building. Helping people and places thrive with inspiring stories, creativity, and community engagement enabled by technology.
The session was the first RSA(The royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce) gathering for 2026 in Brighton for Sussex with Fellows coming far and wide (Brighton, Lewes, Eastbourne and Hastings) to meet each other.
The evening showcased inspiring talks from Clive Bonny about his impactful campaign to save the Rottingdean Library, Richard Freeman about his leading work on devolution in Sussex and Steve Creed‘s exploration of marine focused immersive education. Attendees also heard from Eleanor Ward about her important work to boost the sustainability of local artists and creators with the Culture Alliance.
On top of that there were a number of serendipitous contributions from Birgit Miller, Jo Godden FRSA, and Lee Baker who enriched the evening with their unique perspectives.
Attendees also heard what the RSA community of Fellow’s would like to see happen locally in 2026 including RSA House in Brighton, events in exciting cultural venues, as well as a groundbreaking idea to create a unique identity for Sussex. There were also calls to explore how to unite the tech and creative sectors so our region can punch above its weight.
To get involved, please contact any of the local RSA steering group Lynda Russell-Whitaker, MRes, FRSA, Steve Creed, Clive Bonny, Richard FreemanAnn Longley, FRSA or RSA area manager Jessica McMorrow.