No change for Sussex Weald or Bexhill & Battle but Heathfield Community College ex-student wins Hastings

Post election, residents of Heathfield and surrounding villages are not looking at any change in the colour of the party representing them. Unlike the national trend, the area will continue to be represented by the Conservative candidates who have been re-elected. Nus Ghani for Sussex Weald with 34.1% of the vote, a reduction of 29.6% and Kieran Mullan (who replaced Huw Merriman)with 33.9% of the vote which was a drop of 27.9% from the last election for Bexhill & Battle.

Meanwhile elsewhere – Eastbourne saw the ousting of Caroline Ansell (Con) in favour of Josh Barbarinde (LibDem) who gained 52.1% of the vote and in Hastings & Rye the constituency gained a Labour MP in the shape of Helena Dollimore who received 41.6% of the vote.

Helena Dollimore former Heathfield Community College student wins Hastings & Rye

Helena is a former pupil of Heathfield Community College. She addressed the 2011 Labour Conference whilst an A level student and highlighted cuts to education in her address. Her next stop was St Hilda’s College, Oxford University where she became chair of the Oxford University Labour Club. After University she worked for Save the Children and during the pandemic she trained as a vaccinator with St Johns Ambulance. By July 2022 her thoughts had turned to politics in earnest and she put herself forward as a candidate for selection and the rest is now history.