The Seaton Chamber Summer Newsletter 2025

Seaton Shipshape returned for it's 3rd year

This past spring, Seaton Shipshape returned for its third successful year, bringing the community together for another round of impactful activities.

Highlights included a beach clean in partnership with Clean Jurassic Coast CIC, a town centre tidy-up, and the funding of a full gutter clearance across the town centre. While this year's town clean-up was carried out on a slightly smaller scale, this was an intentional decision to ensure all necessary permissions were properly secured.

Marsh Road Toilets

The toilet block in Marsh Road was put up for auction by EDDC back at the beginning of May. We placed a bid of up to £35,000 to purchase the toilets for the town. Our goal was simple – to safeguard the site for community use, provide much-needed toilet facilities at the northern end of the town, and create a secure base for our growing market – including essential storage space for our traders.

What made this possible was the generosity and belief of our local community. The £35,000 was pledged as interest-free loans from a small group of anonymous Chamber Committee & members with the intention of fundraising to repay them once the site was secured. This speaks volumes about the passion people have for keeping Seaton thriving and independently supported.

We hoped to bring the building back into use, completely free from local authority control, and ensure it remained open and accessible to all – traders, residents, and visitors alike.

Unfortunately, we were outbid at auction (final figure 60k). While that’s a disappointment, we want everyone to know that we’ll always do our best to act in Seaton’s interests – and this was one more example of us trying to take real action for the town’s future.

We don’t yet know who the successful bidder is – but we sincerely hope the site continues to be a benefit to Seaton. Or who knows… maybe someone’s bought it for us to run!

Christmas Light Switch On

We proudly organised and delivered a hugely successful and well-attended Christmas Light Switch-On event that brought festive cheer to the heart of Seaton. The town came alive with joy as the whole community joined in the celebrations, featuring the primary school choir, Seaton Scouts, and the local football club. A highlight of the evening was the presentation of two special awards: Mark Hammett was honoured as Seaton’s Local Legend of 2024, and Ted Gosling was awarded the Glowing Angel Award in his memory—a heartfelt tribute to his lasting impact on the town.

As part of the festivities, we also arranged for over 40 Christmas trees to be placed in holders throughout the town, each generously sponsored by local businesses. A huge thank you to all who supported this magical event!

Seaton Independent Market

Launched in September 2024 with just 8 traders, our independent market has quickly grown into a vibrant hub for local creativity and enterprise. In just a few short months, the market has welcomed over 50 unique traders, drawing in talent from across the region – from as far a field as Exeter, but predominantly from nearby towns like Sidmouth, Axminster and Colyton.

The market has not only provided a platform for local artisans and small businesses but has also sparked inspiring success stories. One trader has since opened their own shop while another launched a successful pop-up store.

Several local shop owners have also joined the market using the opportunity to showcase a wider of different range of products while continuing to run their high street stores. This cross promotion helps bring variety to the market while supporting the wider retail community of the town.

A huge part of the market’s success is down to our team of 10 dedicated volunteers who help with everything from setting up behind the scenes to supporting traders and visitors on the day. A special mention must also go to the market organisers, Caroline Ziemann and Amy Bonser who have worked their socks off to get the market up and running!

The market team are always on the lookout for volunteers, so if this is something that interests you, please do contact us for more information.

Independent Trader Initiative

We’ve launched the Independent Trader Initiative to shine a well-deserved spotlight on the fantastic independent businesses that help make our town unique.

Through regular features on our social media channels and website, we’ve been celebrating the passion, creativity, and dedication of our local traders.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to announce that plans are underway to launch the very first Independent Trader Awards—a chance to formally recognise and celebrate their contributions to our community.

Seaton Pirate Festival 2026

We are organising our first ‘Seaton Pirate Festival’ coming in Spring 2026 but we need your help to make it a success.

It is our vision to create a free to attend fun weekend involving the Seaton community. The activities will take place on the Seaton seafront and the Axmouth Harbour. We plan to have live music, street entertainment, market stalls and much more.

We are seeking help from any individual, band, entertainer, youth group, community group, pub, venue, business, school, and any other organisation to create activities for all ages. You can raise funds for your community group by organising and running your activity with a pirate theme and we just ask that you to work with us to co-ordinate the details.

So, if you’d like to be part of the organising committee, volunteer as astreet marshal, contribute with sponsorship, or would like to take part then please do get in touch with us.

Send an email to us at: piratefestival@seatonchamber.org

Interactive Town Map

We’re currently in the planning stages of developing an interactive town map, which will first launch on our website—with the long-term goal of introducing digital interactive signage throughout the town. 

This map will allow all our members to showcase their businesses, helping both visitors and locals easily discover what each has to offer. It’s an exciting step towards improving visibility for local traders and enhancing the overall visitor experience in Seaton.

Seaton becomes an official coach-friendly town

At our recent meeting, Town and District Councillor Del Haggerty shared the exciting news that Seaton has officially been recognised as a Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) Coach Friendly Town.

This prestigious designation firmly places Seaton on the map as a welcoming and accessible destination for coach tourism, helping to boost visitor numbers and support the local economy. Councillor Haggerty has been championing this initiative since before the pandemic, and we’re delighted to see his hard work come to fruition.

Fosseway Court

We have recently learnt of the sad news that the building development at Fosseway Court has been stopped due to various reasons. We have spoken to the developer who has informed the relevant people who are affected but does not want to make any further comments currently. Hopefully, the sight will be a good investment for someone to take on and finish in the near future.

Searchlight Building

The searchlight building on West Walk was sold back in 2018 for £72,500 but has been left in a derelict state ever since. We have tried to contact the owners of the building but have not yet had any response.

A Plea for Membership

We couldn’t have achieved all we have in recent years without the incredible support of our members.

Everything we do is made possible through membership fees, and we’re proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish together. If you’re not already a member, we warmly invite you to join the Chamber— for just £4.16 a month for businesses and £2.08 a month for individuals and community groups. 

Joining is quick and easy: simply visit our website, complete the online form, and make your payment securely by card. Prefer to pay monthly by standing order? No problem—this can be set up with your bank in less than a minute.

It takes less than 30 seconds to join, but your support makes a lasting difference.

• Independent Markets, Windsor Gardens: 26th July, 30th August, 27th September. 9.30 – 3.30. Outdoor and indoor stalls.
• The Hideaway: Beats by The Beach: August bank holiday weekend (poster below for more information)
• Christmas Light Switch On: 29th November 4-7pm
• Christmas Late Night Shopping: Friday 5th December 5-7pm. Spend £5 in a local shop and be entered into a prize draw!

If any of our members have any events they would like us to advertise on our website and social media, please send the information into to us at info@seatonchamber.org