This year, our annual charity organic cream tea, hosted in our garden in Hastings Old Town, is raising funds for Sustenance. Sustenance is the community kitchen and food bank set up by my stepdaughter Rima Sams, which is now a registered charity (known as Karmabank in its previous incarnation).

Rima and her team of hard-working volunteers work tirelessly to offer a delicious and nutritious meal each Thursday at Jackson Hall in St. Leonards-on-Sea, together with a bag of fresh food and store cupboard basics for each attendee, which is generously donated by local supermarkets and collected by the volunteers (at night, after the stores close!). The bags are prepared each Thursday morning.

The lunches have helped to build a strong community for those who come along, while the bags of groceries are helping to lift many deserving individuals and families from a wide range of backgrounds out of food poverty. Do visit www.sustenance.org.uk for more info and to watch a really moving short film about their work.

May we take this opportunity to thank our own volunteers who help with the fundraising event itself – we have hosted as many as 250 individuals in our back garden, serving scones, jam, cream and bottomless tea, and it is wonderful to be able to share our beautiful garden and to raise money for good causes via everyone's efforts.

If you can't be with us, do please consider making a donation.