Sussex Outreach Support CIC (SOS) is delighted to welcome the installation of a brand-new electric vehicle (EV) charger at Etchingham Station – a development that not only benefits local residents and visitors but also marks a significant step forward for our mobile outreach work.
EVCharger@theBistro, located directly outside the popular Etchingham Station Bistro, was officially unveiled on 18th June. The charger was made possible through a partnership led by Southeastern, with additional funding from de Etchingham Community Interest Company (CIC) and Rother District Council. This is the first publicly available EV charge point in the village, and it offers rapid CCS charging up to 50kW as well as Type 2, 22kW charging. It is accessible via contactless payment and can be found on the Zapmap app.
At Sussex Outreach Support, we are particularly excited about this development as it will directly support the rollout of our new electric mobile unit. Thanks to recent Levelling Up funding, SOS will soon be operating a fully electric, multipurpose mobile support hub—bringing health, wellbeing, and community services to rural and isolated communities across Rother. Having reliable local charging infrastructure like this means we can base some of our activity in Etchingham with confidence, and continue to deliver services sustainably and efficiently.
Colin Phillips, Chairman of the CIC, shared the wider vision behind the new charger:
“The CIC believes a publicly available EV Charging Point at the Station will benefit residents of the village, customers of the Bistro, and visitors to the area. We have worked hard with Southeastern, UK Power Networks and others to make this happen.”
Peter Stapleton, Head of Facilities at Southeastern, echoed this sentiment:
“We very much value the CIC’s presence and involvement at Etchingham, and the addition of a public EV charging point is further demonstration of our commitment to the station and wider Etchingham location.”
At SOS, we are proud to be part of a community that is forward-thinking and committed to practical climate action. The integration of green infrastructure like EV charging points is vital to ensuring rural communities are not left behind in the transition to cleaner transport.
We look forward to using the new charge point to help power our mobile outreach work—and encourage residents and visitors alike to enjoy the benefits of this excellent new facility. And yes, we’ll definitely be stopping in at the Bistro for a coffee while we charge!
