Pestalozzi site up for sale as charity pulls out of Sedlescombe

The Pestalozzi International Village has been put up for sale as the charity begins to wind down its 60-year-old operation in Sedlescombe.
Pestalozzi Village, Sedlescombe. SUS-180919-124457001Pestalozzi Village, Sedlescombe. SUS-180919-124457001
Pestalozzi Village, Sedlescombe. SUS-180919-124457001

The 138 acre site, in Ladybird Lane, includes 36,500 sq ft of existing buildings, including student accommodation and conference rooms.

Pestalozzi supports high achieving, but low income, students from some of the most disadvantaged communities in the world, providing scholarships to enable them to complete high quality secondary education.

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The students then use their new skills to make their home countries a better place.

Pestalozzi Village, Sedlescombe.

Sue Walton CEO SUS-180919-124259001Pestalozzi Village, Sedlescombe.

Sue Walton CEO SUS-180919-124259001
Pestalozzi Village, Sedlescombe. Sue Walton CEO SUS-180919-124259001

The charity announced this summer that the current students will be the last to stay at the village. A lack of funding is being blamed for the decision to sell the site.

Susan Walton, CEO at Pestlaozzi, said: “Throughout the years we have had to adapt to changing economic, regulatory and political environments, transforming and improving the ways in which we deliver the charity’s objectives.

“Our programme evolved in the late 1990s to support high achieving but low income young people through the final two years of their secondary education.

“Pestalozzi has had a fantastic record of doing this.

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“Funding, however, has always been an issue. Pestalozzi’s staff and trustees are determined to continue to inspire young people to make a difference in the world but we have had to take some difficult decisions about how we do that bearing in mind the level of income we have.

“As a result we are selling the estate in Sedlescombe and the current group of 16 second year students will be the last to be resident in the village.

“However, we will continue to provide scholarships to amazing young people from around the world albeit taking a different and more sustainable direction – away from hosting young people in the UK.

“We will also be looking to make more of a global impact through the set-up of a small development fund. This will enable alumni from the current programme to access small amounts of seed capital to help them set up social enterprises or charities providing employment and opportunities in their home communities.

“We will of course continue to raise funds through our current programmes in line with our charitable objectives.”