Hastings Direct hosted an evening of celebration this week as it marked 20 years since the first motor policy was sold in January 1997.

Gathering at Bexhill’s De La Warr Pavilion, local councillors and business owners, charities and education partners joined colleagues from the general insurance provider to raise a glass to the company and its achievements over the past two decades.

Through various owners to its recent successes, including being listed on the London Stock Exchange and becoming the 178th biggest company in the UK, Hastings Direct has always kept its colleagues and community at the heart of what it does. As well as being one of the biggest employers in the area with over 2,700 colleagues, the company has also raised over £1,000,000 for charitable causes within a local radius of their locations, over the past 20 years.

CEO Gary Hoffman spoke to guests about the importance of the local community and the support Hastings Direct offers to the local area. He said;

“We have achieved many successes as a company over the last 20 years but one of the things we are most proud of is our relationship with our community. We get fantastic support from councils and our partners, - which we are really grateful for - and I hope we give back as well. We’ve got some great community programmes, from supporting our charity partners via colleague fundraising through to practical and financial assistance via our Hastings Direct Community Fund and our education programme Be the Change with Bexhill Academy. We’ve come a long way in 20 years and we’re really proud as a team of what we have achieved and we couldn’t have done it without the support of our local community.”

Cllr Carl Maynard added;

“As a community we are proud to be part of the success of Hastings Direct. The company has always, and continues to support the local area and we really value Hastings Direct as a cornerstone in terms of providing local employment and value to the area. We look forward to continuing our work with Hastings Direct and to be part of their ongoing success.”

During the event, Barby Keel, one of Hastings Direct 2017 charity partners, was presented with their quarterly donation cheque. Raising money through colleague fundraising events over the past three months, Gary Hoffman proudly handed over a cheque for £2,500. Dom’s Food Mission, Hastings Direct’s other charity partner, also received the same amount.