You can walk on hot coals for the Sussex Beacon on 13 November

The Sussex Beacon^1,3 is holding a fire walk at its home on Bevendean Road on Friday 13 November. Walkers go barefoot across a path of coals that the charity says are heated to over 500°C, and the money raised supports people living with HIV across Sussex.

Registration costs £25, and each walker commits to raising at least £150 in sponsorship. You have to be 18 or over. The charity says spaces are limited.

Nobody needs to train. Arrive at 5.30pm for registration and refreshments. Firewalk UK, the team running the walk, then gives a mandatory seminar from about 6.30pm, and the walk starts at around 8pm.

Wear something casual so you can roll up your trousers and take your socks off easily. The charity suggests bringing flip-flops or slip-on shoes for afterwards, and a warm layer for standing outside. There’s no set fitness level, but anyone with a health condition should tell the charity before registering and ask their medical team.

Parking on site is limited, because part of the car park is used for the walk. Street parking on Bevendean Road is free after 6pm that Friday. The 37 and 37B buses serve the Beacon, and Moulsecoomb station is about a 20-minute walk.

The Beacon’s clinical unit closed in January 2025, when its contracted funding came to an end. The charity plans to reopen it fully on 23 March 2027, with six beds for HIV palliative care and its spare beds given over to care for the LGBTQ+ community.