Last month, Lunch Positive celebrated its 4th birthday and National Volunteers Week. The lunch club for people with HIV achieves on-going growth and the number of people going along and joining the project each week keeps increasing.
Recently Lunch Positive served its 10,000th meal, everyone provided entirely by volunteers.
The project aims to provide a safe and welcoming community space where people can find friendship, peer support and share a healthy and affordable meal.
In the last year a team of 27 volunteers gave a total of 5,200 hours to the project.
Volunteer Project Manager, Gary Pargeter, said:
“It feels a fantastic achievement to have celebrated four years and now to be entering our fifth. We provide a unique service locally, one which despite improvements in HIV treatments shows that there remains a need for a space where people can meet – helping cope with the often complex social and psychological impact of being HIV positive. We’re also seeing more people in unexpected or enduring financial hardship – and it’s rewarding that we are able to help support people with a regular healthy meal in these circumstances. Everything positive which happens at the lunch club is a result of the support people provide one another, from the tremendous efforts of volunteers in delivering the service every week, to the welcome, encouragement and support members give one another when they come along.”
For more information, CLICK HERE: www.lunchpositive.org
MindOut for Laughs returns once again to the Komedia this year on Wednesday, July 31 at 7.30pm for “another night of polished Pride entertainment” featuring Dolly Rocket, Debra Jane Appleby, Marilyn Munroe, Qukelele, Julie Jepson, the Actually Gay Women’s Chorus.
One of the community highlights of the lead up to Pride each year, this years show is present and hosted by the lovely Cat Harding.
In ancient Greek mythology there was a race of people living on an island somewhere in the Aegean Sea who ate nothing but lotus flowers and lived a wonderful, sybaritic and relaxed life. This is a myth, or is it? I had never been to any of the (nearly) 3,000 islands of which 170 are inhabited, but I think that Mykonos comes pretty close to that ideal lifestyle.
Mykonos became popular with the gay community about 40-years ago as there were very few holiday destinations where we could go and really relax. It fell out of fashion when places like Ibiza and Fort Lauderdale became popular; but today it is back where it belongs, right at the top of the gay holiday hot spots. Just under four hours from Gatwick it’s a really beautiful place with a laid-back lifestyle, and although the Greeks officially have no money they seem to be doing pretty well.
Mykonos Town is a fascinating maze of tiny streets and alleys. They suggest that you wander around and get lost, we did, but it isn’t really that big. The economy depends to a large extent on tourism which is about 60/40 gay/straight.
Every day a large cruise liner docks in the bay (spoiling the view) and offloads up to 3,000 tourists who flood the town and spend money at the hundreds of little shops selling all the usual souvenirs. There are plenty of highly priced designer shops including a brand new Louis Vuitton store who are there to help if you feel the need for a new handbag at 1am.
There are half a dozen or so gay bars, some very noisy – Jackie ‘O is one, to the quieter Lola’s and the Piano Bar which attracts a mixed fashionable crowd and offers a great range of cocktails. The rumour that this island is expensive is another myth; it’s no dearer than anywhere else. A beer costs 4.50€, about £3.60, and a cocktail 8€, no dearer than at home, but meals in most restaurants are really reasonable, around 20€-25€ for a decent meal with wine.
Be warned, if, like me you have an aversion to cigarette smoke you’ll find that the EU regulations are ignored and smoking is allowed in many of the bars and restaurants, which was the only problem we found on this lovely island. By the way they don’t pay taxes either, but that’s another story. On the plus side there is hardly any crime or drugs.
There is a huge range of accommodation from self-catering apartments to upmarket hotels. We stayed initially at the Town Suites, a very quiet building with four very lovely fully equipped apartments, right in the heart of the town. We had our own private balcony, large sun terrace, TV and an excellent kitchen. The flat was provided by the Mykonos Accommodation Centre which is owned and run by Belgian ex-pat John van Lerberghe. John has been on the island for 30 years, living the dream and he knows just about all there is to know about gay Mykonos.
Leto Hotel
There are no major international hotel chains on most of the Greek islands; the hotels are invariably family run and all the better for that. Our next stay was at the LetoHotel on the sea front, which was the first large hotel on Mykonos, built in 1955 and whilst in need of a slight re-vamp was absolutely great. It has all the facilities you would expect from a four star hotel, with a dining area and bar by the palm fringed pool. The rooms were large and airy with balconies, and the staff were very friendly with everyone speaking good English. The food all over the island was excellent with fish dominating, but we had some terrific pork and veal. Dinner at the Leto came close to being marvellous.
The famous Paradise and Super Paradise beaches whilst still very popular are now quite commercialised with buses running frequently from the town to both. SuperParadise is in a truly stunning setting and they have just built a new club/bar with pool overlooking the beach, which is very popular with the boys. The newest ‘in’ place is Elia Beach, which is a large sandy bay with sun beds, umbrellas and bars with the gay nudist section at the far end just around the low headland. There are a couple of hotels on the beach. One of the loveliest I have ever seen was the Arte & Mare Elia Suites, a knockout small boutique hotel in a fantastic setting. Sadly we weren’t staying, but the low season price of 90€ per night was almost a giveaway, and they offer free transport into town (20 minute drive) so you don’t have to miss any of the atmosphere. This hotel is running a series of six gay beach parties throughout August and September.
The gay hotel on Mykonos is, without doubt, the Elysium, which is a very modern five star gay resort hotel perched high above the town with great views. It’s run by Vassilis, who, when it comes to gay Mykonos, is your man.
Mykonos was and is once more a real party island. With the six beach parties on Elia Beach, the Elysium Hotel hosts the S-Clash Pool Party on September 1, which runs all night. By far the biggest gay event is the Xlsior Festival with an impressive programme running from August 22-26. Now in its fourth year it goes from strength to strength and last year attracted thousands of gay visitors over the five days.
Mykonos is now one of the most affordable holiday destinations in Europe and it’s a fantastic time to visit the Greek islands. It’s getting cheaper day-by-day to visit Greece as travel firms scramble to fill hotels and planes, so there are some amazing bargains around. Go Greece, Go Gay, Go Mykonos!
Mazloom, a play based on true stories of young refugees, will play at The Marlborough Theatre, Brighton on Friday, July 5 at 7.30pm.
Presented by Royal Holloway, University London and the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, Mazloom is a portrait of a young refugee, alone in London, whose life is being torn apart by the impending prospect of deportation to Afghanistan, where indiscriminate violence and Taliban intimidation await.
Hamish Jenkinson, Director of Old Vic Tunnels, said:
“Mazloom is a tender and honest piece of the human story behind an issue that is so often reduced to statistics and political manifesto soundbites.”
The Dutch love their Royal Family possibly more than we love our own. Every year since 1948 they have celebrated their Queen’s official birthday on April 30 (or April 29 if it falls on a Sunday) with parties all over the country. It was always known as Koninginnedag(Queen’s Day) and Amsterdam always went slightly crazy, with parties on every canal and in every street. This year Queen Beatrix announced that she was going to abdicate in favour of her extremely handsome 46-year-old son Willem-Alexander. This was the signal for the biggest party they have ever staged and although we go to Amsterdam every year this was something we were not going to miss!
This endearing if slightly crazed Dutch national holiday marks the birthday of Beatrix’s mother, Juliana, and Beatrix chose to celebrate her birthday on the same date. From next year it will be known as King’s Day which will be celebrated on April 27, although next year that falls on a Sunday so it will be celebrated on April 26. It is the only day in the year when the Dutch are allowed to sell whatever they like, wherever they like, which essentially means the country becomes one giant street market. That one of world’s greatest mercantile nations should choose to celebrate its monarch’s birthday by staging a national car boot sale is, somehow, pleasing.
We watched most of it on television; the abdication ceremony itself was very moving, a mother handing over to her son. Then it was the swearing in of the new King, and although they don’t crown anyone, they do have a rather nice crown, which is not worn, and so it isn’t a coronation although to all intents and purposes that’s what it is. It took place in a church but there was no religious ceremony. In the Netherlands, monarchs are not crowned but invested as heads of state.
Most of the European crowned heads were there, dressed for the occasion. We sent Charles alongside Camilla, who looked fabulous, almost queenly.
King Willem & Maxima
The new King and his stunning Argentinean wife, Maxima, looked every bit the part. The entire country has fallen in love with her, she is regal glamour personified. They have three very young children, all girls, who headed all the formal processions: very touching.
The Royal Family in the Netherlands are related to just about every other monarch in Europe. Through his seven times great-grandfather Jan Willem Friso, Prince of Orange, King Willem-Alexander is a cousin of Margrethe II of Denmark, Albert II of the Belgians, the Grand-Duke of Luxembourg, Harald V of Norway, Juan-Carlos of Spain, Albert II of Monaco, and our own Queen Elizabeth II making him 889th in line to the British throne, meaning Charles and William don’t have to worry.
Roger and partner Mike
And so after all the formal stuff came the party, and wow what a party. They say about a million people were in the city that day wearing orange as it’s the national colour and the Royal Family’s name is Orange-Nassau. Literally every street had a market and a band and, of course, a bar. We had never experienced anything like it with thousands of people simply enjoying themselves. There were quite a few happy drunks but no problems, no unpleasantness, no republican riots, no fights.
Most people were wearing orange crowns, hats, all sorts of fancy dress or had their faces painted, orange of course. It was just lots of orange joy. There was a huge, mainly free, open air concert on the Museumplein, with approximately 70,000 people watching the show directed and hosted by Andre Rieu, the world famous Dutch violinist.
There are plenty of museums and art galleries, and this year was the re-opening of Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum after a ten-year renovation. It’s the star in the city’s crown but just a glance at the huge queues made us think about visiting in a few years time.
The gay scene is as busy as always. Nowadays we favour the Barderij on Zeedijk, a typical Dutch gay bar with a very mixed, friendly crowd. Opposite is the De Engel Van Amsterdam which attracts a slightly older clientele, but the venues are very close and the evening crowds tend to merge. Don’t rely on the internet for up to date information on gay venues, simply go into one of the VVV tourist offices where they all speak English and are always very helpful. The main VVV office is opposite central station
Eating in Amsterdam isn’t a problem as there are hundreds of good restaurants. In the centre of the city there is a strong emphasis on oriental cuisine, but for traditional Dutch and excellent international food in an old fashioned setting De Haven van Texel is very hard to beat. It is right behind the Barderij on Sint Olofsteeg and it shares the same views as the two oldest canals in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam never fails to charm and excite. Don’t forget to book early for the first King’s Day on April 26, 2014. It will be a ball!
Scarlett’s Roses, a live pop-ska band hailing from South London, will be taking to the main stage at this year’s Brighton Pride on Saturday, August 3.
With influences ranging from calypso, reggae, 2-tone and a sprinkling of Britney, the band’s honest lyrics and catchy melodies will be a perfect fit for the party in Preston Park.
Scarlett Rose, the band’s front woman, said:
“We are unsigned and do absolutely everything by ourselves. We opened Manchester Pride last year, which was incredible! Pride is an event we feel really strongly about and we go to every year.”
The Icons On The Park event at Preston Park features on the main stage artists including: Alison Moyet,Paloma Faith (DJ set) , the original Sugababes (MKS), Stooshe and Mz Dynamite.
Regular attractions on the park this year include: The Community Line Dancing Tent, Girls Tent, Women’s Performance Tent, Legends Cabaret Tent, Calabash Tent, Wild Fruit Dance Tent, Community Village and fun fair.
In the Devonshire Theatre and Talking Scarlet’s latest offering, a 1960’s Marc Camoletti farce called Boeing Boeing, we get to live the impossible dream: well, someone’s impossible dream anyway, but probably not yours or mine.
Bernard (Ben Roddy) is a successful architect living in a nice apartment in Paris. He’s the sort of man who wants it all, and it seems he’s getting his wish. Using his ‘bible’, the international flight timetable, he manages to fit three women in his life, all air hostesses, and all believing that they’re engaged to him.
There’s Gretchen, the aggressive German one; Gloria, the confident American one; and Gabrielle, the sexy French one. With help from his sanguine housekeeper/maid, Bertha (Anita Graham is the spit of Janet Street-Porter with a grey pigtailed wig, lurid mustard tights and a very advanced case of pigeon toe), he juggles the women, using a carefully worked out system of jotting down times and dates in a notepad (we are back in the 60s, remember).
Into this mix is thrown two things: Robert (Philip Stewart), an old school chum of Bernard’s who appears out of the blue, and a new flight timetable. Boeing jets are being upgraded and are much faster than they were, leaving his note-taking scheme all awry. What’s a playboy to do? Keep calm and carry on, so Bernard thinks, though Robert and Bertha have their doubts as to his scheme’s continuing feasibility.
The fact that there are five doors off the minimalist living room set would have given you a clue that this was a farce even if you hadn’t glanced at the programme, and very soon people are jumping into or being pushed through said doors at an alarming rate, as one girl after another appears before her ‘allotted time’.
Much is made of the girls skimpy attire (all three are – barely – dressed in the primary colours of their respective airlines), although this isn’t an in your face issue. This is the new ‘toned down farce’. I can imagine what an original production of this play would have been like and I shudder but here we have a few leers at boobs and bums, a couple of chaste kisses, and the hint of a hard-on. The action is concentrated less on what the girls look like and a lot more on the men making arses of themselves. Robert, especially, goes to great lengths to hide his pal’s secret polygamy from the girls and you wonder why after all this time he’s suddenly turned up and become such a loyal friend. Could it have anything to do with Robert being jealous of Bernard’s lifestyle? You bet it could.
Belligerent Bertha (“I’m a cheerful soul at heart. I like a bit of fun”) mopes around in the first act like a sardonic wet weekend, while Robert uses a red C-shaped foam chair to comedic purpose. He jumps on it, flips it over, curls up on it, uses it as a trampoline and ends up sprawling. It is, in fact, a great prop, and Stewart is fantastic at this type of comedy. He’s the one your eye is drawn to, not the dolly birds in bum-skimming skirts.
It’s not devoid of emotion either, although these affairs of the heart are a bit on the shabby side. Gradually, as the second half develops, we can see how it’s going to end not quite on a happy note, but in a loose ends nicely tied up sort of conclusion. It’s a little cheap, but this is isn’t Chekhov.
The piece isn’t played at lightening speed, but the pace is just fast enough, and director Patric Kearns holds the cast back nicely. These sorts of affairs can go over the top so very easily, but he reigns it all back and keeps it (excuse the airline pun) grounded.
I can guarantee this most sophisticated thing you’ll see all year – unless your only other theatre outing is a panto – but for what it is, a silly but clever farce for an undemanding audience who have forgone the evening Eastbourne sunshine, it works perfectly. It’s theatrical chewing gum: it tastes nice for the duration, but you’re quite glad to spit it out when it’s job is done. Oh, and Bernard lets a soda syphon off and you can’t get more classic farce than that!
What:Boeing Boeing by Talking Scarlet
Where: Devonshire Park Theatre, Compton Street, Eastbourne
When: Until 13 July at 7.45pm with Wednesdays and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm
The Festival of Neighbourhood is staging a series of Queer events during July and August in London.
The first, Queering Voices, takes place Thursday, July 11-Saturday, July 13 and is three days of performances and discussion exploring the queer community and different perspectives on gender, love and sexuality. The weekend is curated by renowned drag fabulist and gender disillusionist, Dickie Beau, and includes the London premiere of his own show Lost in Trans, as well as the world premiere of Le GateauChocolat’s In Drag, and Filth, a night of cabaret with a dirty twist hosted by Scottee.
The weekend will also include a day of talks and debates around the themes of gender, alternative families and sexuality on Saturday, July 13.
Dickie Beau
Dickie Beau, said:
“The idea behind Queering Voices is to celebrate and also investigate ideas of queerness, not only in relation to sexuality, but also in the broader and deeper sense of embracing a range of outsider perspectives and creating a platform that brings together the popular and the experimental, in a showcase of cabaret, drag and performance art.”
The second, Vauxhall Bacchanal, takes place Saturday, August 10- Sunday, August 11 and is two days of talks, shows and workshops created by The Royal Vauxhall Tavern to celebrate the vibrant neighbourhood of Vauxhall.
The Festival of Neighbourhood takes place from Saturday, June 1-Sunday, September 8 and asks what makes a perfect neighbourhood through a colourful range of activities, events and installations.
For more information and for full listings, CLICK HERE:
As part of its comprehensive housing strategy the Government is investing £235million to bring empty homes back into use and help meet demand across the country.
Last month details of the latest round of funding were announced, which will see £61millon going to successful bidders and bring around 3,200 properties back into use as affordable accommodation.
Local MP, Simon Kirby has welcomed the Government’s latest efforts to help thousands of people buy their own home.
Simon’s constituency of Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven could benefit from over £1.66 million in funding which has been allocated to Brighton and Hove City Council, Phase Social Enterprise and Sussex Central YMCA.
Simon said:
“Making the most of our existing housing stock is vital if we are to meet the housing challenge we face in this country. I am pleased that the Government has acknowledged the problem of empty homes and cut their number by 40,000 since 2010.
The latest round of investment brings total funding for the Empty Homes programme to £235million. I am delighted that this money will benefit organisations in my constituency and support the aspirations of people in Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven who want to buy their own home.”
Brighton & Hove Libraries are calling for LGBT writers and performance poets both new and experienced to perform at Pride, on Saturday, August 3 in the first ever Pride Literature and Spoken Word Tent, alongside National and Local Prizewinning Authors.
If you want to prepare yourself to show off your talent or write something new to perform then go along to their FREE writing workshops where you can hone up your skills for writing and performing:
July 24 – Lewes Library 1.30-3.30pm
July 24 – Allsorts Youth Project (16-25only), 6.30-9.30pm
July 25 – Brighton Marlborough Theatre, 7.00-9.00pm
This event is brought to you by your libraries in Brighton & Hove & East Sussex and is funded by the Arts Council England.
The Icons On The Park event at Preston Park features on the main stage artists including: Alison Moyet,Paloma Faith (DJ set) , the original Sugababes (MKS), Stooshe and Mz Dynamite.
Regular attractions on the park this year include: The Community Line Dancing Tent, Girls Tent, Women’s Performance Tent, Legends Cabaret Tent, Calabash Tent, Wild Fruit Dance Tent, Community Village and fun fair.
Mazloom, a play based on true stories of young refugees, will play at The Marlborough Theatre, Brighton on Friday, July 5 at 7.30pm.
Brighton & Hove Libraries are calling for LGBT writers and performance poets both new and experienced to perform at Pride, on Saturday, August 3 in the first ever Pride Literature and Spoken Word Tent, alongside National and Local Prizewinning Authors.
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