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‘Oh What A Lovely War’

The Great War, the war that was supposed to end all wars, began one hundred years ago.

Oh what a lovely war

More than 16 million soldiers and civilians died in the ensuing carnage. To mark the anniversary, Southwick Players are presenting Joan Littlewood’s ground-breaking Oh What A Lovely War. Told using songs from the period, the show is both a scathing attack on the futility of the conflict and a moving testament to the bravery of the men from both sides who made the ultimate sacrifice.

What: Oh what a lovely war presented by the Southwick Players

When: Wednesday March 5 – Saturday March 8 (Matinee 8 at 2:30pm)

Where: The Barn Theatre, Community Centre, 24 Southwick Street, Southwick, West Sussex

Time: 7.30pm

Cost: £12

Box Office: 01273 597094

On-line booking: http://www.southwickplayers.org.uk

E-mail: info@southwickplayers.org.uk

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thesouthwickplayers

New visitor services at Brighton Centre box office

Brighton’s largest new Visitor Information Point (VIP) is located at the Brighton Centre box office.

Brighton Centre

The VIP is now offering the following range of services:

• Accommodation bookings for Brighton & Hove

• Train tickets throughout the UK

• National Express tickets throughout the UK

• Discounted tickets for Brighton Sea Life Centre and the Toy & Model Museum

• Discounted joint and triple tickets covering the Royal Pavilion, Sea Life and Brighton Wheel.

• Tickets for the Original London Sightseeing Bus

The Brighton Centre was one of eight new venues to become a VIP in October 2013, when the Royal Pavilion information centre closed.

The city now has a network of 10 staffed information points across the city located at:

• Brighton Centre Box Office

• Jubilee Library

• Thistle Brighton Hotel

• St Paul’s Church (West Street)

• Churchill Square Shopping Centre

• Brighton Hotel (corner of Kings Road / Bedford Square)

• The Old Market (off Western Road on Brighton / Hove border)

• Royal Pavilion Shop

• Brighton Toy & Model Museum

• Brighton Pier

Cllr Geoffrey Bowden
Cllr Geoffrey Bowden

Geoffrey Bowden, chair of BHCC’s Economic Development & Culture Committee, says: “It’s great news that the Brighton Centre is now able to offer this enhanced range of services which should be of benefit to both residents and visitors. Staff have been fully trained and can provide comprehensive information on the various attractions and events taking place in the city as well as making direct bookings.

“Our aim is to build a sustainable raft of visitor services that’s in line with how people access their information before and during their trip to the city. There’s no doubt that online activity is increasingly important to people but we want to ensure all our visitors are catered for and face-to-face service hasn’t completely gone out of fashion yet.”

VisitBrighton, the city’s official destination marketing body, is currently recruiting volunteers for its City Champions scheme, similar to the one operated in London during the 2012 Olympic Games, to give visitors a personal welcome to the city.

The City Champions will be on the streets from April at locations of high visitor footfall, including the seafront, Brighton train station and around the Pavilion Gardens area, to offer maps and assist visitors with directions and information.

Changing Attitude Sussex public meeting at the Chapel Royal, Brighton Monday, January 27

Changing Attitude Sussex, the organisation committed to telling the truth about Christian teaching on homosexuality, have organised a public meeting to discuss the Pilling Report.

Changing Attitude SussexThe event, which will be led by the Rev’d Colin Coward, Director of Changing Attitude England, will be a discussion of the recent Church of England ‘Pilling Report’ on homosexuality and the Church and will take place at the Chapel Royal, North Street, Brighton on Monday, January 27 at 8pm.

Keith Sharp
Keith Sharp

Dr Keith Sharpe of Changing Attitude Sussex said: “The first same-sex marriages will take place in a few months’ time. But our national church will not perform them.

“The Pilling Report has recommended that individual churches might be allowed to provide some sort of post-ceremony blessing, but even this is being bitterly opposed by some sections of the Church. What is to be done? Come and be part of the discussion.”

Entry is free and everybody is welcome.

Event: Discussion about the Pilling Report on Homosexuality and the Church

Where: Chapel Royal, North Street, Brighton

When: Monday,  January 27

Time: 8pm

Grayson Perry dresses down for Palace appearance

English potter and artist Grayson Perry chose to wear a stylish midnight blue dress and a wide brimmed ostrich-feathered hat when he received his CBE from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace last week.

Grayson Perry receives CBE

Grayson known mainly for his ceramic vases was awarded the Turner Prize in 2003. His vases have classical forms and are decorated in bright colours, depicting subjects at odds with their attractive appearance. There is a strong autobiographical element in much of  his work, in which he often appears as “Claire”, his female alter-ego.

The flamboyant cross dressing potter said the award was recognition for “30 years of hard graft”.

Grayson once described his alter-ego Claire as “a cross between Katie Boyle and Camilla Parker-Bowles”.

When reminded of this at the ceremony, he said:  “This is my Italian mother of the bride outfit.”

Grayson’s wife, the psychotherapist Philippa Perry and their daughter Flo both attended the investiture,

For more information about Grayson’s work, CLICK HERE:

 

 

Trans Needs Assessment call for evidence

In 2013 Brighton & Hove City Council published the results of a Trans Equality Scrutiny Panel which recommended that a needs assessment be undertaken to identify the needs of the trans community. 

Brighton & Hove Council

The term transgender, or trans, is used as an umbrella term to describe people whose gender identity differs from their assigned sex at birth.

The lead role for the needs assessment was assigned to Public Health guided by a multiagency Steering Group which has members from key agencies, commissioners and community group representatives.

The aims of the needs assessment are to:

  • identify the unmet needs and the assets of the trans community
  • identify evidence and best practice and the extent to which this has been implemented in Brighton & Hovemake
  • recommendations to commissioners, providers and  others in order to improve the lives and outcomes of trans people

A key part of the needs assessment is to gain a picture of what is happening locally in terms of general services and also to understand the specific issues for the trans community.

To download the guide and submission form, CLICK HERE:

The deadline to submit evidence is Friday, March 7, 2014.

To submit evidence or if you have any questions, email, along with the completed submission form (if possible) kate.gilchrist@brighton-hove.gov.uk

Wanted! Artists and Makers

Last call for entries for Brighton and Hove’s Artist Open Houses Festival 2014.

Open HousesThe deadline for registration for Brighton and Hove’s Artist Open House Festival 2014 is fast approaching. Any artists and makers wishing to exhibit at this year’s Artist Open Houses have until February 5 to register their venue (the deadline for normal/lower entry rate closes on January 28).

Anyone can take part in the festival – whether you are a well-established artist or maker or just starting out, a school or college student or marginalised artist. Painters, print makers, graffiti artists, textile artists, furniture makers, film makers, photographers, sculptors, crafts and jewellery makers are all welcome! The Artist Open Houses offer the chance to sell your artworks directly to the public.

To open your own house you need to be within the 01273 telephone code area. If you are a guest artist in someone else’s house, you can live outside Brighton. If you don’t have a house then you can use the listings service available on the AOH website to match artists with houses.

Judy Stevens, Festival Director, says: “The Artist Open House Festival is calling out to all artists and makers, however established you are, to register for the 2014 festival. Let’s make it the biggest and best festival yet!”

The 2014 Artist Open Houses festival will take place in Brighton, Hove and beyond over the four weekends of May 2014. The largest event of its kind in the UK, the Artist Open Houses Festival will see over 225 houses and studio spaces across the city opening their doors to exhibit the work of 1200 artists and makers.

Any artist or maker who takes part in the Artist Open Houses will also be eligible to submit work for The Open Houses Open Exhibition 2014, a curated open submissions exhibition showcasing some of the most exciting work from the festival. The Open Exhibition will be shown in the Regency Town House upstairs Drawing Room.

All artists exhibiting in the Artists Open Houses festival are invited to submit works, which this year should respond to the Open Houses Open Exhibition @RTH theme of ‘Translations’. A prize of £300 will be awarded to the Artist of the Year, who will also become next year’s Artist Open House brochure cover artist and be offered an exhibition at The Old Market in Hove during next year’s festival.

To register with the Artist Open Houses, CLICK HERE:

 

‘Kreepy Walks’ enter third season

Being the second most haunted city in the country after York it is not surprising that Brighton has more than one ghost walk.

Kreepy Kemptown Tours
In 2012 actor Adrian J Andrews founded the Kreepy Kemptown Ghost Walks. Adrian had for many years been fascinated by things Paranormal and says it was a natural decision for him to combine his drama school training with his interest in things spooky.
“It’s been a fascinating journey” says Adrian, “I love history, especially local history, and my research for the tour has more than satisfied this side of my nature. I feel that I am personally involved with past generations of Kemp Town, and that’s very special.”
Last year Adrian was invited to host ghostly events in Lewes and Worthing, and after staging last year a tribute to television’s Most Haunted Live, he and his team were asked to front a new Ghost Hunting television series.
“These are very exciting times” says Adrian, “I am now working with a first class medium, a brilliant historian, an incredibly experienced technician and a team of people with real stage presence. We have a host of incredible places lined-up for investigation and all this puts me in a privileged  position to be able to answer any questions that are thrown at me on the tours.”
Kreepy Kemptown Ghost Walks is currently the longest tour of it’s kind in Brighton (lasting well over two hours) and commences again on February 8.  The tours set-off at 7.30pm every Saturday from The Queen’s Arms, 7 – 8 George Street, Kemp Town and continues until December 20.
There is no need to book in advance, just turn up on the night. The Box Office opens at 7pm and tickets cost £8 for Adults, £4 for Children, £5 for Concessions and £20 for a family ticket which entitles two adults and two children to partake.
For more information, view Facebook: Kreepy Kemptown Ghost Walks

Drop in the unemployment figures

Simon Kirby, MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, welcomes sharp fall in UK unemployment figures from 7.4% to 7.1%.

Simon Kirby MP
Simon Kirby MP

The number of people unemployed fell by 167,000 in the three months to November; the biggest fall since 1997 while the number of people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance fell by 24,000 to 1.25 million.

There was more good news for young people in Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, with another drop in youth unemployment to 3.3%, down from 5.3% in May 2010.

Mr Kirby said: “Today’s announcement on unemployment is more encouraging news for people in Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven. I am particularly pleased that local youth unemployment has fallen yet again in my constituency, and young people are seeing real benefits from the economic recovery.

“This week the IMF announced that the UK is the fastest growing major European economy, and upgraded our economic growth forecast  from 1.9%  to 2.4%. The Government’s economic plan is working, but there is still much to do to ensure people in Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven continue to see the results.”

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