Cheek2Cheek, Brighton’s LGBT Ballroom and Latin Dance Club are to compete at the European Same-Sex Dance Championships in Blackpool.
A team of five couples are taking their show dance, first performed at Cheek2Cheek’s Annual Ball last January, to Blackpool, the home of Ballroom and Latin dancing.
Choreographed by Robb Singer, Cheek2Cheek’s professionally trained dance teacher, the show dance team’s routine, which includes the paso doblé, waltz, foxtrot and quickstep, is based on the music tracks from the film Victor Victoria.
The competition to be held in June, draws entrants from all over the world and is being organised by the Sugar Dandies, Soren and Bradley, the openly gay ballroom dance couple seen on Britain’s Got Talent.
The team, all amateur dancers, attend the Brighton based dance club held every Tuesday in Brighton. New members are always welcome, with or without any prior experience, and no partner is required.
For more information about the competition, CLICK HERE:
For more information about Cheek to Cheek, CLICK HERE:
Jan Gooding has been unanimously and formally confirmed as Stonewall’s new Chair of Trustees.
Jan Gooding, Photo: VisMedia
She succeeds Jacqueline Davies who retires after serving as a trustee for nine years and as Chair of Stonewall since 2012. Jan will work closely with Acting Chief Executive Ruth Hunt to continue expanding Stonewall’s work here in Britain and around the world challenging homophobia and prejudice in every walk of life.
Speaking about her appointment Jan said:“While modern Britain has made great progress to ensure equality in law there is still much to do to make the daily experience for gay people here, and in many other countries, free from abuse, rejection and at times violence. As the new Chair of Stonewall I want to use the fundamental legal underpinning, secured over 25 years of committed campaigning by this remarkable organisation and many others, to continue the campaign for true equality.”
Acting Chief Executive Ruth Hunt said:“Jacqueline Davies has had a fantastic nine years as a Stonewall Trustee and we’re incredibly grateful for all her hard work. I, and everyone at Stonewall, are really excited about working with Jan to continue expanding our work. We know that there is still so much work to do to secure full equality here in Britain and right around the globe.”
Jan has been a Stonewall trustee since April 2013 and is currently group brand director at Aviva which she joined in 2008. In her role she is responsible for the brand, marketing and social media strategy reaching 34 million customers in the 15 markets that make up the Aviva Group.
Stonewall was awarded charitable status in 2003 and since then has been at the forefront of securing significant legislative advances for lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Britain. In that time the charity has launched an Education for All programme to tackle homophobic bullying in schools and colleges and has grown membership of its Diversity Champions programme for major employers to 670 organisations, who employ six million people between them.
Conservatives remain united for local elections in 2015.
Cllr Geoffrey Theobald re-elected leader of the Conservative group
Cllr. Geoffrey Theobald has been re-elected unopposed for the third year in a row as Conservative Leader for the forthcoming municipal year at the Group’s AGM.
The Group’s two deputy leaders Woodingdean Ward Councillor, Dee Simson, and Wish Ward Councillor, Garry Peltzer Dunn were also re-elected without challenge.
The Conservative Group is the Official Opposition on Brighton & Hove City Council, holding 18 out of the 54 seats. Cllr. Theobald became Group Leader following the local elections in May 2011 and is the longest serving of the three Party Leaders on the Council.
Cllr. Theobald said:“I am delighted that my colleagues have given me the honour of leading the Conservative Group for the fourth year and I would like to thank them for their continued support. Unlike the other two political groups I have a united team behind me and we are confident as we begin the countdown to the 2015 local elections.”
Cllr Dee Simpson
Cllr. Simson added:“It is great that my Group colleagues have given me another vote of confidence and I look forward to repaying their faith in me. Both the Green and Labour Groups seem to be riddled with internal divisions at the moment and so I think that residents will appreciate having the choice, in the Conservatives, of a focussed and united party with a clear purpose for 2015.”
Cllr Garry Peltzer Dunn
Cllr. Peltzer Dunn concluded saying:“I have thoroughly enjoyed being the Group’s Deputy Leader for the past three years and so I’m delighted to be able to continue in the role. The countdown to 2015 begins now!”
On July 7, The Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT) celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Since 1989 AKT has supported lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) young people aged 25 and under who are homeless or living in a hostile environment.
Cath Hall, a foster carer based in Manchester, was already aware of the rejection and ejection of young LGBT people from their family homes and was spurred to action following the tragic death of Albert Kennedy on Sunday April 30, 1989.
Albert was 16 years when he tragically fell to his death from a multi-story car park in what is widely regarded as a homophobic hate crime. Albert was very much loved by his family, but whilst spending some time in a children’s home he experienced rejection and homophobia from other residents, and sought solace in Manchester’s gay village. Albert’s mum, Mary, is a very proud supporter of AKT’s work.
Cath decided to set up a trust in Albert’s name to provide safe homes for LGBT young people who had faced rejection from their families and from society at large. Initially providing safe spaces with volunteer carers in Manchester, the Trust now works in three cities (London, Manchester and Newcastle) providing mentoring, advocacy and training as well as safe homes with carers and within our own Purple Door project.
On the Trust reaching its 25th Anniversary Cath said:“I had a vision, a passionate vision, that no young LGBT young person should live in fear at home. Like a baton, that vision had to be passed on.
“Over 25 years passionate and dedicated LGBT men and women have taken up the baton to ensure that thousands of young people have been touched by that dream and could live in safety, or with guidance, into adulthood. “
Albert Kennedy Trust at Pride
In order to commemorate Albert’s life and the work being undertaken in his name AKT are asking users across social media to use the hash tag #rememberingalbert on the 25th anniversary of his death.
Supporters can also send the special text giving code “ALBT25 £10” to 70070 to give the Albert Kennedy Trust £10, and help them continue their work helping young people made homeless purely for being brave enough to come out.
To celebrate the 25th Anniversary the Trust has commissioned a new logo to highlight the milestone which, from today (April 30), will be used across the website, social media and promotional material throughout the 25th Anniversary year.
A number of special events will also take place including a Lord Mayor’s Reception in July, the AKT Party which will give the opportunity for supporters to host their own fundraising event in September and the Young Person’s Question Time in July which will give young people the opportunity to ask questions to housing ministers and shadow ministers.
Tim Sigsworth, Chief Executive of The Albert Kennedy Trust, said:“My hope for the next 25 years is that AKT will no longer be needed. I hope that society will reach a level of equality and fairness where young people are accepted by their families and mainstream provision truly recognises and meets their needs. Until then AKT intends to grow to meet need nationally”
Brighton Pride 2014 and the Wild Fruit Dance Tent has been supersized, and returns to Preston Park this year bigger than ever before.
With a new added capacity of up to 8,000, the Wild Fruit Dance Tent will be home to happy, dancing Pride goers who can dance till 10pm as the Pride festival enjoys extended opening hours.
Admission to the Wild Fruit Tent will now only be restricted in the unlikely event of adverse weather conditions or overcapacity issues, so this year you can once again party with Wild Fruit at Pride without the queues.
The supersized Wild Fruit Dance tent will feature a unique celebratory mix of amazing DJs, lights, lasers, surprise PA’s and glorious go-go dancers.
DJs who’ve put the party into Brighton Pride over the past twenty years have included Fatboy Slim, Boy George, Prok & Fitch, Mr Haywood, Steve Pitron, Mark Doyle and Maze & Masters as well as local wonder girl Dulcie Danger.
2014 will deliver yet another unbeatable line-up of DJs whose sole aim is to soundtrack Brighton’s finest of days.
From noon until that final one more tune moment at 10pm you can expect the most magical of Pride celebrations in 2014.
Watch this space for DJ and PA announcements and get ready to put your hands in the air for Pride. The Wild Fruit Dance Tent 2014. Supersized, super fabulous and filled with Pride love.
What: Pride Brighton & Hove 2014: Freedom To Live
Where: Preston Park 12noon – 10pm.
When: Saturday, August 2
Tickets: £9 /£12.50 Early Bird tickets Sold out.
Discounted £15 advance (first release) until end of May, then £17.50 in June /£20 in July and more on the day.
Mike Weatherley, Intellectual Property Adviser to the Prime Minister and the Conservative MP for Hove and Portslade, is calling for advertising to be cut to websites that host illegal material, which he says will effectively shut them down.
Mike Weatherley, MP for Hove and Portslade
Mike, a strong backer of the newly-formed Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), which tackles Intellectual Property (IP) crime across the country, has been working with officers from the specialist unit and the Intellectual Property Office to draw up a strategy for tacking websites that host copyrighted material, such as music and films.
Mike is expecting that a report on the IPO’s deliberations will be available in early June. As part of this review, Mike is working with WhiteBullet and other anti-piracy companies on a voluntary code with major brand advertisers as a first step. The next step will be to tackle advertisers that do not sign up to the voluntary code, which are generally those representing products which are unaffected by whether or not their brand is associated with illegal activity.
Mike is also hosting a session on ‘Follow the Money’ at the forthcoming IPO ‘Respect for IP’ conference on Wednesday June 11, plus planning to host an advertising event on the subject in Parliament on Tuesday, June 24.
Mike said:“Following the money is central to my campaign to tackle IP crime. It’s quite straightforward in that the primary driver for individuals hosting websites with illegal content is money. By cutting off this significant revenue stream, it is inevitable that thousands of websites will simply close down. While the music and film industries have been slow to adapt to the digital market, there are now a plethora of cheap and simple ways to get content legally.”
Readers of G3 and Out in the City magazines have voted Pride in London 2013 the Event of the Year.
The Award was announced by Charlie Condou and Sophie Ward and presented by Dan Gillespie Sells at a ceremony at the Landmark Hotel where winners in other categories included Joey Barton, Paul O’Grady, Heather Peace, Jane Hill and Tom Daley.
Pride organisers say this is “an incredible vote of confidence in voluntary organisation Pride in London”, who took over delivery of the event in 2013 and have won this award straight out of the blocks in their first year of delivery. It’s also a tribute to the small army of volunteers who make Pride in London possible as stewards on the day, by running events as part of the festival or by planning the event in collaboration with the London authorities.
Planning for Pride in London 2014 is now well advanced but there are still lots of opportunities for individuals and organisations to get involved.
Chair of Pride in London Michael Salter said:“We’re delighted that our first year organising Pride has been judged so positively by our community. I am immensely proud of the hundreds of volunteers who make Pride possible and I hope that this recognition will encourage others to join us. There are so many different roles available that there really is something for everyone.
“I also hope that organisations will step forward to put on events as part of the Pride Festival. It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase your work or talent to a wider audience, find new supporters or new audiences and show the world the power and achievements of London’s LGBT community.
“Despite being run by volunteers, it still costs a lot to deliver Pride in the middle of one of the greatest and busiest cities in the world. So if you can support us through our exciting crowdfunding campaign or work in an organisation that could sponsor Pride, we’d love to hear from you. Visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/freedomto to find out more.”
To help Pride with their crowdfunding campaign to raise £25,000, CLICK HERE:
London LGBT+ Community Pride is a Community Interest Company (CIC) appointed by the Mayor of London to deliver Pride in London from 2013 to 2017. It is run by volunteers and any surplus made can only be used for future Pride events or distributed as grants to LGBT+ community causes.
Patrons of Pride in London are: Sir Ian McKellen, Martina Navratilova, Sir Elton John and David Furnish.
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