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Stand Up for local charities: Charity Chuckle for Peer Action!

Brighton’s best comedy fundraiser celebrates its 5th Birthday tonight with TV comedy stars and Chris from Gogglebox.

Jen Brister
Jen Brister

The show features Jen Brister, John Pendal, Suzy Bennett and more all raising money for local HIV+ charity, Peer Action. One of Peer Action’s supporters is currently Brighton’s most famous resident, Chris from Gogglebox! 

Charity Chuckle promoter Kerry said: “I was getting my hair dyed as per instruction from the nuns many moons ago (‘When you leave convent school you can dye your hair sky-blue-pink, until then it’s brown’) when I got chatting to the hairdresser with the gifted multi-coloured fingers. He was about to film a new thing called Gogglebox later that night and his tan was still settling in. Neither of us knew he was on the brink of stardom! When I told Chris about my monthly comedy fundraiser and he told me about the charity he’s involved with, it was as if a lightbulb exploded above both our heads. We got someone else to change it of course, and here, now, is Charity Chuckle for Peer Action! And to top it off, my hair was such a brilliant pink that I got a round of applause on the bus.”

Peer Action identified that within the HIV community in Brighton and Hove, people are feeling isolated and low in self confidence from lack of peer support. Peer Action has been established to encourage and empower individuals living with HIV to value their health and wellbeing while minimising the impact of loneliness and anxieties.

What: Charity Chuckle for Peer Action!

Headliner: Jen Brister

Compere: Suzy Bennett

Supporting Acts: John Pendal, James McDonnell, Sha Wylie, Dan Fardell

Where: Komedia, 44-47 Gardner St, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1UN

When: Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Tickets: £10 and £5 concessions from the Komedia Box Office

To book online, CLICK HERE:

Labour candidates demand action over the neglect of the Aquarium terraces

Labour’s Council candidates for Queen’s Park Ward in next year’s Brighton and Hove Council elections, Karen Barford, Dan Chapman and Adrian Morris are demanding answers over the future of the Aquarium Terraces site on Madeira Drive.

Queens Park Labour Candidates

This is in the heart of a major area for tourists and has become a public eyesore with units being left empty, windows broken and areas boarded up.

Adrian, will be presenting a question to the Economic Development & Culture Committee on Thursday (June 19).

He said: “With the summer holidays fast approaching we need to see the Aquarium terraces site cleaned up and sorted out. So residents and tourists, who come to the city, can enjoy the area surrounding the pier.

“Last year tourists were forced to see rubbish piled along the streets due to the Green Councils disastrous handling of the bin strike. Business and residents should not pay the price for the Green Council’s mishandling of the sea front and I hope my question on Thursday will force action.”

Local photographer opens new studio

Freelance photographer Nick Ford realised his ambition at the weekend with the opening of his new photographic studio.

Cllr Denise Cobb, Deputy Mayor of Brighton & Hove declares Nick Ford Photographic Studios open
Cllr Denise Cobb, Deputy Mayor of Brighton & Hove declares Nick Ford Photographic Studios open

Cllr Denise Cobb the Deputy Mayor of Brighton & Hove was on hand to officially declare the studio open and Nick’s new business venture up and running.

Located in one of Brighton’s up and coming areas, Oxford Street is part of the Mary Portas Pilot Project which helps regenerate town centres. His studio is sandwiched between London Road and the newly developed Level area and provides studio space for portraiture, exhibition and office space.

Nick has been a freelance photographer for a number of years and does much work with the LGBT community through singing with the Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus.

His photographic work ranges from family and group portraits, weddings, civil partnerships, pet portraits, charity events and parties right down to passport photos, head shots and location work.

For more information, CLICK HERE:

Nick Ford Photography

 

 

 

 

Thank you from the Rainbow Fund

Rainbow Fund

“I am writing on behalf of the Rainbow Fund to publicly thank our supporters for their recent donations.

“May saw an all-star cast come together at Legends for the spectular Bobby Davro cabaret evening. Much time and effort was put into arranging the event by Lee Tracey, for which we are very grateful.

George Montague, the ‘oldest gay in the village’ is kindly supporting the fund through the publication of his memoirs. He is one of the real characters of our community and it is so good of him to think of us. Robyn Rainbow also pledged support from her Artists Open House, which is also great of her.

“The Brighton Bear Weekenders are gearing-up for another annual bear-fest later this month. They have again supported us via the ‘Saints & Sinners’ night at Subline. We wish the guys all the best for this year’s event, it has become one of the best weekends of the year.

“The LGBT Community Safety Forum kindly held a street collection for us at the IDAHOBIT event in May. Thank you.

“Charles Childs and the team at Doctor Brightons are supporting the Rainbow Fund throughout the year, and again we are grateful for their ongoing fundraising for us.

“If I have missed anyone, I will write again next month, but thank you to each of these for helping to fund our summer grants round. Finally, of course, all this has meant a busy time for our volunteers, again to whom I am grateful. If anyone thinks there is no such thing as community anymore, just take a look at what happens here in Brighton & Hove.”

Paul Elgood: Chairman of the Rainbow Fund

 

 

Heather Peace brings a ‘Rainbow Crossing’ to Madeira Drive

Actress, musician and local resident, Heather Peace unveils Europe’s first Rainbow Crossing on Madeira Drive in Brighton today.

Heather Peace
Heather Peace

Created overnight by local artists, the rainbow stretches across the road at the artists’ quarter of Madeira Drive and is hoped to attract hundreds of people keen to see Europes first rainbow brick road.

Julieanne Gilburt and street artist Cassette Lord led the creation of the crossing artwork alongside a team of artists from the JAG Gallery and the Modern Gallery on Madeira Drive.

Julieanne said: “We’ve loved creating the rainbow crossing. It’s a beautiful message and a perfect addition to the artists’ quarter on Madeira Drive. We hope everyone will come down and enjoy it.”

Heather is also celebrating the release of We Can Change, her new song championing equal rights and celebrating LGBT Pride month. We Can Change features on her second studio album, The Thin Line, which is released today.

Heather has appeared in the top ten of the Independent On Sunday’s Pink List twice, graced the cover of DIVA Magazine more times than any other artist and headlined Sydney Mardi Gras’ Fair Day.

She’s also a patron for Diversity Role Models, Manchester Pride and a supporter of The Peter Tatchell Foundation, The Albert Kennedy Trust, Womankind and Stonewall.

Heather will be performing at various Pride events this summer, including Brighton Pride on August 2 before embarking on her own UK tour in October.

Over recent years, Rainbow Crossings have become synonymous around the world as a celebration of diversity. The first crossing was launched in West Hollywood in 2012 by artist Martin Duvander, who said that they were a milestone for the LGBT movement:

Martin said: “The sheer impact and the enormous visibility of the global message they send are truly immeasurable.”

Since then, official crossings have been unveiled in cities including Sydney, Melbourne and Tel Aviv, while unofficial DIY crossings have popped up in places like Moscow, Paris, Shanghai and Cambodia as marks of protest and solidarity for LGBT people.

Heather, says: “I knew there could be no better place in Europe to create a ‘Rainbow Crossing’ than in my home town of Brighton. ‘We Can Change’, is my big gay anthem. It’s an empowering tribute to equality and I wanted the crossing to be a beautiful symbol to represent that during LGBT Pride month. It’s a gift from me to anyone that embraces diversity.”

 

Lottery bid makeover for Volk’s Railway

Brighton & Hove City Council wins a successful first round bid from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Volks Railway

The money will help restore the historic Volk’s Railway and provide new and upgraded facilities.

Volk’s Railway, which runs for a mile along Brighton seafront from the Brighton Pier to Black Rock, opened in 1883 and is the oldest operating electric railway in the world. Since opening teams of council staff with support from dedicated volunteers have kept the railway running right up until the present day.

The funding will be used to:

  • Provide a purpose-built heritage visitor centre at the Aquarium station to tell the story of Magnus Volk and his pioneering railway
  • Create a conservation workshop to protect the historic carriages, enable restoration work to be viewed, and provide training for volunteers to develop their skills
  • Restore and bring back to use three of the original carriages (numbers 4, 6 and 10) which will increase capacity on the railway
  • Develop new learning materials and schools sessions

Following this initial success, the council will now draw up detailed plans to submit to the HLF for round two next year. In the meantime HLF has awarded the council a development grant of £96,000 to develop the scheme further.

As long as plans have progressed satisfactorily and according to the original proposal, an award for the project is confirmed. The total amount of funding will be around £1.5 million and the project is expected to be finished in 2017.

Simon Kirby, MPSimon Kirby, MP for Kemptown & Peacehaven and a long term supporter of the railway, said:  “It is fantastic news that the Heritage Lottery Fund has chosen to provide £1.54 million towards the rejuvenation of Volk’s Electric Railway.”

“The visitor centre and conservation workshop will attract even more tourists to the local area, as well as providing learning materials and schools sessions to educate and engage local children. I look forward to seeing this stage of restoration completed in 2017”

Cllr Geoffrey Bowden
Cllr Geoffrey Bowden

Councillor Geoffrey Bowden, chair of the city’s economic development and culture committee, added: “Volk’s is truly unique, part of Brighton & Hove’s heritage and a wonderful attraction, so this funding success is fantastic news. We can now give the railway the tender loving care it deserves and provide an even better experience for visitors and school parties. It’s also a tribute to staff and volunteers, past and present, whose dedication has kept the railway on track for 131 years.”

Peter Williams, spokesperson for the Volk’s Electric Railway Association (VERA), concluded saying: “We are delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has recognised the historical and national importance of Magnus Volk’s railway by awarding this substantial grant.  There is now the opportunity of restoring the railway to it’s former glory and to finally say goodbye to the old, draughty and leaking train storage sheds.  VERA looks forward to developing the project with the council over the next three years.”

 

Big Lunch birthday celebration a huge success!

Lunch Positive celebrated its 5th birthday on Saturday with a community lunch at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church.

Lunch Positive

Around 120 friends, supporters, members and volunteers came along and joined in the festivities. The Mayor and Mayoress of Brighton & Hove each gave a short speech, mentioning the invaluable contribution made by volunteers, the importance of community, and the need for good social support.

Qukulele
Qukulele

Qukulele and The Rainbow Chorus gave uplifting and fun performances and everyone joined together to share a hot and cold buffet, all prepared by Lunch Positive volunteers.

Rainbow Chorus

Gary Pargeter, Volunteer Project Manager: “We all had a great day celebrating with our friends and supporters, and we hope that everyone enjoyed sharing time with us. It means a lot that such a wide range of people came along and joined in. It was great to see friends old and new, supporters, colleagues and people from other HIV and LGBT groups and organisations.

“Our first five years have flown by! Starting up a new organisation, remaining authenitic, continually improving and becoming sustainable is all made easier and more enjoyable through the support we’ve received from the wider community.

“Lunch Positive is provided entirely by volunteers. The contribution made by our volunteers in every aspect of our work is amazing. Over five years our volunteer team has given 25,000 hours of time, delivered 256 lunch sessions, and undertaken 1,900 hours of community event support and fundraising. Our volunteers truly are a special, hard-working, committed and fantastic group. Thank you to all of them, and everyone who supports what we do.”

For more information about Lunch Positive, CLICK HERE:

THT
THT
Allsorts Youth Project
Allsorts Youth Project

Lunch Positive

Lunch Positive

Sam Bailey stars in The Brighton Pride Finale Show

Diva extraordinaire and current X Factor winner Sam Bailey will be performing on the main stage at Brighton Pride.

Sam Bailey

Having captured the hearts of the nation with her spellbinding X Factor audition rendition of Beyonce’s Listen, Sam went on to win the tenth series in 2013.

Since then Sam has topped the charts with her single Skyscraper and her debut album The Power Of Love as well as performing on the X Factor Live Tour and supporting Beyonce on the UK leg of The Mrs Carter Show World Tour.

Not bad for a married mum of two who before her X Factor audition was working as a prison officer in Leicestershire!

From her early days working on cruise ships and at festivals, Sam always followed her dreams and never lost faith in her talent, believing there was always a chance waiting for her. The X Factor became her dream maker, shining a light on her remarkable talent as a singer.

Pride programming director Dulcie Weaver, said: “We are thrilled to have secured Sam Bailey for Pride this year especially as she is expecting a new baby! Sam not only has an amazing voice, but is one of the most popular winners of X factor. She is such an inspirational hard working woman.”

Sam’s performances on the X Factor Live Finals were some of the most memorable in the show’s ten year history climaxing with her live finale duet with Nicole Scherzinger making Sam, X Factors untimate dreamgirl!

Tickets sales for Pride this year are running ahead of all expectations and with more businesses helping Pride with fundraising the organisers hope they can really smash last years total donated to the Rainbow Fund.

What: Pride Brighton & Hove 2014: Freedom To Live

Where: Pride Festival Preston Park

When: Saturday, August 2

Time: 12noon – 10pm.

Tickets: £9 /£12.50 Early Bird & £15 first release advance tickets have sold out. £17.50 advance second release available in June /£20 in July and more on the day.

Simon Kirby MP expands poppy project to Peacehaven and Telscombe Town Councils

Following the success of his poppy planting project, Simon Kirby, MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, has expanded the project to include Peacehaven and Telscombe Town Councils.

Simon Kirby Poppy Planting project

To commemorate the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, Simon Kirby shared thousands of poppy seeds with both the Town Councils, so that they may distribute the seeds in various public areas across the two towns.

Simon said: “I have already received overwhelmingly positive feedback for my poppy planting project, with many constituents contacting me with their thanks, and sharing stories of family members who fought in the First World War.

“I am pleased that by expanding the project in this manner, public areas in Peacehaven and Telscombe Cliffs will be covered in poppies, so that residents can join me in commemorating those who died in the First World War on August 4.”

Why ‘Pride Matters’ to David Harvie from Brighton Bear Weekender

David Harvie explains why Pride Matters to him.

David Harvie, Brighton Bear Weekender
David Harvie, Brighton Bear Weekender

“I joined a group in Brighton about four and a half years ago and nervously went along to meet them at the start of the pride parade to wish them well. Some friends from the group insisted I march along with them and I reluctantly agreed. It turned out to be one of those days in life that made me look at things from such a different persective.

“I couldn’t believe the feeling and acceptance, I got from the crowds as we marched the route towards the park. The noise, the admiration, the atmosphere was amazing and I was so glad that I taken up the opportunity to march.

“Going though that experience made me feel so welcomed by my fellow LGBT brothers and sisters as well as everyone else. After the experience of pride that year it inspired me to get involved in making sure that the message of Pride and the LGBT community always goes forward and never backwards, and everything that we have fought so hard for, carries on to make life better and easier for generations to come.

“Pride inspired me, let it inspire you this year. “

 

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