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BOOK REVIEW: The Up Stairs Lounge Arson

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The Up Stairs Lounge Arson by Clayton Delery-Edwards

This grim but absorbing read covers the events of June 24, 1973, when a fire in a New Orleans gay bar killed 32 people.

On Gay Pride Day in 1973, an arsonist set the entrance to a French Quarter gay bar on fire. In the terrible inferno that followed, 32 people lost their lives, including a third of the local congregation of the Metropolitan Community Church, their pastor burning to death halfway out a second-story window as he tried to claw his way to freedom. This is a riveting account of a forgotten moment in gay history.

For more information on the fire, click here:

It still stands as the deadliest fire in the city’s history and the largest mass killing of LGBT people on American soil.  Though arson was suspected and the police identified a likely culprit, no arrest was ever made. Additionally, government and religious leaders who normally would have provided moral leadership at a time of crisis were either silent or were openly disdainful of the dead, most of whom were gay men.

For more information on the Author, click here:

Based upon reviews of hundreds of primary and secondary sources, including contemporary news accounts, interviews with former patrons of the Lounge, and the extensive documentary trail left behind by the criminal investigations, Delery-Edwards has done some serious reconstructive work and tells the story of who used this bar, what happened on the day of the fire, what course the investigations took, why an arrest was never made, and what the lasting effects have been.

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An astonishing, alarming, disturbing book, not only for the level of details, the horrific attitudes of the people of the city but also the way it changed the LGBT political landscape in America and still has lasting affects to this day, I was aware of the fire but not of the unpleasantness surrounding it, the case, the city’s attitude or the problems it still caused. It opened my eyes, and I’d recommend anyone with an interest in LGBT activism, institutional homophobia and religious intolerance to take up this book and read it.

Out now £15.99

Paperback

From all good online retailers or from the Publishers website here:

 

 

Bath Tourism shares development vision and visitor survey results at annual members’ forum

Hard on the heels of the recent announcement that the south-west is to receive  £5 million in government funding for tourism, Bath Tourism Plus (BTP), the destination marketing organisation for Bath and the surrounding area, hosted hundreds of local businesses at the annual Bath Tourism Plus Members’ Forum.

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THE event, which took place on Tuesday, March 10 at Komedia in central Bath, was an opportunity for the BTP team to share marketing plans and its vision for the future with local businesses and partners in and around Bath.

David James, recently appointed as Chief Executive of Bath Tourism Plus, took centre stage and announced that following the £5 million investment across the south-west, Bath will be well placed to benefit from some of the spend.

He said: “The main theme of the day was working in partnership and how, as the UK’s leading Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO), we run a series of highly successful marketing initiatives and events, most notably the Bath Christmas Market and the Great Bath Feast, that directly encourage footfall and overnight stays in the city of Bath.

“These are very exciting times for Bath Tourism Plus, especially with the announcement of further funding in the south-west as well as the appointment of a new Head of Marketing for Bath Tourism Plus.

“Our marketing activity is specially designed to support our partners and drive even more business into the local economy; in 2013 alone, Bath attracted 967,000 staying visits from UK and overseas visitors, plus an impressive 4.8 million day visits. Bath also generated an estimated £405 million of visitor spend in the local economy. 10% of jobs in BANES are tourism related, that’s equivalent to 9,300 jobs.”

To a packed auditorium, Bath Tourism Plus also announced key findings from the Bath Visitor Survey 2014, which was conducted by the South West Research Company Ltd.

Diane Goffey, from the South West Research Company Ltd, explained: “The last survey was undertaken in 2010 and so the latest set of results provide up-to-date profiles of visitors and identifies new emerging trends in the profile of tourism in the city.

“One of the overwhelmingly positive messages coming out of the 2014 survey findings is visitors’ high level of satisfaction with their overall experience in the city and the fact that a very high proportion of them would go on to recommend it as a place to visit to their friends and family.”

Key findings from the Bath Visitor Survey 2014 include:

•      44% of visitors were on a day trip whilst 55% were overnighting

•        75% of groups to the city contained adults only

•        39% of visitors were aged 55+

•        73% of visitors were categorised as ABC1’s

•        77% of visitors were on a leisure/holiday visit to the city

•        83% of staying visitors were using serviced accommodation

•        Average length of stay was 2.47 nights

•        Average length of a day trip to Bath was 5 hours 21 minutes

•        58% of visitors were on a repeat visit to the city

•        54% of visitors arrived by car, van or motorcycle

•       8% of visitors were visiting as part of an organised group/coach tour

•        Visitor spend per head was calculated at £57.81 per person

•        92% of visitors rated the overall enjoyment of their visit to Bath as ‘high’ or ‘very high’.

Highlighting another success story of the year, the BTP team and Bath BID also announced new changes to the already successful Bath App including car parking availability as well as a film and heritage trail.

To read a copy of the Bath Visitor Survey 2014, click here: 

For more information about things to see and do in Bath, click here:

 

Nancy pledges to become ‘Arthritis Champion’ for Kemptown & Peacehaven

Nancy Platts, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, has agreed to become an Arthritis Champion, supporting Arthritis Research UK in its efforts to find a cure for arthritis.

Nancy Platts
Nancy Platts

SHE will also call for policy change to prevent its onset and transform the lives of people who have musculoskeletal conditions.

Musculoskeletal conditions include osteoarthritis, back pain and osteoporosis. People with these conditions often experience a great deal of pain and loss of mobility. Over 10 million people in the UK have a musculoskeletal condition.

By agreeing to become an Arthritis Champion, Nancy Platts has pledged to:

  • campaign to make musculoskeletal conditions a public health priority
  • fight to ensure that people with arthritis get high-quality care at the time that they need it
  • champion the UK’s leadership role in medical research.

Nancy Platts, said:

“I am delighted to become an Arthritis Champion. Musculoskeletal conditions affect a huge number of people and are a significant cause of disability in the UK. These are painful conditions which can have a massive impact on every aspect of people’s lives.”

Dr Liam O’Toole, chief executive officer of Arthritis Research UK, added: “I’m delighted that Nancy Platts has become an Arthritis Champion. We need her help to champion the needs of people with arthritis both nationally and locally.

“Our Arthritis Research UK manifesto sets out an exciting vision for the future of musculoskeletal conditions. We are calling for policy changes to support the prevention, transformation and cure of musculoskeletal conditions. There is much that can be done but we can’t do it alone. We need to work in partnership to put the needs of people with arthritis on the political agenda and transform the lives of people living with arthritis.”

 

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