A solo show of paintings and drawings by Mel Evans.
Event: WHILE: An exhibition of painting and drawings by Mel Evans
Where: Brush: 84 Gloucester Road, Brighton BN1 4AP
When: July 4-30
Time: Tuesday – Saturday 10am – 6pm
Day: July 3, 2015
PREVIEW: Odd Shaped Balls – Tackling Homophobia In Sport
“His name is Jimmy Hall. He plays with odd shaped balls. So put your bums against the wall, here comes Jimmy Hall…”
Rugby player, James Hall, has the world at his feet. Yet despite having a steady girlfriend and a promising career, his life is about to be turned upside down.
This funny and poignant one-man show tackles issues of homophobia and sexuality in sport and the pressures of intrusive media attention.
With his life crumbling around him, does James have the courage not only to be true to himself, but also to be a role model for others?
Odd Shaped Balls is supported by Northern Pride, Pride Sports and Newcastle University Alumni Association. All profits will be given to International Gay Rugby, a charity which eliminates discrimination on the grounds of sexuality and promotes good health through the playing of rugby.
Plane Paper Theatre returns Odd Shaped Balls to Edinburgh Fringe after working closely with writer Richard Sheridan to re-devise and refine this critically acclaimed script.
Director, Andrew Twyman, said: “With the Rugby World Cup this year and the Scottish LGBT Sports Charter being released in May, now couldn’t be a better time for Odd Shaped Balls to grace the stage. We are excited to bring this innovative piece of work to Fringe and to promote such a relevant issue with it.”
Writer Richard Sheridan explains his inspiration for the piece: “Odd Shaped Balls began for me when an openly gay fresher from my rugby team was cornered by his captain on a night out, and told not to bother returning. It wasn’t until later I learnt how much he was affected. He felt unwelcome, not just by the team, but by the sport and culture. A sport and culture, which I loved because of how accepted it made me feel. After some research in to the likes of Welsh rugby hero of Union and League, Gareth Thomas, a stage play titled Odd Shaped Balls was penned”
Produced by: Ellie Claughton
Directed by: Andy Twyman
Starring: Matthew Marrs
Shortlisted for: Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award
Event: Odd Shaped Balls – Tackling Homophobia In Sport
Where: Space Triplex (Studio), the Space UK: The Prince Phillip Building, 19 Hill Place, Edinburgh EH8 9DP
When: Monday, August 17, 2015 – Saturday, August 29, 2015
Time: 7.30pm
Tickets: £9.00 / £7.00
To purchase tickets online, click here:
Gatwick ‘come on board’ with Brighton Pride 2015
Gatwick Airport is sponsoring the main stage at Brighton Pride this year as the historic festival celebrates its 25th anniversary with the theme Carnival of Diversity.
Award winning Brighton Pride, the biggest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) event of its type in the UK, traditionally attracts over 250,000 people, and £13.8m of revenue to the city over the ‘Pride weekend’.
According to statistics from the Civil Aviation Authority, Brighton and Hove residents account for 1.2m flights out of Gatwick every year, with almost one in thirty passengers at the airport originating from the city, so the airport plays a large part in getting people to the city for the event.
To mark the 25th anniversary, Pride organisers are also launching a new ‘Social Impact Fund’ (SIF) which will raise money for local community projects in the areas where Pride is staged.
This builds on Pride’s on going support for the Rainbow Fund, who received a record donation of £65,000 in 2014, which they distributed, through their independent grants programme to dozens of local LGBT organisations delivering effective front line services to LGBT people in Brighton and Hove.
Brighton Pride, a not-for-profit community interest company has raised £110,000 in the past two years for local good causes, and the new Social Impact Fund is set to benefit the areas most affected by the Pride’s weekend celebrations.
Paul Kemp, Director of Brighton Pride, said: “I’m extremely pleased to have the support of Gatwick in this important milestone as we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Pride in our City.
“Brighton Pride is the UK’s biggest Pride festival of its kind and attracts an audience from across our region, from across the UK as well as an international market, so it’s great to have our regional hub airport Gatwick supporting us, to deliver a truly international event with a positive community impact”
Venues now have limited £5 ‘Early Bird’ tickets for Pride Village Party
The Pride Village Party (PVP) returns on August 1 for two days of community festivities in the heart of the city.
Pride organisers have frozen Early Bird PVP wristbands at last years price of £5 (£2 per day + £1 donation to Rainbow Fund).
Online availability is limited and then wristbands will cost £10 for the weekend.
THE PVP in 2014 was considered a successful community event, with many people reporting a safer and more relaxed atmosphere for locals and visitors to the city than the year before.
Each ticket sold for the PVP includes a ring fenced £1 a head donation to the Rainbow Fund, who received £65,000 from Pride’s fundraising activities in 2014.
The Rainbow Fund make grants to LGBT+/HIV organisations providing front line services to LGBT+ people in Brighton and Hove.
To benefit local residents, £5 weekend wristbands will also be available for a limited time exclusively through local venues from, July 1.
Joint tickets for the main Pride Festival on Preston Park and PVP are also available online.
£5 Sunday only wristbands will also be available at on-site box offices on the day.
Residents, businesses and hotel guests within the PVP zone will once again receive free passes and can make a donation if they wish to the new Social Impact Fund which will benefit local generic community initiatives in areas impacted by both the main Pride event on Preston Park and the PVP footprint.
The capacity for this years PVP has been restricted so it is advisable to purchase wristbands in advance, when they are cheaper, to avoid being disappointed.
Any wristbands remaining unsold will cost more on the day.
This year’s PVP ticket price reflects increased operational costs to stage a safe PVP, such as street cleaning, traffic management and costs that have traditionally been picked up by the City Council and Sussex Police.
With many cuts in public services Pride organisers understand the PVP needs to move towards eventually covering all its costs to ensure a sustainable future for the event.
Extra anticipated costs this year include £40,000 for security, £25,000 for policing, £15,000 for street cleaning and £15,000 for St Johns Ambulance cover that will now have to be paid by income from the PVP wristbands.
Pride director Paul Kemp, said: “As a ‘not for profit organisation’ Pride are unable to underwrite the anticipated increase in costs to operate the Pride Village Party. Increasing the ticket prices is the only way to ensure the costs of producing a safe and sustainable PVP for the future and to meet our community fundraising objectives.
“We are committed to our ongoing fundraising for the Rainbow Fund who make grants to local organisations providing front line services to the LGBT Community in Brighton and Hove. With the help of local venues and city-wide businesses who benefit from the Pride weekend, Pride are also committed to additional fundraising contributions to a new Social Impact Fund, a new community fund that we hope will benefit local projects”
Pride Village Party weekend tickets work out at £4.50 per day (cost of a bus pass or a pint of beer) plus a £1 Rainbow Fund donation.
No one is excluded from attending Brighton Pride. You can get a free pass for the weekend by volunteering just two hours of your time to help Pride. If you are unable to volunteer you can also apply to the Rainbow Fund for a free pass.
For more information to volunteer at Pride, click here:
Event: Pride Village Party 2015
Where: St James Street area, Brighton
When: Saturday 1 and Sunday, August 2, 2015
To book tickets online, click here:
Charity opening for new Kemptown businesses this evening
Herve Guyat and his partner Georges Amaru will be celebrating the opening of their new businesses The Kemptown Trading Post and CUP OF JOE Cafe this evening between 5-8pm.
Pop along and help them celebrate with a glass of wine and canapes.
Romany Mark Bruce, the celebrated sculpture of the Brighton Aids Memorial will be exhibiting his art and all market stalls in the Kemptown Trading Post will be donating 10% of their sales to be shared between the Rainbow Fund who make grants to LGBT/HIV organisations providing front line services to the LGBT community in Brighton and Hove and the Martlets Hospice.
If you can’t make the launch party, stalls will still be donating 10% on sales made all weekend from Friday, July 3 from 8am till Sunday July 5 till 5pm.
A fantastic way to treat yourself while helping great causes!
You will find the Kemptown Trading Post and CUP OF JOE Cafe at 28 George’s Road, Brighton, BN2 1ED, Telephone 01273 698 873.
Both businesses are open Monday to Friday 8am till 5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9am till 5pm.
To help with food numbers for the launch reception click here: to RSVP
‘Accessibility Matters’ celebrates second anniversary
The Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forums (B&H LGBT CSF) initiative Accessibility Matters, celebrates its second anniversary providing Access to LGBT people in Brighton and Hove this month.
Accessibility Matters is the only dedicated LGBT project that delivers effective front line services to the Disabled LGBT Communities in Brighton & Hove.
Accessibility Matters was created by the B&H LGBT CSF to address the needs of older disabled, and deaf members of the LGBT Communities in the city, to encourage and empower them to take part in community and social life on a par with their non-disabled peers.
Accessibility Matters was created following complaints in 2013 that the needs of LGBT people in the city, were not being served by either statutory or voluntary agencies.
Both the B&H LGBT CSF and Accessibility Matters are led and run entirely by volunteers. Volunteer hours donated to the project in 2014 amounted to £45,000.
During the last twelve months, Accessibility Matters has delivered self-awareness and self-defence workshops to empower individuals to feel safer and protect themselves.
Accessibility Matters was instrumental in enabling older, disabled and deaf people to take part in Pride 2014, both in the Parade, where they were accommodated for the first time at the front of the parade, and at the main event on Preston park where Accessibility Matters provided a safe space for disabled people and their carers. For many disabled people, it was the first Pride at which they felt supported and welcomed as equals.
Robert from Hove, said: “I would just like to say a big thank you for helping me get to pride. Having major health issues I was not going to go due to problems getting into the park and the need to access a toilet urgently. You sorted both problems out, I got into the park through the disabled entry and you gave me access to the disabled toilets and cleaning area. I had a great day with no problems at all as I could plan ahead making sure I was near the access tent and facilities on a regular basis. Your efforts made a massive difference to disabled people who otherwise would be excluded from the event. It’s what pride should be about including everyone.”
This year the Access space on Preston Park has been extended to provide a safe and welcoming space for families and members of the trans community.
The B&H LGBT CSF will be facilitating Access at Brighton Pride again this year and Sussex Police have donated £1,500 to pay for a High Dependency Toilet Unit at the Access Area on Preston Park.
With a month to go to Pride 2015, 200 people have already applied for help from Accessibility Matters at this years Pride.
The work of Accessibility Matters has been supported with grants from the Police and Crime Commissioner of £8,376 in 2014, £4,300 in 2015 and a grant of £3,000 from the Rainbow Fund in 2014 to pay for BSL interpreters on Preston Park.
Billie Lewis, Chair of the B&H LGBT CSF, said: “We are not a talking shop we deliver practical front line services for older people, deaf people and people with disabilities. If you need help and your voice is not being heard please do telephone: 01273 231189
Or Text: 07827 811454
For more information about Accessibility Matters, click here:
Zanzibar Reunion tonight at Neighbourhood
Last summer, four friends Gavyn Ritchie, Mel Chan, Jason Lupi and Chris Saddler were chatting on social media about the great times they had at a long gone venue, The Zanzibar in Brighton.
They decided that as they were all going to be in Brighton again at the same time, what a good idea it would be to meet up for drinks and a catch up.
After creating an Event Page on Facebook to remind each other of the upcoming get together, the idea expanded and they decided to invite a few more friends to a small reunion at Audio, the now renamed Escape Club.
What followed took them a little by surprise.
The original invite list was extended to just 12 close friends, but word quickly spread about the upcoming Zanzibar Reunion and on the evening, despite expecting just a few invited guests to turn up, 40 plus friends turned up, including the owner of the Zanzibar Daren Andrew who flew in especially from Ibiza with other guests coming from wide and far.
Understandably, post event, many of the original crowd who frequented the Zanzibar were disappointed at not being invited and chat soon turned to a much bigger reunion for 2015.
The lovely Kim Doherty and Ben Gill at Neighbourhood Bar on St James Street agreed to hold the 2015 reunion. With DJ Josh The Barber agreeing to play for the evening, the date was set for Friday July 3, 2015.
Gavyn created a Facebook event as an Open Invitation and with an invite list reaching nearly 400 people, and invites going out as far as New York, Cape Town, and Sydney, the Zanzibar 2015 Reunion has truly gone viral.
This years event is totally free, but after speaking with Danny Dwyer and Julie Rawcliffe who fund raise for The Sussex Beacon, Gavyn said: “A small donation to this fantastic charity would be warmly welcomed.”
The evening will be hosted by Dolly Rocket.
Gavyn continued: “Lets make this a reunion party to remember and let the good time memories come rolling back”.
For up to the minute information on Facebook about the reunion, click here:
Event: Zanzibar Reunion
Where: Neighbourhood, 101 St James Street, Brighton, BN2 1TP (voted in the top 16 Secret Bars in the UK to visit, and also voted Brighton’s best outdoor space)
When: Friday July 3, 2015
Time: 7pm
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