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M.E. Research and Treatment

The Sussex ME Society cares for those affected by Myalgic encephalopathy(ME) or Chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS).

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They will be hosting a medical meeting on Thursday October 6 at the Brighthelm Centre in Brighton.

Presentations will be given by consultant neurologist Prof Leslie Findley and Clinician Scientist Dr Neil Harrison from Sussex University along with Dr Alan Stewart and staff members of the NHS Sussex ME/CFS Service.

To reserve a place email:

Or telephone Colin: 01273 674828.

For more information about Sussex & Kent ME/CFS Society, click here:

Trans icon receives honorary degree

Radio star and transgender icon Stephanie Hirst receives an Honorary Doctorate from Leeds Beckett University.

Stephanie Hirst
Stephanie Hirst

Stephanie is an award-winning radio DJ, TV presenter, broadcaster and an icon of the UK transgender community.

With over 14 awards, she is probably best known for fronting the Hirsty’s Daily Dose breakfast show on Capital Radio for 11 years, which earned her and fellow presenters the title of Commercial Radio Presenters Of The Year at the CRCA Awards, and a nomination in the breakfast category of the 2005 Sony Awards. However it is not just her broadcasting and radio talent that have put her in the spotlight.

Stephanie was born as Simon in Barnsley in 1975 and, in autumn 2014, announced her transition to female, her true gender. Throughout her journey, she has been praised for the honesty and integrity she has shown and she has since been seen as a national icon and role model for transgender issues.

As a result, she was included in the Rainbow List 2014 – an annual celebration of the 101 lesbian, bisexual, gay, and transgender people in the UK who make a real difference.

Speaking about receiving the award, Stephanie said: “I’m deeply humbled to receive this award and I had to have a sit down when I was told that I was to receive this honour.  I’m speechless really but hopefully it will show that being true to yourself and being authentic can be recognised.

“The advice I would give to students who would like to pursue a career in broadcast media is to never stop trying.  If you get a few knocks, don’t let that stop you from working in this wonderful world of show business.

“I’m so lucky that in my career I get to create and I always say that my radio show is a field of unpicked flowers and by the end of the show I want to have picked every flower.”

Stephanie announced her plans to transition live on BBC Radio Five Live’s Stephen Nolan show in October 2014, an episode that went on to be 5Live’s most downloaded news podcast ever.

2014 was also the year she collected a nomination for Breakfast Show of the Year at the Radio Academy Awards, formerly the Sony Awards.

In July 2015, Stephanie returned to broadcasting, this time signing a deal with the BBC for her own show Nothing but the 90s on BBC Manchester. With a return to radio, a journey into television soon followed, with Stephanie presenting for BBC Breakfast and BBC Inside Out. Stephanie is also part of the extended family on ITV’s Lorraine where she has been a mentor for their Change One Thing and, with a talent for writing, she has written articles for The Independent, Guardian and The Telegraph.

Stephanie was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University on Monday, July 25, for her contribution to public life.

Sir Bob Murray CBE
Sir Bob Murray CBE

Leeds Beckett University Chancellor, Sir Bob Murray CBE, added: “Stephanie is an inspiration and demonstrates values we can all aspire to, such as integrity and authenticity. She has not only had a successful broadcasting career, but has very much become an icon for the transgender community after being so open and honest about her experiences.

“I am delighted that Leeds Beckett University has recognised Stephanie’s contribution to public life with this Honorary Doctorate. I believe her courage, experience and all that she has achieved will be of great inspiration to our graduating students.”

Brighton Pride Dog Show

The Pride Dog Show, one of Pride’s most popular and accessible events, is today, Sunday July 31 starting at 11am at its new home on Preston Park.

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It’s time to pamper those pooches and celebrate our four-legged best friends with a day of fun and barking frolics, as dogs and dog lovers come together and shine with Pride.

In association with Coastway Vets, the Pride Dog show will feature awards for numerous categories, retail stalls, a glamorous catwalk doggy fashion show, bar and refreshments.

Industry professionals will be overseeing all entries and judging each category, to ensure every star pooch gets the recognition their proud paws deserve.

Do you own the Best Bitch or Dog with the Ugliest Daddy?


Event: Pride Dog Show

Where: Preston Park

When: Sunday, July 31

Time: 11am

To enter your pooch, click here: 

To apply for a traders stall at the dog show, click here:

 

Community theatre calls for volunteers and reviewers

The Royal Hippodrome Theatre, Eastbourne is calling for volunteers and people to review their shows.

Royal Hippodrome Theatre
Royal Hippodrome Theatre

The theatre is run by a community interest company, all of the front of house staff are volunteers who have a love of theatre and a love for the Royal Hippodrome Theatre as a venue.

With such a varied programme and an increase in the number of shows coming to the theatre in the upcoming months, including 47 performances of David Walliams’ First Hippo on the Moon in December, the CIC is recruiting further volunteers to join the team.

Darren Weir
Darren Weir

Darren Weir, the theatre’s Community Engagement Director, said: “Volunteering at the Hippodrome is a great way of giving something back to the community.  There is a great feeling of friendship at the theatre and this positive energy is felt by our patrons who have repeatedly reported positively on the friendliness of the people who work at the theatre.  We have volunteers from ages 18 to 70 and everyone gets on so well.  So we appeal to anyone with spare time on their hands to come forward and volunteer”. 

The Hippodrome is also appealing to everyone who just loves theatre and who writes reviews and blogs on shows in Eastbourne.

Darren said: “We often have difficulty in getting established reviewers to come to the venue to write reviews and with so many good shows and names coming to the theatre, they’re missing out on a trick.  We would like to hear from anyone who enjoys theatre and also would like to review our shows to get in touch.  We would particularly like to hear from arts students or journalism students who would like to add to their portfolios and also people who come from other areas of Sussex”. 

If you are interested in either volunteering or reviewing, email:

For more information about The Royal Hippodrome Theatre, click here:

PREVIEW: Miss Hope Springs to make her glittering Wilton’s debut

Miss Hope Springs brings her fabulous one-woman show to Wilton’s Music Hall in August.

Miss Hope Springs
Miss Hope Springs

The award-winning international cabaret star is no stranger to the bright lights of Hollywood. Her show is full to bursting with all-original, witty and moving self-penned songs and hilarious tales from her glitteringly disastrous life.

Still wearing the sequins in which she left the Pink Pelican Casino in 1972, Hope will showcase her unique blend of finger snapping pop, romantic rhumbas, sassy bossa novas and smouldering torch songs, all performed by her live at the piano, accompanied by her Hot Jazz Combo on sizzling percussion and throbbing double bass.

Her ‘Ritz to the pits’ fall from grace provides the backdrop for her laugh-out-loud-move-you-to-tears performance, truly marking this ex-Vegas showgirl turned nightclub chanteuse out as the capital’s biggest cabaret sensation.

Hope is the creation of Ty Jeffries, whose towering blonde alter-ego came into being after a fascinating childhood rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty such as Fred Astaire and Shirley MacLaine, walking the catwalks in Milan and Paris as a teen and spending time on film sets with his father, the much loved actor and director Lionel Jeffries.

All these experiences helped to create and mould the irrepressible Miss Hope Springs, whose shows have received rave reviews at top cabaret hotspots from London to New York.

Dubbed tragi-comic genius by fan Julian Clary and as exquisitely funny and remarkably engaging by The Stage, Miss Hope Springs is one sparkling showgirl that you definitely don’t want to miss.

Wilton’s Music Hall is a gem in the heart of London and the oldest grand music hall in the world. It presents a year round programme of exceptional live music and world-class productions alongside learning and participation work that engages the local community and schools. The Grade 2 Star listed building recently completed a 4 year capital project with support from Heritage Lottery Fund and numerous trusts and individuals. This project, designed by Tim Ronalds Architects recently won the RIBA London Award 2016, RIBA London Conservation Award 2016 and RIBA London Building Of The Year 2016.

Wilton’s is not open on Bank Holidays.


Event: Miss Hope Springs

Where: Wilton’s Music Hall, Graces Alley, London, E1 8JB

When: August 9,10 and 11

Time: 7.30pm

Cost: £10 – £20

To book tickets online, click here:

Or telephone Box Office: 020 7702 2789

Join Martin Fisher Foundation for an afternoon at Zippo’s Circus

Save the date in your diary for the Zippo’s Circus fundraiser for the Martin Fisher Foundation (MFF) on Sunday, September 4.

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Zippos Circus have kindly donated 100 tickets to raise funds for the MFF. Tickets will be on sale from the Foundation from August 5.

MFF has been set up in Brighton & Hove to take forward the work of Professor Martin Fisher who died last year. The Foundation’s work will continue Martin’s ethos of treating people living with HIV with dignity, compassion and respect and will focus on the development of new strategies for effective HIV prevention, treatment and care.

The MFF vision is to accelerate TOWARDS ZERO HIV stigma, ZERO new HIV infection and ZERO deaths from HIV in Brighton & Hove and it is currently working with stakeholders to develop a ‘Towards Zero’ strategy and implementation plan that will set out ways in which everyone can contribute to this important aspirational goal.

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When: Sunday, September 4

Where: No 1 Lawn, Hove Lawns, BN3 2WW

Time: 3pm

Cost: Adults £15, children £10

For more information about the show, click here:

To book tickets online, click here: 

Pride Teaparty at St Luke’s Prestonville

Need an escape from all the hustle and bustle? Pints in the park not really your thing?

PRIDE TEA PARTY

St. Luke’s Church, Prestonville will host a Pride Teaparty on Saturday, August 6 from 5pm-8pm to coincide with the UK’s biggest Pride festival.

Everyone is welcome to go along for copious amounts of tea, cake and a chance to share stories in a safe space.

Organisers will also be launching the Brighton HUB of Diverse Church a community for LGBT Christians.

St. Luke’s is close to the main festival site in Preston Park and members of the church will be taking part in the parade in the morning and attending a celebration service at St. John’s church Knoyle road at 2pm.

The tea party is designed as an alternative to the party atmosphere of the event in the park and will offer a space for conversation and sharing of experiences around faith and sexuality.

Revd. Martin Poole
Revd. Martin Poole

Revd. Martin Poole, said: “Here at St. Luke’s we want everyone to know that God loves and affirms them and there is a welcome here that reflects that. We acknowledge that there is a complicated relationship between sexuality and the church which has often been difficult and we want to give people an opportunity to talk about this in an open and non-judgemental environment. A tea party felt like just the right sort of atmosphere to have these kinds of conversations and will provide a place for those who might not be attracted to the exuberance of the festival in the park.”

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St. Luke’s is a family friendly Church of England church with their main service every Sunday at 10.30am.

For more information about St Luke’s, click here:

Or email: info@stlukesonline.co.uk

PRIDE TEA PARTYYou will find St. Luke’s Prestonville, at 64 Old Shoreham Road, Brighton, BN1 5DD.

 

They are located a short walk up the hill from Preston Park and the Train Station.

The 7, 14 and 27 buses all stop nearby. Alight at ‘Seven Dials’ or ‘BHASVIC’.

 

‘TOWARDS ZERO HIV’ – Martin Fisher Foundation to march at Brighton Pride

Have you always wanted to march on the Brighton Pride parade, but never had the opportunity?

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Here is your opportunity. Join the Martin Fisher Foundation (MFF) on the Pride Parade on August 6 and march with conviction TOWARDS ZERO HIV.

MFF are looking for volunteers to walk on the Pride Parade wearing their ‘TOWARDS ZERO HIV’ T-shirts, which show ways everyone can help to make Brighton and Hove the first UK city to have zero new HIV infections.

For more details and to register, email: bittistephen@gmail.com the MFF volunteers coordinator:

When the parade is finished, look out for MFF on the Sexual Health and Contraception Service (SHAC) stall in the Community Village at Preston Park.

MFF has been set up in Brighton & Hove to take forward the work of Professor Martin Fisher who died last year. The Foundation’s work will continue Martin’s ethos of treating people living with HIV with dignity, compassion and respect and will focus on the development of new strategies for effective HIV prevention, treatment and care.

The MFF’s vision is to accelerate TOWARDS ZERO HIV stigma, ZERO new HIV infection and ZERO deaths from HIV in Brighton & Hove and it is currently working with stakeholders to develop a Towards Zero strategy and implementation plan that will set out ways in which everyone can contribute to this important aspirational goal.

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MARTIN FISHER FOUNDATION: Tonight – Pre-Pride free film and discussion

Towards Zero HIV: Get PrEP!

WEB.600.1Join the Martin Fisher Foundation (MFF) at the Purple Playhouse Theatre in Hove, for a showing of Nicholas Feustel’s short film of the PROUD PrEP trial followed by a discussion with a panel of PrEP experts.

These will include:

Dr. Amanda Clarke – HIV Consultant, Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals

Nicholas Feustel – filmmaker and PrEP activist

Dr. Adrian Brown – Chair of the Martin Fisher Foundation

Richard Cooper – THT HIV Prevention Worker

Chris Deller – Local PrEP user

Justin Harbottle – PrEP Generics Steering Group

Jason Domino – PrEP Advocate, Founder of porn4prep

MFF has been set up in Brighton & Hove to take forward the work of Professor Martin Fisher. The Foundation’s work will continue Martin’s ethos of treating people living with HIV with dignity, compassion and respect and will focus on the development of new strategies for effective HIV prevention, treatment and care.

The MFF vision is to accelerate TOWARDS ZERO HIV stigma, ZERO new HIV infection and ZERO deaths from HIV in Brighton & Hove and it is currently working with stakeholders to develop a Towards Zero strategy and implementation plan that will set out ways in which everyone can contribute to this important aspirational goal.

Join the experts at the Purple Playhouse Theatre for a Pre-Pride discussion about the latest HIV Prevention ‘tool in the box’.


Event: Nicholas Feustel’s short film of the PROUD PrEP trial

Where: The Purple Playhouse – 36 Montefiore Road, Brighton & Hove, BN3 6EP

When: Thursday, August 4, 2016

Time: 7pm-9pm

The Purple Playhouse Theatre is a fully accessible venue conveniently located near Seven Dials, approximately 15 minutes’ walk from both Brighton and Hove railway stations.

Several Brighton & Hove bus routes stop nearby including the 7, 14, 14C, 27, 37, 37B, 56 and 77. There is on-street pay & display parking.

A pop-up bar will sell refreshments on the night (tea, coffee, soft drinks and alcohol) from 7pm to 9pm.

To guarantee your FREE place click here:

Once upon a time in Manchester

Manchester Businesses to cast a spell across the City with Dress Down Day.

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On Friday, August 12, workers in Manchester are set to swap suits for something special as they arrive for work at offices across the city dressed as Prince Charming, Elsa the Ice Queen, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan or maybe even Rumplestiltskin.

The Dress Down Day organised by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) charity Manchester Pride is inviting Mancunians to show their support and get behind its theme for 2016 – Once Upon a Time.

From large organisations to small businesses, chief executives to check out staff, anyone can get involved, all they have to do is donate a minimum of £1 towards The Manchester Pride Community Fund.

Mark Fletcher
Mark Fletcher

Mark Fletcher, Chief Executive for Manchester Pride, said: “Whether they come dressed to work as Elsa or another of their favourite fairytale characters, we’re asking businesses and employees to dress-up on their usual dress down day, and all for an important cause.  People can dress-up as their favourite character, hold a Mad Hatter’s tea party over lunch, take part in a fairytale themed quiz or a sing-a-long karaoke session to Frozen – whatever their inspiration we just want people to get involved!”

To register to get involved, click here:

Manchester Pride will scream and shout about all supporters sharing their pictures and videos via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram plus they have free tickets to The Big Weekend to giveaway as prizes for businesses and employees who go all out with their fairytale fantasies.

Once Upon A Time will also be the theme for The Manchester Pride Parade as the charity this time hopes to turn the streets of Manchester into a fairytale.

The parade, which takes place over August bank holiday weekend as part of The Big Weekend celebration, sees over 3,000 people come together to march and is watched by tens of thousands of people as it snakes through the streets of Manchester city centre.

The Manchester Pride Parade starts on Liverpool Road, passing by the Gay Village before finishing on Whitworth Street. In recent years it has been led by prominent LGBT personalities including Orange Is The New Black actress Lea DeLaria and national treasure Sir Ian McKellen. Last year BBC Radio Manchester broadcast live from the parade with transgender radio presenter Stephanie Hirst.

Participants have ranged from charitable organisations such as The George House Trust and Barnardo’s to community sports groups, Manchester Village FC and The Spartans RFC; commercial organisations such as Nando’s, United Utilities and Tesco; local community groups including The Village Bakers, Manchester Frontrunners and businesses from Manchester’s Gay Village such as The New Union and Kiki.

A firm favourite, taking part for six years, is the cast and crew of Coronation Street who always play a huge part in the Manchester Pride The Big Weekend celebrations. 2014 saw new recruit Les Dennis take to the show’s float in a pink tabard, curly wig and pearls as legendary show character Mavis Wilton.

Mark Fletcher, Chief Executive for Manchester Pride, added: “As we reflect on years gone by in our wonderful City, we recognise many stories, moments, events and occasions that have occurred in order to allow us to reach the level of freedom that our LGBT communities enjoy today. Once upon a time allows us to look back, reflect and plan the next steps for the advancement of LGBT equality.”

Each year floats are entered into The Manchester Pride Parade Awards which are judged on Parade Day by representatives from The Manchester Pride Board of Trustees, The Lord Mayor and Sponsors.

Last year’s winners were:

♦ Best Overall Float – Unison

♦ Best Community/Charity Float – LGBT Youth North West

♦ Best Walking Entry – Littleborough Oakenhoof Folk Arts Group

♦ Best Public sector/Services Entry – Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue

♦ Best Individual Costume – The Albert Kennedy Trust

♦ Best Village Licensed Business – On Bar

To participate on the parade, click here:

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