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Accessibility Matters @ Pride 2016

Access provision at Brighton Pride is among the best at any outdoor festival in the country. Billie Lewis, the volunteer chair of the LGBT Community Safety Forum explains what is involved in providing this unique service which makes Pride accessible for people with disabilities.

Billie Lewis, volunteer chair of LGBT Community Safety Forum
Billie Lewis, volunteer chair of Brighton and Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum

What is Accessibility Matters?

Accessibility Matters is a project of the Brighton and Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum that makes Brighton Pride accessible to disabled people.

How long has Accessibility Matters been doing this?

The LGBT Community Safety Forum first provided access services at Brighton Pride in 2013. We then set up Accessibility Matters to expand these services at Brighton Pride in 2014 and 2015. We are delighted to be doing this in 2016.

What is the LGBT Community Safety Forum?

The LGBT Community Safety Forum is an established independent LGBT forum of 8 elected unpaid volunteers working with the LGBT Community to address and improve safety and access issues throughout Brighton & Hove.

Who funds their work?

The LGBT Community Safety Forum receives funding on a project basis. Sources of funding have included the Rainbow Fund, Safer in Sussex Community Fund, Sussex Police and Brighton and Hove Pride Day Grant. We also receive donations from businesses and fundraisers. These funds are for delivering specific projects (e.g. our annual Trust and Confidence Survey, Accessibility Matters at Pride, Report It, OUT Reach and so on).

Do you have any paid staff?

No. We have no paid staff. We are an organisation of unpaid volunteers, led by unpaid volunteers.

What does Accessibility Matters actually deliver at Brighton Pride?

We organise a large team of approximately 85 volunteers to:

Create a Safe Space at the front of the Pride Parade for disabled people who want to take part. This space is protected by volunteer Access Stewards, enabling those who can to walk in the Safe Space, or use wheelchairs and mobility scooters at the head of the parade. Those who are unable to walk the considerable distance of the parade are accommodated on large golf buggies (some of which are wheelchair accessible), which take up the rear of the Safe Space.

Provide an accessible viewing area in London Road for disabled people and their carers to see the parade in relative comfort and safety.

Setup and staff an Access Tent on Preston Park, which provides:

♦  A separate Access Gate (labelled AM) to the park for disabled pridegoers and their carers – which spares them from queuing at the normal entrances to the park.

♦  A Safe Space for disabled pridegoers who may otherwise be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers at the event.

♦  Accessible toilet facilities specifically for disabled people who have asked to come.

♦  A High Dependency Unit for those disabled people who cannot use the standard accessible toilets.

♦  A Community Café for disabled people to have a drink and recharge themselves (and their wheelchairs!).

♦  A separate safe space for people who need to change their clothes in private.

♦  An information point with maps of the park and information about the Community Village.

♦  Viewing passes to ensure disabled people are in safe areas at the front of the entertainment tents.

♦  A Report It! point where people can safely report hate and other incidents.

♦  A Listening Ear service in partnership with Brighton & Hove Samaritans in a private area of the tent.

♦  Facilitate accessible parking facilities for disabled pridegoers, and a golf buggy shuttle service to and from the car park and the Access Tent.

♦  Provide British Sign Language interpreters at the Safe Space on the Parade, at the Access Tent, and at the main performance areas in the Park.

Can everyone who signs up receive a viewing pass?

No. The viewing passes are very limited and are allocated to those who need them the most.

Can everyone who signs up receive a Carers/PA Ticket?

No. The Carers/PA Tickets are safety net for vulnerable attendees that would not be able to attend on their own or without assistance.

What organisations do you work with on Accessibility Matters?

During this years Pride festival we will be working in partnership with Brighton Pride, Brighton and Hove District Samaritans and Blueprint 22 the LGBT youth project.

Can people just turn up on the day to use your access facilities?

We much prefer people to register with us in advance so that we know what their access needs are. They should first buy Access Tickets via the Brighton Pride website at http://www.brighton-pride.org/access-tickets-for-brighton-pride-2016/ 
then either visit our website at http://www.lgbt-help.com/pride-2016/sign-up/ (which is the best way) or telephone 01273 855620 and select option 3, or email: access@lgbt-help.com to register for our facilities

This year you will be able to purchase an Access Ticket online on the day of Pride too.

If people turn up on the day without having bought Access Tickets, they will unfortunately have to queue for entry with the non-disabled pridegoers at the main gates and then make their way to the Access Tent. They will still be able to make use of our facilities but it will save them much inconvenience if they register in advance.

Is there a deadline for registration?

The closing date for Accessibility Matters applications is July 23. This gives us enough time to process all of the applications.

What happens when people sign up?

First information and requests are collected on a secure form, then a volunteer will contact each person to discuss any requirements and needs to make sure we have everything in place for them on the day. This is mostly done over the phone however, if an applicant is deaf or has a learning need the consultation takes place via other means including a face to face meeting, email or Skype.

Has there been much interest for this years Pride?

Yes. Because of the access facilities we have in place the festival park is becoming more popular with the disabled and deaf LGBT community. We are expecting over 470 access attendees on the day.

Where can people find more information?

You can find more info by visiting www.lgbt-help.com/pride-2016 and following the sub headings.

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Chav Lads UK launch new night at Bulldog

Chav Lads UK (Brighton) launches a new Chav and Scally Night upstairs at the Bulldog in St James’s Street, on Friday, July 29 at 10pm.

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The men only event, features DJ Screwpulous on the decks and Amanda Wilson from The Freemasons will perform her massive number one hits, Love On My Mind and Watchin.

The following Chav and Scally Night will take place on Friday, August 26 from 10pm–4am and then every last Friday of the month thereafter, upstairs at the Bulldog.

Chav/Scally dress is optional and entry is £5. The theme is Meet the Poster Lads and doubles are £2.99 till midnight.

For more information check out Chav Lads UK (Brighton) on Facebook.

Youth group partners with Safety Forum for Pride

LGBT Community Safety Forum (LGBT CSF) and youth organisation Blueprint 22 partner to deliver youth activities at Brighton & Hove Pride on August 6.

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The Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum and youth organisation Blueprint 22 will be partnering at Brighton & Hove Pride this year to deliver inclusive and safe activities for young people in the Parade and Preston Park event.

Blueprint 22 will be providing youth volunteers to support Brighton Pride and the LGBT CSF service users on the parade and in both the Family and Access tent area on Preston Park.

The youth volunteers will run a range of  activities and games and hope to highlight the positive impact young people can have in the city.

Billie Lewis
Billie Lewis

Billie Lewis, Volunteer Chair of the Brighton & Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum and Access & Inclusion Manager for Brighton Pride, said: “I have attended several meetings where volunteer organisations and the statutory authorities have been in attendance. These meetings have identified the need for activities to take place to encourage younger people to look at alternative recreational options that do not involve drinking alcohol or drug taking over the Pride Festival. 

This joint project will empower the younger attendees to have an active and positive role volunteering alongside their peers and allies within a safe and inclusive environment”.

For more information about Blueprint 22, click here:

For more information about the LGBT CSF, click here:

PREVIEW: Kava Girls

Play brings Transgender Pacific closer to home.

Photo: Foteini Christofilopoulou
Photo: Foteini Christofilopoulou

There are some places in the world, where being transgender wouldn’t raise a plucked eye brow. In Kava Girls a play with songs written, and directed by Sani Muliaumaseali’i you’ll find such a place.

Kava Girls is at The Marlborough Pub & Theatre, 4 Prince’s St, Brighton BN2 1RD, on August 3 & 4 during Brighton Pride.

Presented by the Gafa Arts Collective (GAC) the UK’s first Samoan Arts Collective, Kava Girls tells the story of fa’afafine or transgender Samoan, Sinalei and her contemporaries who are struggling as understudies in the London West End.

Kava is a drink used in ceremonies in the pacific and is integral to the Samoan way of life. The ‘Fa’afafine’ is also integral to the Samoan way of life.

Generally accepted everywhere ‘the fa’afafine is almost rendered invisible by her visibility‐despite her sometimes outrageous wardrobe choices’ says Muliaumaseali’i who plays ingenue Sinalei. “I didn’t intend to play the role, but when the auditions yielded little, the producer side me decided to get practical”.  Muliaumseali’i has been moving audiences as Sinalei for the Kava Girls UK Pride tour which began, in May 2016.

Original cast member Ninotchka Tingleff is “thrilled to be back” as veteran Debra, she says “I haven’t met many transgender people though it simply shouldn’t be an issue at all, just another aspect of whom someone is”. 

Photo: Foteini Christofilopoulou
Photo: Foteini Christofilopoulou

Themes such as art as commodity and the machinations of the showbiz factory are explored in Kava Girls. Tingleff says that in many TV talent shows “(Artists) usually end up being packaged into a bland copy of a myriad of existing performers”.

Far from bland is Canadian performer Melissa Veszi who plays the feisty Salma, “She’s vivacious, a believer and very ambitious qualities I see in myself” says the multi‐talented, Sussex based Veszi, “I think the concept of the Kava Girls is brilliant. The show also tackles very important (social tolerance) issues which to me as an artist, is always a bonus”.

The production was ‘pick of the fringe’ in Edinburgh and will be accompanied by live and recorded music. Filled with pathos, humour & brittle glamour the Kava Girls will have you accepting the extraordinary, facing dilemmas and some how still believing that there’s a piece of the pie for us all.

“Wherever happiness lies, it’s your duty to yourself to go find it” says Muliaumaseali’i “but remember, with Kava Girls there is no such thing as a free drink.”

London, UK. 11.05.2016. Gafa Arts Collective presents Kava Girls at the Bedford, Balham part of Wandsworth Fringe Festival. Photo shows: Sani Muliaumaseali'i, Ninothcka Tingleff, Melissa Veszi. Photo - © Foteini Christofilopoulou.
Photo: Foteini Christofilopoulou

Event: Kava Girls by Sani Muliaumaseali’i presented by the GAFA Arts Collective

Where: The Marlborough Pub & Theatre, 4 Prince’s St, Brighton BN2 1RD.

When: August 3 and 4

Time: 7.30pm

Cost: Tickets £15/£12 (concession)

To book online, click here: 

Patients give mixed assessment of GP Practices in Brighton and Hove

Research conducted by Healthwatch Brighton and Hove highlights difficulties patients have making appointments, getting referrals and poor communication when referral delays are experienced.

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The research, however, also showed high levels of satisfaction regarding the quality of care offered with patients reporting that staff gave them enough time to express their concerns and listened to them properly.

The research involved a city-wide patient survey and visits to 12 GP practices, obtaining feedback from 534 patients in total.

Key findings were as follows:

♦        25% of patients reported usually waiting longer than a week for an appointment at the GP surgery, significantly higher than the national average of 17% (NHS England National GP Patient Survey, 2015).

♦        Between a quarter and a third of patients reported finding systems for booking an appointment difficult to use.

♦        A third of patients who had received a referral for an assessment or specialist treatment reported long delays and 59% of these patients reported poor communication about these delays.

♦        A large majority of patients felt that doctors (83%), nurses (88%) and reception staff (87%) at their practice were good at giving them enough time to express their concerns and listened to them properly.

♦        Patient awareness of preventative health services available at surgeries was low. For example, only 41% of patients said they were aware of NHS health checks.

On the basis of the findings, Healthwatch Brighton and Hove is urging local commissioners and GP practices to make the following changes:

Making appointments

  • Practices should review appointment booking systems and make them as user-friendly as possible.
  • Practices should work to reduce the number of non-emergency appointments that involve a week or more wait for the patient.
  • Online booking should be promoted and made easier, especially for younger people.

Preventative health checks

  • Practices should be proactive in publicising preventative health checks. Information should be visible in waiting rooms and personal invitations sent to patients. Innovative ways of improving awareness and encouraging take-up should be considered including using social media, text messaging and email messages.

Referrals

  • Practices should communicate to patients whenever unanticipated delays are experienced in referrals to specialist treatment. This communication should be made by letter or phone.
David Liley
David Liley

David Liley, chief executive of Healthwatch Brighton and Hove, said: “This latest research shows that, while much of the patient experience is positive, there are areas where commissioners and GP practices need to take on board the concerns expressed to further improve primary care services in the city. 

“Set against a backdrop of GP surgeries closing and threats of patients being removed from lists, it is vital that those delivering GP services respond positively to these findings to build patient confidence.”

To read the full report, click here:

Theatre Royal announce Autumn Season productions

The Boys in the Band, The Dresser and Dame Joan Collins’ show amongst highlights of Theatre Royal Brighton’s Autumn Season

WEB.600Theatre Royal Brighton has unveiled its autumn season, which runs from September to the end of the year and includes appearances by some of the country’s most talented and best-loved actors in a series of top quality productions.

Early highlights include a revival of Ronald Harwood’s classic play The Dresser, starring Ken Stott (Rebus, God of Carnage) and Reece Shearsmith (The League of Gentlemen, Inside Number 9). You can see it in Brighton before it transfers to the West End.

Also in September, fans of Alan Ayckbourn can catch his comedy Relatively Speaking, the writer’s first great West End success. The cast includes Robert Powell (Single Spies, Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell, King Charles III) and Liza Goddard (Doctor Who, Bergerac).

In October, Georgia May Foote (Strictly Come Dancing, Coronation St) stars as Holly Golightly in a stage version of Truman Capote’s classic tale Breakfast at Tiffany’s, while Felicity Kendal makes a return to Brighton in a production of A Room with a View, based on the novel by E.M. Forster.

In November, Olivier Award winner Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, Doctor Who) stars alongside Ian Hallard (Doctor Who, An Adventure in Space and Time) in the eagerly anticipated revival of Mart Crowley’s gay milestone play, The Boys in the Band.

Also in November, English Touring Theatre return to Brighton to present a world premiere production of Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence.

In December the autumn season concludes with the award-winning Sunny Afternoon, a musical charting the early life of Ray Davies and the rise to stardom of The Kinks, written around their classic songs .

There’s also a series of one night only shows throughout the season, including:

  • Killer Queen, recreating the high energy, powerful phenomenon that was Queen live.
  • Dame Joan Collins, an intimate evening with the Hollywood legend and national treasure.
  • An Evening of Dirty Dancing: The Tribute Show.

For further information, tickets and a full listing of Theatre Royal Brighton’s autumn season, click here:

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