This year’s Pride Glasgow Festival the highlight of the year for many LGBT+ people in Scotland will take place on Saturday, August 19 and Sunday, August 20.
X Factor starSaara Aalto who is currently touring the country as part of X Factor Live will perform on Sunday 20th August.
Saara who recently got engaged to her girlfriend Meri Sopanen is a Finnish singer and songwriter who has taken part in The Voice Finland alongside competing twice in Finland’s national selection for Eurovision and most recently was the runner-up of X Factor. She is also the voice of Princess Anna in the Finnish version of the Disney classic Frozen as well as performing with Adam Lambert, and concerts with Andrea Bocelli and Jose Carreras. She has published and recorded five albums on her own Music Label and has most recently signed with Sony Music.
Ross Stevenson, Festival Director of Pride Glasgow, said: “Its fantastic to be announcing such a diverse and talented act that Saara is as the first act for Pride 2017 and all the Pride Glasgow team are looking forward to seeing her perform”
At a meeting of the Brighton & Hove City Council Licensing Committee during the week, the Conservative Group secured a review of the Council’s policy towards the granting of licenses to mobile street traders.
It follows a case where a burger van granted a license by the Council has been operating outside Hove Town Hall, just yards from the busy Church Road shopping street. In addition, the van has been parked halfway over the pavement on a section of the Norton Road covered by double yellow lines.
Conservative Group Leader, Cllr. Geoffrey Theobald, and local Central Hove Ward Cllr, Andrew Wealls, both raised the issue with Council officers.
Cllr Geoffrey Theobald
Cllr. Theobald said:“I’m very pleased that a review has been agreed as this case has flagged up a number of problems, not least the fact the van is parked on a double yellow line, partly on the pavement, all day. If I were to do that, I would quite rightly be ticketed and probably towed away. And all this, in full view of the Council and Police at Hove Town Hall!”
Cllr. Andrew Wealls
Cllr. Wealls added:“This van is in direct competition with the restaurants and cafes on Church Road yet, unlike these shops, it doesn’t have to pay any business rates or rent. So, whilst we support all entrepreneurs, including van traders, this particular situation is clearly not a level playing field. In addition, I have been told by council officers that the regulation of street trading covers infrequent and itinerant trading. This trader has been parked in the same road for months – that is neither infrequent nor itinerant.”
Cllr. Lee Wares
Conservative Group Licensing Spokesman, Cllr. Lee Wares, who secured the review at Committee, added:“The current policy states that mobile traders are not permitted in the town centre but permits can be given in the outskirts of Brighton and Hove. A mobile trader parked 10ft the other side of the demarcation line in Church Road is not on the outskirts of the town and flies in the face of the purpose of having zones.”
Striking cabin crew take low pay battle to Brighton landmark sponsored by British Airways.
Striking members of Unite union working as cabin crew for British Airways mixed fleet will be bringing their battle against low pay to Brighton tomorrow (Saturday, March 4) with a protest at the British Airways sponsored i360 attraction on the town’s sea front.
Tomorrow’s protest, at the worlds’ tallest moving observation tower, will be from 11am – 1pm and falls on the second day of a seven strike which started today (Friday, March 3).
The latest round of strikes involving mixed fleet cabin crew working long and short-haul flights out Heathrow takes the total number of strike days during the dispute to 26. It comes as British Airways it is claimed, continue to threaten and bully mixed fleet cabin crew with consequences if they exercise their right to strike.
The latest threats include stripping striking cabin of their bonus for 2016 and 2017 in addition to removal of the ‘my incentive’ payment for the whole of 2017 and staff travel for 2 years.
Over the course of the dispute strike action has led to the cancellation of flights and the airline chartering, or ‘wet leasing’, aircraft from other airlines such as Titan Airways, Vueling and Thomson Airways to cover striking cabin crew.
In a show of solidarity Unite members have come together and formed a food bank to support low paid mixed fleet cabin crew.
Unite national officer Oliver Richardson, said:“Menacing low paid mixed fleet cabin crew for exercising their right to strike is a shameful way for British Airways to behave.
“Despite the bullying behaviour, Unite members continue to show great resolve in their fight against low pay. Tomorrow they will be taking their message to the British Airways sponsored i360 attraction on Brighton’s sea front.
“We would urge the public and customers of the i360 to offer their support and stand with British Airways’ mixed fleet cabin crew and say ‘BA low pay no way.”
Since 2010 all British Airways new cabin crew employees join what is called mixed fleet, where despite promises that pay would be 10 per cent above the market rate, basic pay starts at just £12,192 with £3 an hour flying pay.
Unite Union estimates that on average mixed fleet cabin crew earn £16,000, including allowances, a year.
Since opening in August, 2016, the British Airways i360, the world’s first vertical cable car, conceived and designed by Marks Barfield Architects, creators of the London Eye has been dogged with technical issues.
Following a successful launch in 2016 that saw over 1,000 people attend 29 shows, (Brighton &) Hove Grown is back for 2017, and has “grown” even more!
(Brighton &) Hove Grown takes place between March 24 and April 2, 2017. Featuring 59 performances of 37 shows over 10 days across 4 venues – and every performance is either written by, or stars, local talent.
Guy Wah, founder of ZLS Theatre and co-founder of Hove Grown, explained: “After a successful first year we were keen to make this year bigger and better, so we’re really pleased with the variety of shows on offer in 2017. We’re delighted to yet again be able to provide a platform for talented new writers and performers in the local area.”
The Sweet Dukebox, Artista, The Purple Playhouse and The Claremont will host a broad range of performance styles, ranging from one-person comedy shows to all-singing, all-dancing theatrical performances, vibrant spoken word, and deliciously different cabaret.
There is something in (Brighton &) Hove Grown for everyone; even a specific category for family-friendly shows.
All tickets for (Brighton &) Hove Grown shows are under £10, with some shows just £5.
Sarah Johnson and Guy Wah
Sarah Johnson, Assistant Venue Manager for Sweet Venues, and co-founder of the festival, said:“In support of our continuing mission to shine a spotlight on venues specifically in the Hove area, we are not only delighted to have the Sweet Dukebox and Artista return, but are absolutely thrilled to welcome The Purple Playhouse and The Claremont as first time festival destinations. These venues in the heart of Hove work tirelessly year-round to bring the City a diverse range of performance and artistic endeavour, and we’re delighted to be able to support them in raising their profile within the local community.”
One key criteria for entry to the festival is that shows are less than two years old. Many shows are receiving their first outings, and others have been re-worked for the festival.
Rachel Shorer will be presenting 10 Mistakes Every Girl Makes in Her Twenties at the Sweet Dukebox. This will be the first public performance of her completed spoken word show exploring the pitfalls of becoming an adult in the social media age.
At the Purple Playhouse, Rose Collis will present The Trials of Colonel Barker, an adaptation of her critically-acclaimed book Colonel Barker’s Monstrous Regime. The play explores some of the most dramatic events in the extraordinary and complex life of Valerie Arkell-Smith aka ‘Colonel Sir Victor Barker DSO’, who veered from tragedy to farce, from fame to obscurity, but always strove to remain ‘a perfect gentleman’.
Comedian Jane Postlethwaite will debut her latest work in progress – The House – a series of character monologues – at Artista. It will feature characters from her sell-out show Made In Cumbria, as well as a range of new characters.
Magician and comedian David Terrence will be reading minds at The Claremont in Fried Mind Show, which will also be heading to Brighton Fringe in May.
Alongside all those shows, there’ll be more theatre, comedy, spoken word, and family friendly shows. Brochures are starting to hit the streets now, so pick one and check details of the full range of events.
JD Henshaw, Artistic Director of Sweet Venues, said:“I am delighted to be able to support Hove Grown in 2017. As we enter our second year, I cannot help but look back on 2016 – at the fantastic success our performers and their work found in the festival – I consider that and marvel at what excitement we have in store this year. More shows on offer, new venues to explore… the 2017 festival will truly let Hove Grown bloom along with those early spring days!”
(Brighton &) Hove Grown will host a launch party at the Sweet Dukebox on Thursday, March 23 from 7.30pm. Everyone is welcome.
Sir Ian McKellen opens NEVER GOING UNDERGROUND: The Fight for LGBT+ Rightsat the People’s History Museum in Manchester.
Sir Ian McKellen opened Never Going Underground at the People’s History Museum in Manchester yesterday (March 2); a ground-breaking exhibition that explores the movement and stories of diverse LGBT+ communities and their quest for equality, and which marks 50 years since the partial decriminalisation of homosexual acts in England and Wales (1967 Sexual Offences Act).
Sir Ian said: “We should all accept the simple fact that we should love each other. Radical non-conformist passion defines this city and it’s wonderful that the People’s History Museum should be telling this story. I hope this exhibition can go across the country so that this story can be told, and then it should travel the world.”
Sir Ian McKellen and Lord Cashman
Janneke Geene, acting director for the People’s History Museum,said:“It means a great deal to all those who have helped to make Never Going Underground happen, that it has been opened by Ian McKellen; one of the world’s most recognisable, respected and vocal figures on LGBT+ rights, who has been involved at the frontline of LGBT+ campaigns for many, many years.
“This is a powerful and hugely important exhibition that illuminates the humbling story of what people have gone through to achieve rights to simply be themselves, and one that, as the People’s History Museum, it is our privilege to tell and invite visitors to share in.”
Never Going Underground, which is supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), takes visitors on an often stark and hugely emotional journey, serving as a reminder of the way that LGBT+ people have been criminalised, persecuted and erased from history for hundreds of years and the struggles they have had to encounter to achieve equality.
Tiffany Hunt
Tiffany Hunt, Chair of HLF North West Committee, said: “I’m delighted to be visiting Never Going Underground and seeing the incredible impact of National Lottery players’ money. This pioneering exhibition will preserve an underexplored part of the UK’s heritage for future generations and pay tribute to those who have fought as part of the ongoing struggle for LGBT+ rights.”
The vision for the exhibition has been led by nine voluntary community curators supported by the People’s History Museum. Adrian Smith, Heather Davidson, Jenny White, Kirsty Roberts, Kirsty Jukes, Lu Tolu, Sarah Wilkinson, Stephen M Hornby and Vivien Walsh have met with campaigners, researched archives and reached out to individuals and groups to gather art, photographs, newspaper reports and memories to present their narrative of how diverse LGBT+ communities have forged the path forwards towards equality. Protest, representation, visibility, solidarity, a shared voice and creativity have been the driving forces behind the vision for LGBT+ rights, and these form the backdrop for the exhibition.
Manchester Lesbian & Gay Chorus
Vivien Walsh, community curator for the People’s History Museum, added: “Looking at all the material we’ve collected and put together, it is shocking to realise how long it took us to achieve – partially – the basic human right of being treated equally: and how far there is still to go.
“I am especially struck by how much campaigning and struggle it took. Like everything else celebrated in the People’s History Museum, what the LGBT+ community has achieved, took decades of campaigning and sacrifice by the people who are remembered in this exhibition.”
Sarah Wilkson, community curator for the People’s History Museum, said: “There is no single narrative in the struggle for LGBT+ rights and we hope that the exhibition highlights some of the everyday heroes who fought, and continue to fight, for LGBT+ rights as well as representing key events that have made a difference to all our lives.”
Four partners are working with the People’s History Museum on Never Going Underground: The Proud Trust, LGBT Foundation, Proud 2 b Parents and Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus. The project has been made possible by the National Lottery through a HLF grant of £63,000. The exhibition forms part of a year-long programme of events, talks, community projects and a schools learning programme; all of which will discuss, explore and navigate the LGBT+ movement showing the struggles and the social and historical context of decades of activism.
The exhibition runs till September 3.
For more information on the People’s History Museum, click here:
For more information about the exhibition, click here:
It follows a case where a burger van granted a license by the Council has been operating outside Hove Town Hall, just yards from the busy Church Road shopping street. In addition, the van has been parked halfway over the pavement on a section of the Norton Road covered by double yellow lines.
(Brighton &) Hove Grown takes place between March 24 and April 2, 2017. Featuring 59 performances of 37 shows over 10 days across 4 venues – and every performance is either written by, or stars, local talent.
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