July 2017 – Page 7 – Scene Magazine – From the heart of LGBTQ+ Life

Rail Unions suspend strike action planned during Brighton Pride

Posted on 19/07/201719/07/2017 by Besi

Strikes planned by RTM union drivers and guards during the annual Brighton Pride celebrations in August have been suspended after intervention from Chris Grayling MP.

Yesterday (July 18) the Secretary of State invited the RTM Union’s General Secretary, Mick Cash for direct talks, on condition the strike action was suspended. A similar invitation was extended to ASLEF.

A spokesperson for the RTM said: “We note the letter of July 18 from Chris Grayling, inviting the General Secretary to meet subject to RMT suspending our planned action for both Drivers and Conductors.

“We therefore suspend the industrial action called for Tuesday 1st August, Wednesday 2nd August, and Friday 4th August, and instruct the General Secretary to arrange the meeting and to place back before this NEC an update on the progress of the talks by Tuesday 1st August.

“RMT will be making no further comment at this stage as we arrange details for the talks and allow them space to take place.”

Members of ASLEF have announced they are ending the ban on overtime which has disrupted services over the past few weeks.

A spokesperson for Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “We are pleased to inform you that the proposed ASLEF and RMT drivers strike on August 1,2 and 4 has now been suspended and we are proud to be working with Brighton & Hove Pride to help get people to and from this spectacular event.

We will be utilising our new longer trains on our Thameslink routes to and from London and also adding carriages on our Southern and Gatwick Express routes where possible.

“Services are still expected to be extremely busy during the festival and queuing systems maybe in place, so do allow extra time to travel and plan to travel outside peak times. As always, we advise you to check before you travel in case there are any short notice alterations due to disruption.

“From all of us at Govia Thameslink Railway, we wish you a wonderful pride!”

Paul Kemp, Director of Brighton Pride, said: “We are very relieved and grateful that the action has been called off and has taken away the uncertainty for people travelling from all over the world and UK to visit the City for Brighton & Hove Pride.

“The Pride weekend is a critical time for Pride’s community fundraising for the Rainbow Fund and local LGBT/HIV groups and charities, so we’re just relived that the Pride plans will go ahead unhindered and we ask the City to come out and stand up to all hate crime.”

For live running information of Southern rail services, click here:

To buy your tickets online, click here:

All seven city parks retain their Green Flags!

Posted on 19/07/201719/07/2017 by Besi

Green Flags will once again fly in seven Brighton & Hove parks this summer.

Easthill Park, Hove Park, Kipling Gardens, Preston Park, St Ann’s Well Gardens, Stoneham Park and The Level have all been awarded prestigious Green Flags for excellence.

The national awards, handed out by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, recognise and reward the best parks and green spaces across the country.

The Green Flags are given to parks with the highest possible standards which are beautifully maintained and have excellent facilities.

St Ann’s Well Gardens in Hove flies the flag for the 18th year, while Preston Park celebrates a 17th successive year. Easthill Park in Portslade has picked up its 15th award, Hove Park is celebrating a 13th success while Kipling Gardens in Rottingdean has won its 10th award. Stoneham Park has picked up its 8th award and The Level is flying a Green Flag for the 4th year running.

Councillor Gill Mitchell, chair of Brighton & Hove City Council’s environment , transport and sustainability committee, said: “It’s fantastic news that we will once again be flying seven Green Flags in parks in Brighton, Hove, Portslade and Rottingdean – a real city-wide success story.

“It’s a fitting tribute to our dedicated staff, friends groups and volunteers who work tirelessly to make sure that the quality is maintained and our parks and gardens are a pleasure to visit all year round.”

International Green Flag Award scheme manager Paul Todd, added: “We are delighted to be celebrating another record-breaking year for the Green Flag Award scheme.

“Each flag is a celebration of the thousands of staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to maintain the high standards demanded by the Green Flag Award. The success of the scheme, especially in these challenging times, demonstrates just how much parks matter to people.”

The Green Flag Awards Scheme is run by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, under licence from the Department of Communities and Local Government, in partnership with Keep Scotland Beautiful, Keep Wales Tidy and Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens and the National Housing Federation.

Any green space that is accessible to the public is eligible to enter for a Green Flag Award. Awards are given on an annual basis and winners must apply each year to renew their Green Flag status. A Green Flag Community Award recognises quality sites managed by voluntary and community groups. Green Heritage Site accreditation is judged on the treatment of the site’s historic features and the standard of conservation.

Barnardo’s shortlisted for equality award

Posted on 19/07/2017 by Besi

Children’s charity Barnardo’s has been shortlisted in the PinkNews Awards for its work improving equality for LGBT+ people.

Barnardo’s is one of six organisations shortlisted in the Third Sector Equality Award by a panel including PinkNews staff, politicians and business and community leaders.

They were announced at a House of Commons event last night (Tuesday, July 18).

Barnardo’s Chief Executive Javed Khan, said: “I’m delighted to hear that Barnardo’s has been shortlisted in the PinkNews Awards.

“Creating a workforce that is inclusive of our LGBT+ staff and volunteers is vital if we are to fully understand the needs of LGBT+ children and young people.

“We help to educate young people about equality, diversity and inclusion and to increase LGBT+ awareness.

“Barnardo’s has also led the way in campaigning for LGBT+ fostering and adoption and have helped many children to thrive in loving, safe family environments.”

To vote in the awards, click here:

The winners will be announced on October 18.

Brighton businessman bids to become Mr Gay Europe – Campaign Day 3

Posted on 19/07/201719/07/2017 by Besi

Matt Rood has lived in Brighton for the last fifteen years. His job is his passion. He’s a dog walker and trainer and has his own company called ROODDOG. His other passion is fitness and he goes to the Underground gym in Brighton five or six times a week.

The last two years have been an emotional journey for Matt following the breakdown of his marriage. A friend came across the competition for Mr Gay Europe and encouraged him to apply.

Matt said: “I’m a very enthusiastic guy and love setting myself new challenges so I went for it. I hired the best personal trainer in town Sam Bird to help keep me focused and positive enabling me to be successful and reach my goals.”

A formal interview with Stuart Hatton former Mr Gay World 2014 followed, then a cv round, a photo round and two Skype interviews with the board of directors of Mr Gay Europe. He completed each round successfully and was awarded his new title, Mr Gay England.

Contrary to common perception, Mr Gay Europe isn’t a beauty pageant, it’s more about understanding LGBT+ law, LGBT+ rights and being cultured within the LGBT+ communities.

The Mr Gay Europe competition takes place in Stockholm, Sweden from August 1-6 when Matt will be competing against contestants from fifteen other countries.

The competition includes different rounds ranging from a formal interview, a written exam on the contestants knowledge of LGBT+ law, a social media challenge, a team challenge, a congeniality round, a fitness round and a round on the contestants campaigning work.

Matt’s campaign for the competition is called Pride Families. For three years he was a foster carer and helped ten children. He wants to use his new title as Mr Gay England and his experience as a foster carer as a platform to promote awareness showing that LGBT+ people can adopt and foster children providing them with loving, safe and nurturing homes.

In September, Matt will be working with Brighton and Hove City Council to launch a new fostering and adoption campaign and on July 8 will walk on the London Pride march with the fostering and adoption charity, New Family Social.

He added: “I’ve linked up with a local school too, as I believe the only way to combat discrimination in future generations is to work with children and teach them through respect, happiness and love for each other.”

Voting for Mr Gay Europe goes live on July 17 and you can vote online until August 4. Matt needs your votes as this counts for 20% of his final marks. Most importantly you can vote everyday the online voting is live to get a campaign going for him.

Matt concluded: “This has definitely been a whirlwind journey so far. I am loving every minute and I know if I win Mr Gay Europe the hard work starts there. I have the passion, motivation and drive to be a positive role model for our LGBT+ communities. So please vote for me.”

To vote for Matt and bring the title of Mr Gay Europe to Brighton, click here:

You can vote each day as Matt’s campaign gathers speed.

BOOK REVIEW: The Hopkins Conundrum by Simon Edge

Posted on 19/07/201719/07/2017 by Eric Page

The Hopkins Conundrum

By Simon Edge

Tim Cleverley inherits a failing pub in Wales. The only thing of interest is its location, where Victorian poet Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote his masterpiece – The Wreck – about a group of nuns fleeing Germany on board a doomed ship. To Tim, the opaque religious poetry is incomprehensible – almost as if it’s written in code.

This gives him an idea; he contacts an American author – famous as a purveyor of Holy Grail hokum – suggesting he write a book about the poet and entirely fabricated, ‘mystery’. The famous author is going through a period of writer’s block and latches on to his idea. But will Tim’s new relationship with a genuine Hopkins fan scupper the plan?

The Hopkins Conundrum blends the real stories of Hopkins and the shipwrecked nuns while casting a wry eye on The Da Vinci Code industry in a highly original mix of fiction, literary biography and satirical commentary. It’s a romantic modern love story and the story of love of life and faith and how that directed Hopkins to a wild Welsh space. It’s chapters hop from the here and now, the then and there, we are both in the poem with the nuns, the poets thoughts, the modern day couple and the rural Welsh village life, it’s an interesting and compelling read and the ultimate death of the tragic nun’s and the poems muse themselves is treated with a stark dignity.

New gay author Simon Edge bring us this lovely story of poems, nuns, persecution, the Welsh countryside and some romantic intrigue and it’s a delicious read with some hints into Hopkins homoerotic experiences and the poetry itself washing though the book entwined in the whirls and eddies of Edges great prose. It’s one of those odd books which deliver more than you’d expect and Edge’s dedication to his partner – also in the book – brought a tear to my eye.

Paperback

£8.99

For more information or to order the book from the authors website, click here:

Govia plan longer trains and extra services into Brighton for Pride weekend

Posted on 19/07/201719/07/2017 by Besi

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) will run longer Thameslink trains to and from Brighton during next month’s Pride celebrations, but management warns the decision by workers of ASLEF and RTM unions to strike, will affect the event.

Brighton and Hove Pride runs from Friday 4 to Sunday, August 6. Both rail unions have announced their workers will strike on August 1, 2 and 4 and there will be an overtime ban in place on other days.

GTR have plans to run more trains and additional carriages on Southern and Gatwick Express on Saturday, August 5, as well as the new, longer 12-carriage Thameslink trains running from London Bridge, Blackfriars and St Pancras to Brighton.

Southern’s Passenger Services Director Angie Doll said: “ASLEF has called three days of strikes in a deliberate move to cause maximum disruption for passengers. We’re deeply disappointed that it has chosen the week of Brighton and Hove Pride. We have been working very closely with the organisers to ensure that this year’s event is a resounding success despite the industrial action.

“We will make it our priority to run as many services to Brighton as we can.

“For ASLEF to be striking in protest against an offer to increase pay by 24% is simply mind-boggling. The vast majority of our passengers could only dream of such a generous pay award, so will understandably be as shocked and frustrated as we are.

“We absolutely need to modernise in order to increase capacity here on the most congested part of the UK’s network, where passenger numbers have doubled in as little as 12 years. That requires modernisation of infrastructure, trains and working practices. The trade unions must join us in that endeavour.”

Services over the Pride weekend are expected to be extremely busy during the main event and queuing systems will be in place. Everyone is advised to allow extra time to travel, especially at peak times on Saturday (5) and Sunday (6).

Visitors should check Southern’s website before they travel in case there are any short-notice alterations owing to disruption.

Paul Kemp, Director of Brighton and Hove Pride, said: “It’s a real concern that ASLEF and RMT are taking this action when people from all over the UK and the world are planning to visit Brighton and Hove for Pride, and to join our campaign to Stand Up To Hate Crime.

“Pride works throughout the year on planning with all public service agencies to deliver a safe event and I wrote to all parties involved in this dispute in May 2017 appealing for support over the Pride weekend. I’m appealing again for the unions to support their LGBT and minority allies and not to take this industrial action on the eve of Pride on Friday August 4th.

“The Pride weekend is a critical time for Pride’s community fundraising for local LGBT and HIV groups and charities, many of whom are struggling to continue providing their services following cuts to public funding. In the current climate of uncertainty it’s so important that we all come together to celebrate the great diversity of our City and stand up to all hate crime.”

Over the last three years Brighton & Hove Pride has raised and donated over £300,000 to local LGBT+/HIV organisations who provide effective frontline services to LGBT+ people in the city.

Groups who receive grants from monies raised by Pride in Brighton & Hove have signed and delivered a joint letter to both unions asking them to withdraw the threat to strike on Friday, August 4. Neither union has responded to their joint appeal.

Anti-bullying charity announces survey results

Posted on 19/07/201719/07/2017 by Besi

♦ 1 in 3 young people are scared they could be bullied online
♦ 69% have been abusive to someone else online
♦ Instagram the most commonly used social network for
online bullying
♦ Half a million young people were bullied in the UK in the last week alone

One of largest surveys of bullying in the UK, the Annual Bullying Survey 2017, is published today (July 19) by anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label.

The charity surveyed 10,020 young people between the ages of 12 – 20, in partnership with schools and colleges across the country with the focus of the 2017 survey being technology and the lives that young people live online.

The report explores a broad range of issues including cyberbullying, abuse, online behaviours, online personas and social media addiction.

This is the fifth Annual Bullying Survey produced by the Ditch the Label. The charity hope that the research will inspire further studies and policy shifts to enhance the digital experiences of young people.

The report found that over half of all young people will have experienced bullying while those who identify as LGBT+ or with a physical or learning disability are the most likely to be bullied.

82% of gay people have been bullied and 70% of those with a physical disability.

The report also found that social networks are making young people more anxious with 1 in 3 young people being scared they could be bullied online and of those who have been bullied, 2 in 5 have gone on to develop social anxiety.

Instagram is the most commonly used network for online bullying. Nearly half (42%) of all young people bullied online have been bullied on Instagram followed by Facebook (37%) and Snapchat (31%).

A large number of young people (69%) also admit to having done something abusive to another person online with 7 out of 10 respondents thinking social networks don’t do enough to combat online bullying.

Key findings:

The climate of bullying
♦ Over half of all young people in the UK have been bullied at some point.
♦ Over half a million (673,000) will have been bullied at least once in the past week (according to data extrapolation against UK census data).
♦ 1 in 5 young people have been bullied online.
♦ Young people who identify as LGBT+ are the most likely to have been bullied – 82% of gay people have been bullied (compared to 51% of straight people).
♦ Those with a disability are also much more likely to be bullied. 75% of those with autism or aspergers and 70% of those with a physical disability have been bullied, compared to 50% of those without.

Cyberbullying
♦ 7 out of 10 respondents have done something abusive towards another person online.
♦ 1 in 3 young people are scared they might be bullied online.
♦ Instagram is the most commonly used network for cyberbullying.
♦ Nearly half (42%) of all young people bullied online have been bullied on Instagram followed by Facebook (37%) and Snapchat (31%),
♦ 41% of those who have been bullied online have gone on to develop social anxiety.
♦ 7 out of 10 don’t think social networks do enough to combat bullying.

Social Media Usage
♦ Young people are increasingly addicted to social media.
♦ 60% are unable to go more than a day without using social media.
♦ Nearly 1 in 3 use it constantly.
♦ 75% use it at least several times a day.
♦ 40% said they would feel bad if nobody liked their selfie.
♦ 35% said the more followers they have the more confident they feel.
♦ 34% said they would delete a post if it didn’t get enough likes.
♦ 47% said they wouldn’t discuss the bad things going on in their lives on social media.

Liam Hackett, CEO of Ditch the Label, said: “Cyberbullying continues to be one of the biggest challenges facing young people. Our research this year uncovers the true extent and impact of online abuse.Not only is the Internet redefining the climate of bullying, but also it is having clear impacts upon the identity, behaviours and personality of its young users.

“Cyberbullying has devastating effects on the lives of so many young people and has been found to seriously undermine the health and wellbeing of those who are subjected to it. It is a societal issue that requires the full co-operation of social networks, NGO’s, policy makers, young people, educators and society as a whole to help overcome it.”

The Survey was available online to students in secondary schools and colleges across the UK between November 1, 2016 and February 28, 2017. Students were each allocated time during registration and PSHE sessions to complete the survey.

To download a full copy of the report, click here:

Samaritans want you to shush and listen

Posted on 18/07/2017 by Besi

Harness the power of listening – Brighton, Hove and District Samaritans want you to SHUSH! and listen.

Samaritans the suicide prevention charity’s annual month-long awareness campaign Talk to Us in July encourages people from all over the UK to take a few minutes to improve their listening skills by following the charity’s simple SHUSH! listening tips.

Samaritans volunteers at Brighton, Hove and Haywards Heath railway stations will be handing out SHUSH Listening tips and highlighting the support they provide for the community, which centres on good listening skills.

Every six seconds, someone in the UK and Ireland contacts Samaritans, and every 90 minutes in the UK and the Republic of Ireland, someone takes their own life.

Samaritans believes that listening is crucial to helping people find their way through their problems, and the charity would like to encourage people to seek help early, rather than when they reach a crisis.

Samaritans Listening Tips or S-H-U-S-H:

Show you care: focus just on the other person, make eye contact, put away your phone
Have patience: it may take time and several attempts before a person is ready to open up
Use open questions: that need more than a yes/no answer, and follow-up e.g. ‘Tell me more’
Say it back: to check you’ve understood, but don’t interrupt or offer a solution
Have courage: don’t be put off by a negative response and, most importantly, don’t be afraid to leave silence

Good listening is hard but Samaritans believes it essential in bringing down the number of suicides.

Director Alison from Brighton, Hove and District Samaritans, said: “Suicide is everybody’s business and we can all do our bit to encourage people to be better listeners and reach out for help if they need to. We’re a culture of people who love to give advice, love to give opinions and love the sound of our own voices. But this year we’re asking people all over the country to SHUSH! and take time out to listen to others. Sixty years of Samaritans’ expertise has taught us that just listening is the greatest gift you can give to somebody, and that it can save lives.

“Samaritans’ aim is to bring down the high numbers of suicides in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. It wants to encourage people to ask for help early if they are struggling, rather than waiting until they reach a crisis.”

REVIEW: Shirley Valentine @Theatre Royal

Posted on 18/07/201719/07/2017 by Eric Page

Shirley Valentine

Theatre Royal

Brighton

Written by Willy Russell, Shirley Valentine is a superb one women story of triumph, of recognising the worth of being in the moment, the importance of living for yourself and knowing that things have a shelf life and sometimes you need to break open the walls that keep you safe, to really experience living again, and learn to love yourself.

This 30th anniversary stage production directed by Glen Walford, who commissioned and directed the original Shirley Valentine in Liverpool in 1986 is a love affair with the Theatre. It’s a touch perfect production, the set and direction tight and clear, the lights and soundscape just the right amount of suggestiveness and it all centres on this utterly beguiling, convincing and engaging performance from Jodie Prenger.

She is playing Shirley, the middle-aged housewife heroine of Willy Russell’s award-winning play who first challenges then decides to join her friend and escape her domestic drudgery in Liverpool for a Greek holiday which will open her to differences in living and ultimately change her life.

Prenger’s performance is a masterclass in understated brilliance, her comic timing so sharp is seems effortless, her small silent pauses just enough for us to fill them with our sighs, possibly our tears and empathy before she whips it up and away from us, like her ultra animated tea towel, and throws us into laughter. From eyes welling up with the brutal honestly of her self-regard to laugh out loud finishing of sentences this is a stylish switch back performance of a women volcanically rising into her prime.

Prenger is a slightly more glamorous Shirley than the Pauline Collins version but this makes her feel more contemporary and for a 30-year-old script this holds up superbly as the observations of her family’s behaviour are not beholden to the technology they use.

Russell’s writing of female working class characters is superb, he voices them in an authentic, considerate and empowering way and there are not enough roles this powerful for women. It’s an inspiring story and Shirley’s journey is a deliberate and easy to follow map towards the unknowns. From the same and stifling life she shared with a man she’s grown familiar with, to a foreign holiday with the potential to change everything.

Shirley stays with us, conversationally giving us insight and understanding, ostensibly taking to her ‘confidant’ –the Wall- and then ‘the Rock’ when in Greece but actually talking directly to us, the audience and Prenger appears to connect to each and every member of the audience, she’s superbly there and present in a role which is all about being utterly present in the moment.

Her change of voice for neighbours, family and husband are superb and she’s physically funny, a shifted shoulder and sideways hop across the stage getting huge laughs, her body is as agile as her voice and I seriously enjoyed watching this superb animated acting, she made me laugh and laugh again with her psychical shifts of tone.

I could gush more, I will gush more, but book yourself a ticket now, this was an unexpected treat and I left feeling notably empowered by Russell’s life affirming writing, as relevant now to everyone as it was thirty years ago, but also enchanted by this tour de force performance from Prenger. With the audience on their feet giving her a tumultuous applause, well deserved, Prenger offers some of it to ‘The Rock’ sitting next to her in the second half beach set. Modest, charming and seriously funny, Prenger herself rocks!

Utterly perfect and a flawless performance of the oncoming renaissance of a woman lost to other people’s low expectations of her and her own re-founding of her pure self through the realistic realisation of a simple dream and the unconditional acceptance of the consequences.

Book now: Recommended.

Theatre Royal Brighton until Saturday, July 22

RuPaul’s Drag Race superstar rounds off Pride in Hull line-up

Posted on 18/07/201718/07/2017 by Besi

RuPaul’s Drag Race runner-up Courtney Act sashay onto the stage this Saturday, July 22, 2017 to entertain the crowds at Pride in Hull.

Courtney, who appeared on season six of the hit TV show, starred in Little Mix’s latest music video Power alongside fellow Drag Race alumnae Alaska and Willam, performing with pop-star LGBT+ advocate Jade Thirlwall and the other Little Mix girls in the girl power anthem.

During her time on the show, Courtney impressed the judges, never having to Lipsync for her life and reaching the final alongside Adore Delano and eventual winner Bianca Del Rio along with appearing in the video for RuPaul’s iconic Sissy That Walk.

Member of the Pride in Hull organising committee Andy Hastings, said: “We are so excited to have Courtney joining us on Saturday. RuPaul’s Drag Race is such a huge part of LGBT+ culture, so getting a contestant to perform in Hull was always top of our wish list for 2017 but we were bowled over by the number of requests from our audience for one of the Ru Girls to join us. We’re sure Courtney will charm the crowd with her charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent.”

Pride in Hull takes place on Saturday, July 22 beginning with a parade at midday, before the main event in Queen’s Gardens starts at 2pm.

For more information about Pride in Hull, click here:

Call us now

Month: July 2017

Rail Unions suspend strike action planned during Brighton Pride

Strikes planned by RTM union drivers and guards during the annual Brighton Pride celebrations in August have been suspended after intervention from Chris Grayling MP.

All seven city parks retain their Green Flags!

Green Flags will once again fly in seven Brighton & Hove parks this summer.

Barnardo’s shortlisted for equality award

Children’s charity Barnardo’s has been shortlisted in the PinkNews Awards for its work improving equality for LGBT+ people.

Brighton businessman bids to become Mr Gay Europe – Campaign Day 3

Matt Rood has lived in Brighton for the last fifteen years. His job is his passion. He’s a dog walker and trainer and has his own company called ROODDOG. His other passion is fitness and he goes to the Underground gym in Brighton five or six times a week.

BOOK REVIEW: The Hopkins Conundrum by Simon Edge

Govia plan longer trains and extra services into Brighton for Pride weekend

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) will run longer Thameslink trains to and from Brighton during next month’s Pride celebrations, but management warns the decision by workers of ASLEF and RTM unions to strike, will affect the event.

Anti-bullying charity announces survey results

♦ 1 in 3 young people are scared they could be bullied online
♦ 69% have been abusive to someone else online
♦ Instagram the most commonly used social network for
online bullying
♦ Half a million young people were bullied in the UK in the last week alone

Samaritans want you to shush and listen

Harness the power of listening – Brighton, Hove and District Samaritans want you to SHUSH! and listen.

REVIEW: Shirley Valentine @Theatre Royal

RuPaul’s Drag Race superstar rounds off Pride in Hull line-up

RuPaul’s Drag Race runner-up Courtney Act sashay onto the stage this Saturday, July 22, 2017 to entertain the crowds at Pride in Hull.

Latest News

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Strikes planned by RTM union drivers and guards during the annual Brighton Pride celebrations in August have been suspended after intervention from Chris Grayling MP.

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Green Flags will once again fly in seven Brighton & Hove parks this summer.

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Children’s charity Barnardo’s has been shortlisted in the PinkNews Awards for its work improving equality for LGBT+ people.

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Matt Rood has lived in Brighton for the last fifteen years. His job is his passion. He’s a dog walker and trainer and has his own company called ROODDOG. His other passion is fitness and he goes to the Underground gym in Brighton five or six times a week.

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Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) will run longer Thameslink trains to and from Brighton during next month’s Pride celebrations, but management warns the decision by workers of ASLEF and RTM unions to strike, will affect the event.

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♦ 1 in 3 young people are scared they could be bullied online ♦ 69% have been abusive to someone else online ♦ Instagram the most commonly used social network for online bullying ♦ Half a million young people were bullied in the UK in the last week alone

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Harness the power of listening – Brighton, Hove and District Samaritans want you to SHUSH! and listen.

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RuPaul’s Drag Race runner-up Courtney Act sashay onto the stage this Saturday, July 22, 2017 to entertain the crowds at Pride in Hull.

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Latest News

♦ 1 in 3 young people are scared they could be bullied online
♦ 69% have been abusive to someone else online
♦ Instagram the most commonly used social network for
online bullying
♦ Half a million young people were bullied in the UK in the last week alone