Community and voluntary organisations in Brighton and Hove are invited to apply for part of a £365,000 council funding scheme.
THE Communities Fund gives money to a wide variety of organisations including self-help groups, community centres, neighbourhood events, sports, culture, arts and environmental work.
This is the second of three funding rounds this year – anyone wishing to apply has until Friday, July 20, with the deadline for round three on October 19.
Cllr Emma Daniel
Councillor Emma Daniel, chair of the council’s Neighbourhoods, Inclusion, Communities & Equalities Committee, said:“The Communities Fund is a fantastic way of ensuring the city’s voluntary and community groups receive much-needed support, help and, in particular, funding while recognising the positive impact of voluntary action.”
The focus of the funding stream has three main purposes – improving wellbeing, building cohesion and promoting fairness through three funding streams: The Engagement Fund with awards up to £2,000; the Resilience Fund up to £10,000 and the Collaboration Fund up to £15,000.
Cllr Daniel said:“Last year we provided funding for 100 groups who are making a really positive impact to the lives of thousands of our most vulnerable communities and residents, so I’d really urge organisations to apply.”
One of the groups who has benefited from round one funding is Disability Pride Brighton, a group that supports disabled people throughout the city, and which is holding an event on Hove Lawns this Saturday July 14.
Cllr Daniels concluded: “We’re delighted to have awarded £7,500 to such a fabulous organisation for an event that touches the lives of so many people throughout the city. Taking place at Hove Lawns on 14 July, the event will see Disability Pride Brighton host a vibrant programme of activities, while working alongside many third sector partners.
“The money is a significant investment and alongside help with event planning and business support from council’s events, communities, equality and third sector teams, represents a substantial package of support.
“In only its second year since starting, Disability Pride Brighton has already established itself as a popular and much valued contributor to the city’s busy cultural calendar. The organisation helps many disabled residents challenge injustice and prejudice, and improves well-being and cohesion across the city.”
This fund is supported by the Phillip Hedgcock Bequest – a charitable trust fund administered by the Communities, Equality & Third Sector Team – with investment from the council’s Textile Recycling Fund.
Rainbow flag flies from Centenary House in run up to first Worthing Pride.
EXCITEMENT is building for the first Worthing Pride this weekend (Saturday, July 14) after LGBT+ staff working at West Sussex County Council raised the rainbow flag at Centenary House in Worthing this morning.
The flag representing all members of the LGBT+ communities will be flying from the flagpole each day this week ahead of the very first Worthing Pride which gets underway on Saturday, July 14 on the Promenade from 1pm.
The event is supporting West Sussex Coastal Mind and Allsorts youth project.
Chairman of the county council, Lionel Barnard, said:“Supporting Worthing Pride is something that the County Council is pleased to do. As Chairman I supported Brighton Pride right from the start and look at the heights that has reached.
“We all wish Worthing Pride success in its venture and are pleased to say we are flying the flag at Centenary House in Worthing to mark the first of many years’ events.”
Members of the county council’s LGBT+ staff group and firefighters from West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service will be taking part in the parade on Saturday.
Jane Moseley, the county council’s County Planning Team Manager, leads the recently re-established LGBT+ staff group.
Jane said:“Part of my personal goal in leading the group is to be visible – for people to know that LGBT+ people exist, we work alongside you and actually it’s not that big a deal – whatever our spouse’s gender, they can still be really irritating.
“The rainbow flag being raised on the flagpole at Centenary House is a small thing but it means a lot to those of us in the LGBT+ community. It means our employer recognises and supports us, which helps all of us to feel more comfortable being ourselves at work, and holding others to account when they challenge our right to be ourselves.
“We have come a long way in terms of acceptance of LGBT+ people, but we still have some way to go before we can say it is not an issue at all.
“We are really looking forward to taking part in the Worthing Pride parade this weekend, with the help of plenty of (eco)glitter, and having the flag flying all week in the run up to the big day is a wonderful way to celebrate all that is great about being LGBT+.”
Debbie Kennard, Cabinet Member for Safer, Stronger Communities, added:“I am very proud that the fire service has chosen to be a part of the Worthing Pride celebrations, and to send a powerful message to residents across the county on the importance of inclusion and diversity.
“It is absolutely fantastic to see the rainbow flag flying from Centenary House to raise awareness of the stigma that so many people around the world still face on a day-to-day basis just because of their sexuality.”
Internationally renowned DJ and Brighton resident, Norman Cook, AKA Fatboy Slim, is spearheading the Snailspace campaign; a street art project with a difference, as fifty giant snails take over the streets of Brighton & Hove this autumn to raise money for Martlets Hospice.
IN ORDER to produce a unique work of art from his giant fiberglass snail, he’s collaborating with street artist, Cassette Lord (Martin Middleton) to create a distinctive and unforgettable design.
Strictly under wraps to prevent artistic espionage, their snail design is currently top-secret. However, given both artists connection to music, tech and the retro aesthetic, it is likely to be more than a simple sculpture.
Norman has a reputation for championing artists and most recently commissioned urban artist, Bordalo II, to create a giant sculpture of a seagull from recycled plastic at his Big Beach Cafe. He’s also no stranger to giant animal sculptures as in 2016 he sponsored a Snowdog, as part of Snowdogs by the Sea. Called ‘Boomer’, it was transformed into a working Boom Box by Ryca and sold for £20,000.
Norman explains why he’s involved in the project:“I loved the experience of being involved in Snowdogs by the Sea. The giant canine sculptures captured peoples’ imaginations and really brought the city together. The snail is an inspired choice as I love the idea of something usually so small being made large. I also love the fact that you just bump into a sculpture on your way into work, or your everyday journey, and it just makes you smile. There is also something about the whole idea of #BeMoreSnail which resonates. I think it is important to slow down and spend a bit more time doing the things we love, with the people we love.”
He continues on why he wanted to collaborate with Cassette Lord:“I’ve been a fan of his work for a long time and this seemed like a great project to work on together. I know he’s going to bring something special to the snail…. just don’t ask me what it is yet, as we want to retain an element of surprise. We ‘re also planning an exhibition of street art when the project goes live in September.”
Originally from Portsmouth, Brighton based street artist Martin Middleton, aka Cassette Lord, transforms the urban landscape with his bright, bold and surreal stencil work. He’s made it his mission to transform Brighton’s bland green junction boxes into giant cassette tapes.
Martin explains:“The cassette tape was the right shape for the junction boxes and the perfect retro choice for the art and music saturated landscape of Brighton. I loved the prospect of seeing these massive cassettes sticking up out of the pavement like they had been ejected from some huge subterranean cassette-playing mother ship!”
Talking about why he wanted to get involved in creating a giant snail he said: “I’m a fan of American artist Claes Oldenburg, who takes tiny everyday objects and makes them into massive sculptures, which is exactly what this project does. With our cities crammed full of advertising, signs and signals I think it is really important to implant the abstract and surreal in the everyday to remind us that our visual reality and environment can be altered and doesn’t always have to make sense, it’s important not to lose that sense of play”.
Fatboy Slim’s snail will take its place alongside 49 other giant snail sculptures, each uniquely decorated by artists. They will hit the streets of Brighton & Hove from Saturday, September 15 until Sunday November 18, 2018 and be on show nine weeks.
Every snail sculpture will be auctioned to raise money for Martlets and its life-changing care.
Organisers confirm acts and sponsors for Croydon PrideFest event on Saturday, July 14.
FOR a third year running, Croydon is set to celebrate its LGBT+ community with a fun-filled day.
On Saturday July 14, it will throw its third completely free-of-charge Croydon PrideFest, with acts and sponsors all confirmed for the day.
This year’s PrideFest parade theme is #FlyMyPride with Croydon’s multicultural community encouraged to bring along the flag of a country attendees love.
The Council, locally-based businesses and other groups have thrown their weight behind the event to make it a success: including Headline Sponsor: The London Borough of Croydon. Gold Sponsors: Nudge Factory and Liverpool Victoria. Silver Sponsors: Superdrug, BBS Natural Stone, Willmott Dixon and the Big Lottery Fund. Bronze Sponsors: Mott MacDonald.
This year’s PrideFest will kick-off with a parade from Croydon High Street (North End, outside Marks and Spencer) starting at 11.30am walking to the main event site in Wandle Park where a thousand participants are expected to attend.
This year’s event has moved to Wandle Park due to the event doubling in size each year. Festivities will include a wide range of live music and acts, accompanied by food and drinks stalls in the Park, going on until 10pm.
Confirmed acts include Asifa Lahore, star of Channel 4’s ‘Muslim Drag Queens’, and singer songwriter Christopher Haul. Asifa will host the event in the afternoon and Christopher in the evening.
Other acts confirmed for the main stage are:
♦ Angie Brown
♦ tribute band Abalicious
♦ cabaret performer and singer Danny Beard
♦ comedian Captain Anchor
♦ 10-piece steel band, Endurance
♦ Scarlett
♦ Gill Manly
♦ BugEye
♦ Trans-Siberian March Band
♦ Tin
♦ Q
Paula Goodwin, Chair of Croydon Pride, said:“I have no doubt this year’s PrideFest will be awesome. Our acts and presenters are going to help create such a great atmosphere, all a part of Croydon’s celebration of its inclusive Pride scene.
“We owe so much to our sponsors, who make this amazing day of celebration possible. All of them are cherished by Croydon Pride for their contribution and I look forward to sharing a fantastic day with them on Saturday 14th July.”
Trustee, Mark Watson, added:“The clock is ticking fast for PrideFest and we’re going to have a great time, even bigger and better than in previous years. And they were a tough act to follow!
“We might not be the first place you’d expect a Pride festival on this scale but Croydon’s community spirit and inclusivity never ceases to amaze me and the other Pride Trustees. There’s a really great line-up of events. I can’t wait.”
Trans Pride Brighton (TPB), a charity run by trans people for trans people has grown this year to a week full of events designed for trans people about trans people.
NOW IN its sixth year, over the years the organising team behind TPB has evolved and members change regularly. This year, thirty trans, non binary people and cis allies have helped shape this celebration of gender diversity. TPB strives to represent all members of the trans communities, boosting those who aren’t represented by the mainstream LGBT+ movement and each year they learn and grow, both in numbers and as people.
A TPB spokesperson said:“Each year brings new challenges but that is vastly outweighed by the pride that wells up inside of us when we see how empowered and happy the thousands of people who attend are feeling. We started TPB because the mainstream Brighton Pride event didn’t represent us. Our trans communities needed trans people to stand up and create a space which was safe and actively empowered the weakest amongst us, to raise everybody up and be visible to those who may not be out as trans yet. It’s common for trans people to feel isolated so TPB exists to show that we are not alone, we have a supportive community and we are all loved.
“For trans people, a pride that deals with their own particular needs, and raises awareness of intersectional issues, is absolutely vital. Being involved as something more than just a passive bystander brings a certain vibrancy to the activism that TPB engages in and the event itself gives an extra depth to the feeling of solidarity in the trans communities.
“Six years ago the police wouldn’t let us march off the pavements and now thousands of people stop traffic and take over the busiest roads in Brighton for more than an hour. The event gets bigger every year, but with any growth we must keep in mind our core principles that we are doing things by trans people, for trans people.
“We’re a community which is grossly misrepresented, marginalised and oppressed, and have recently been under constant media attack. Now, as much as ever, our direction is to provide a focal point for trans people to feel proud and to show solidarity with each other. We’re also a platform to highlight the issues we face which is why while some see Pride as a celebration we must always be conscious that it’s a protest.”
TPB organisers are always looking to add events and content that helps people understand and celebrate each other and wants to help the most vulnerable members of the trans communities.
They still need volunteers to help deliver the 2018 event, doing things like stewarding, setting the park up and selling merchandise.
Occasionally Trans Pride need permanent committee members to work on specific areas of what they are working on. They are particularly keen to hear from trans people of colour who want to join the committee, so that the charity can be better representative of the issues faced by all the trans communities.
For a complete lineup of events including all exhibitions after parties during TPB, click here:
Here are some of the highlights!
Elise
• Trans Pride film event
My Genderation and Eyes Wide Open Cinema team up to present the sixth Trans Pride Film Event, screening a selection of short films exploring a variety of trans lives and experiences worldwide. Awards will be selected by an independent panel of trans people for: Best Fictional Short, Best Non Fictional Short, Best Acting, Best Cinematography, Best Script, Most Engaging Trans Content.
Duke of York’s Picture House,
Fri 20, 6.30–9pm
Tickets from £4-£6.
This is a fundraising event to raise money for Trans Pride Brighton. For more information click here:
• Trans, Non-Binary and Intersex Annual Conference 2018
The third annual Trans, Non-Binary and Intersex Annual Conference is being held during Trans Pride 2018 at the University of Brighton on Thur 19 – Fri 20. The conference seeks to bring trans, non-binary and intersex people, researchers and allies (as well as those who seek to work better with trans, non-binary and intersex people) together in order to work towards making a more trans, non-binary and intersex inclusive society. This year, following feedback from last year, the organisers have linked up with Intersex UK to improve the representation of intersex issues within the programme including a panel discussion, films and Q&A.
Munroe Bergdorf
Keynote speakers include:Prof Stephen Whittle (Manchester Metropolitan University), Munroe Bergdorf (activist and model) and a panel of speakers from Intersex UK facilitated by Holly Greenbury and Dawn Vago.
The conference is funded by University of Brighton, University of Sussex, Brighton & Hove City Council, Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust and the Clinical Commissioning Group. The event is free for a small number of staff from these organisation and members of the trans, non-binary and intersex communities. A small attendance fee is charged for all other participants.
Registration is open and the event is likely to sell out early. For tickets available from University of Brighton shop click here:
• Trans Pride Season at the Marlborough
As part of its extensive year-long programme of performances and events under the title Growth Spurt, funded by the Arts Council, the Marlborough Theatre presents Trans Pride Season.
The season launches on Wed 18 with:
• Trans Life Drawing workshop at 7.30pm (£5/£5) that aims to combat cis-normativity in figurative art.
• Thur 19 is Trans Pride Art Night with Emma Frankland headlining a mixed bill of performers including Ellie Stamp, Cool Dad aka Katy Jalili and Miranda Porter at 7.30pm (£6/£5).
• Thur 26 is the Lovely Trans Literary Salon hosted by Juno Dawson, acclaimed author of The Gender Games, featuring exceptional writers, including Rhyannon Styles author of A New Girl, at 7.30pm (£9.50/£7.50 concs and some PWYC available).
Emma Frankland: Trans Pride Art Night, Thursday 19
Trans Pride, The Marlborough, New Writing South and The Centre for the Study of Sexual Dissidence have also commissioned a writer in residence to be based at the Marlborough for the duration of Trans Pride Week.
All Trans Pride Season events will take place at The Marlborough Theatre, 4 Princes Street, Brighton BN2 1RD.
• Trans Pride march & main park, event
The 5th annual Trans Pride March (6th Trans Pride event) will assemble at the Marlborough Pub in Princess Street, Brighton on Saturday, July 22 at 11.30am.
After welcoming speeches from the organisers, at noon marchers will head off towards Brighton Palace Pier, turn right and proceed along the seafront to Brunswick Gardens in Hove for the party in the park, featuring music, spoken word and poetry as well as community stalls profiling trans and LGB groups.
No dogs are allowed on the park, except for assistance dogs.
Entry to the park is free but please put a donation in the buckets. These events cost a lot of money to stage.
• Gender swop at the Marlborough
G(end)er SWAP is an LGBT+ clothing outreach initiative that creates safe(r) spaces for gender nonconforming individuals to access clothes: community clothing swaps, pop up locations and travelling workshops for the queer communities.
Check it out at the Marlborough on Sunday, July 22, 11am-2pm.
Professor Noel Fitzpatrick, The Supervet, brings his first ever live stage show, Welcome to My World to the Brighton Centre later this year.
NOEL IS a true thought leader in his field, drawing inspiration for his bionic inventions from his everyday life experiences and observations of the world around him.
Welcome to My World is a unique opportunity to discover how these commonplace experiences, from the lollipop lady on the corner of the street to the films and comics he loved as a boy, have inspired his revolutionary developments in orthopaedic surgery for animals.
Join him on an extraordinary and emotional storytelling journey from his early years in Ireland, where his dreams of becoming a vet propelled him through childhood; to international veterinary training and practice, and on to the forefront of the revolution in bionic and regenerative medicine, evolving into The Supervet we know and love today.
When The Supervet began on Channel 4, Noel wanted to tell a story about love, hope and the unbreakable bond between animals and their families, as well as offering insights into all the incredible science at his fingertips.
This ground-breaking new live show will see Noel bring these passions together as audiences see some of the secrets behind his inventions revealed for the first time, as well as getting a sneak peek into the future of medicine before it even happens.
Using the very latest in creative technology, illustrated with spectacular music and visuals, Noel will showcase his innovative treatments within a virtual theatre, using high-tech gadgetry to bring his ideas to life on stage.
Welcome to My World is a unique live experience for animal lovers everywhere. It will not just entertain and fascinate, but it might just change how you think!
To purchase tickets for Noel Fitzpatrick, The Supervet at The Brighton Centre on Saturday, November 24, 2018, click here:
Or telephone the box office on 0844 847 1515.
To win a pair of tickets for The Supervet at The Brighton Centre on Saturday, November 24, 2018 at 2.30pm email your answer to the following question to info@gscene.com.
Question: What TV channel screens The Supervet with Noel Fitzpatrick?
Closing date for entries is July 20, entries received after this date will not be counted. Winners will be required to collect their tickets from box office on the night of the show. At least one adult must be present. Tickets are non-exchangeable. Any travel and accommodation are not be included in the prize.
Violet and Daisy Hilton were huge stars in America in the 1920s and ‘30s but have lapsed into obscurity in their home town of Brighton.
THEY were petite, attractive, could sing, dance and play musical instruments, but their unique selling point was the fact that they were conjoined twins, or Siamese twins as they were called then. The Hiltons are most well-known for their appearance in the film Freaks, but let’s start at the beginning…..
The Queen’s Arms
Henry and Mary Hilton took over running the Queen’s Arms pub in George Street in 1893. Mary was also a midwife so it was not unusual to see pregnant girls working behind the bar, in exchange for Mary assisting when they gave birth.
One such barmaid was 21-year-old Kate Skinner, unmarried and living with her family at 18 Riley Road. Mary attended on February 5, 1908, when Kate gave birth to first Violet and then Daisy. Kate couldn’t cope with her daughters being joined at the hip and refused to feed them.
Initially Mary Hilton was praised as an angel for taking the unfortunate twins into her family home above the pub. However it soon became apparent she saw their financial possibilities. One newspaper reported “Local interest is so great that Mrs Hilton is willing to let people see the babies any day between 11am and 7pm, and twopenny postcards can be bought in the bar.” Mary made Kate sign a legal document setting out the amount of money Mary would demand for the care of the children if Kate ever tried to reclaim them.
The Hiltons moved across town in 1910 to run the larger Evening Star in Surrey Street, taking the ‘Brighton United Twins’ with them. The following year Mary took the twins around the UK, exhibiting them in circuses and fairs. They proved very popular and for the next two years they toured Europe before sailing to Australia, followed by America in 1915.
American fame
Violet and Daisy were almost never allowed out – why would people pay to see them if they could be seen in public? They were home schooled and taught to sing and play assorted musical instruments. If they could entertain rather than just appear in travelling circuses, they could earn more money, for Mary and her daughter Edith.
Mary had always been clear with the twins that she was not their mother and they had to call her Auntie, “…and when we displeased her she whipped our backs and shoulders with the buckle end of her wide leather belt”.
Mary died in 1919 and in her will she bequeathed not only her jewellery but also the twins to Edith and her husband, Myer Myers. At the funeral, aged only 11, the twins tried to run away but were restrained by Myers; “If we ever ran out on him, if we ever refused to perform at his command, we would be put in an institution”.
Over the next decade the twins became big stars of musical variety. A young Bob Hope toured with them in the early years and, along with another partner, they performed a four-person synchronised dance routine which never failed to wow the crowds.
The escapologist Harry Houdini was another performer who befriended them. He taught them how to mentally separate from each other; “Live in your minds girls. It is your only hope for private lives”. A very useful skill as Myers forced the girls to share a bedroom with him and Edith, so he could keep an eye on them.
The twins were earning thousands of dollars a week, but seeing none of it. Myers had bought himself a huge estate in San Antonio in Texas, and the girls were forced to clean it.
In 1931, the twins became involved in a public scandal over a card they had signed ‘with love’ to a married man. Myers took them to lawyer Martin Arnold who insisted on speaking to the girls on their own. While Myers was out of the room the sisters explained their plight and with Arnold’s help they set about suing Myers. They successfully gained their freedom but settled for just a fraction of the money they had earned over the years.
As you can imagine, after years of cruelty and confinement, Violet and Daisy hit the town, big time. Drinking, smoking and kissing boys was all new to them. And not just boys… there were rumours at the time that Violet preferred the ladies, or as a carnival operator who knew them put it; “Too bad only one of them went for boys”.
Freaks
To earn money they formed the Hilton Sisters Revue and kept performing. In 1932 horror film director Tod Browning released Freaks – a drama set in an American sideshow. Instead of actors in make-up for the ‘freaks’, Browning employed real people with real disabilities and very unusual bodies. Violet and Daisy were two of the big names in the film, but it proved too shocking for most audiences. There was a public outcry with cinemas refusing to show it, and it was pulled from release. It was banned in the UK for 30 years.
Possibly in an effort to put Freaks behind them, the twins spent most of 1933 on a UK tour. This included four sell out shows at Brighton Hippodrome. Violet and Daisy were also hoping to reconnect with their birth family on this trip but it wasn’t to be. They discovered their mother Kate had died when they were just four years old, resting in an unmarked grave in the cemetery up Hartington Road.
Love and marriage
In 1936 the twins were convinced to stage a massive celebrity wedding at the Dallas Cotton Bowl. Before a paying crowd Violet married dancer Jim Moore. Jim Moore was known to be ‘gay as a rag’ and it very quickly became apparent that the whole event had been a publicity stunt. The American public felt cheated and the popularity of the twins declined even further. In 1941 Daisy got married to Buddy Sawyer, another dancer whose sexuality has since been questioned. The marriage lasted a mere ten days.
With the decline of vaudeville they decided to give burlesque dancing a go but it wasn’t a success. They tried Hollywood once again in 1952, investing all their money in a film called Chained For Life. Whilst the premise is interesting (a court tries to decide how to punish one half of a pair of conjoined twins for murder) the resulting film is an exploitation b-movie. It was supposed to be a sure-fire hit – it wasn’t. It ruined them financially.
After the short-lived Hilton Sisters Snack Bar in Miami, they resorted to making appearances at venues showing either of their films, signing photographs for cash. They were on one such trip in 1961, to a drive-in showing Freaks in Charlotte in North Carolina, when they became stranded there with no money to move on.
The people of Charlotte took pity on the twins, feeding, housing and clothing them. They eventually got a job at the local Park-N-Shop, became part of the small community and decided to stay.
There was an American pandemic of Hong Kong flu during the winter of 1968. When Violet and Daisy didn’t turn up for work in the new year, people went to investigate. They were found dead, slumped together. It was apparent that Daisy had died a few days before Violet. They were buried together in the local graveyard in Charlotte.
Blue plaque
Violet and Daisy Hilton have been successfully nominated for a commemorative plaque on their birthplace here in Brighton. As a city that embraces people who don’t necessarily fit the norm, they are definitely ‘one of us’ and deserve to be more widely known in Brighton. There is a fundraising campaign currently underway to pay for it, all donations gratefully accepted. Find out more on a fundraising walking tour round Brighton this summer: One of Us: The Violet and Daisy Hilton Story, with tales of giants, midgets and even more conjoined twins.
To donate or book on a tour visit: www.thebrightontwins.co.uk
THE Communities Fund gives money to a wide variety of organisations including self-help groups, community centres, neighbourhood events, sports, culture, arts and environmental work.
• Trans Pride Season at the Marlborough 
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