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Blackpool to host Powerlifting Championships in 2019 and 2020

The LGBT Powerlifting Union will host the LGBT+ International Powerlifting Championships in Summer 2019, with the modern Blackpool Sixth Form College providing the venue, for what promises to be a prestigious new sports event for the town.

IN July 2019 LGBT+ strength athletes from all over the world will descend on Blackpool to contest the Championships, which in 2018 became the first sports event in the world to offer an Mx third gender category for Trans, Non Binary and Intersex participants.

The previous two LGBT IPC events were held in London with athletes attending from nine different nations including Australia, Belarus, Belgium, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, United States of America and of course the host nation Great Britain.

Blackpool won the bidding process for the 2019 and 2020 Championships, because of it’s reputation for being the UK’s most LGBT+ friendly seaside town and it’s abundance of low-cost accommodation options which organisers hope will double the participation levels over the next two years.

Athletes from all over the world will hopefully find Blackpool a very affordable place to stay and easy to access as they will be able to take the one hour fast train directly from Manchester International Airport straight into the Gay Village in the centre of Blackpool.

LGBT IPC Athletes are welcome to participate in the championships regardless of their age, sexuality, health status, ability or gender.

 

Last year the LGBT IPC introduced a new Mx third gender category, which welcomes transgender, non-binary and intersex participants to compete.

The previous championships were attended by national champions, world champions, world record holders and also a lifter who had competed in the Arnold Classic Sports Festival.

The LGBT IPC competition is particularly friendly towards novices who have their own category, for those who are competing for the first time and organisers are very committed towards reaching out to sections of the community that are under-represented in the sport.

Chris Morgan
Chris Morgan

Chris Morgan, Co-President of the LGBT Powerlifting Union said: “We are delighted  to confirm that the “LGBT International Powerlifting Championships” will be in Blackpool, the most LGBT and in particular Trans Friendly town in the UK. We have confirmed a fantastic new venue and have a fresh and exciting new programme of events and activities. Registration for athletes and coaches is now open and details can be found at our website www.lgbtpowerlifting.org”.

Charlotte Wareing, Co-President of the LGBT Powerlifting Union added: “I’m very proud the LGBT IPC is coming to my home town of Blackpool and that we can offer hospitality to athletes coming to Blackpool from all over the world. We are very grateful for the positive response from all our community partners that have made this all possible. We are looking forward to delivering an incredible experience for all of our guests in the summer of 2019”.

For more details about the LGBT International Powerlifting Championships and to register for Blackpool 2019, click here:

Or check out their Facebook Group, click here:

Empty your sack for the Rainbow Fund! at ‘A Very Beary Weekend’

Bear-Patrol and Brighton Bear Weekend, the social networking groups for Bears, their friends and allies are raising funds for the Rainbow Fund this weekend with A Very Beary Christmas Weekend series of fundraising events.

BRIGHTON Bear Weekend get the fundraising weekend off to a great start at Bar Broadway from 7.30pm this evening (Saturday, December 8) with Christmas Bear-A-Oke.

Your hosts for the evening Jon B and Peter Reid will be happy to partner you in traditional Christmas duets, being your David Bowie, your Kirsty MacColl or even your Michael Buble and bring some Christmas cheer to the evening.

The party moves onto Subline at 10pm for the annual Brighton Bear Jungle Bears Christmas Party at Subline. Get your free Christmas spirit, empty your sack and help yourself to a mince pie or two. Entry is £5 for members and £8 for non members.

Finally tomorrow, Sunday 9, Bear-Patrol will be celebrating their Christmas Party with a traditional Christmas dinner at the Camelford Arms from 1pm. There will be a prize for the best Christmas Jumper, judged by two former Mayors Cllr Linda Hydes and Cllr Denise Cobb and the current Mayor of Brighton and Hove, Cllr Dee Simson will be popping in to pull the raffle.

All events will be raising money for the Rainbow Fund who give grants to LGBT/HIV organisations who deliver effective front lines services to LGBT+ people in the city.

Organisations receiving grants totalling £146,481 from the Rainbow Fund in October, 2018 included: Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents, Rainbow Families, My Genderation, MenTalkHealth, Peer Action, Older and Out, Longhill School LGBTU group, Marlborough CIC QTIPOC project, Sussex Beacon, The Rainbow Chorus, Lunch Positive, MindOut, Clare Project, Switchboard, Allsort Youth Project, The Brighton and Hove LGBT Community Safety Forum.

PANTO REVIEW: Aladdin @Pavilion Theatre, Worthing

“A vibrant and colourful take on one of the best pantomime stories and a must see for all ages”

BUILT in the 1920’s, the Pavilion Theatre in Worthing provides a picturesque background for the stage setting of Aladdin, with an array of stars from television, music and theatre. It’s a wonderful show from start to finish full of colour, great sound, excellent lighting and fine dance routines providing quality all round family entertainment.

Mark Jones who played Wishee Washee was absolutely brilliant, his perfect timing and interaction with the audience had the children and the adults in the palm of his hands from the minute he first appeared on stage.

 

Dave Lynn’s Widow Twankey showed why he is one the UK’s leading cabaret artists. With quick wit, comedic timing, and quick thinking when he fluffed the odd line, he showed real humour, which captured the audience completely revealing a wonderful and warm personality. To top it off he has found a wonderful new talent of playing the triangle! Twankey’s scenes especially with Michael Garland who played the Emperor of China worked extremely well and were very funny indeed.

Lee Latchford-Evans who played Aladdin is well-known for being one fifth of the pop super group, Steps. He played the lead character well but in my view lacked commanding acting presence on stage. “You May Call Me the Baddie” but as a lead role in a pantomime the audience need to believe in you and follow your story. For me I am afraid this just didn’t happen.

However … saying that, all credit to Lee the singer, his magic carpet routine was wonderfully thought out and he does have the most amazing voice, which was shown off brilliantly during his moving and emotionally captivating duet with Rebecca Keatley who played Princess Jasmine with such elegance.

The Spirit of the Lamp played by Natalie Turner was a small but beautiful part and she played it well while the Genie of the Lamp was a rather “Deeper shade of Blue” and completely bizarre!! Although it had the strong voice performance of Brian Blessed behind it, using a huge ‘Mascot’ like genie on the stage really didn’t work for me and lacked character!! They really should have a real person playing the part who could have even lip synced the voice of Brian to make the part really funny and believable.

For me the whole show was held up and kept together beautifully by one person and one person alone, the comedy genius of Vikki Stone. In a first for Worthing Theatres, she plays the amazing male ‘baddie’ character of Abanazar with such zest and vibrance you just wanted more and more and more!!!  The audience absolutely loved her, they ‘booed’ so loudly at the character while at the same time they cheered her on!! You could see through the whole show that she was really enjoying the character and if Vikki doesn’t win an award for ‘Best Baddie’ after being twice nominated before at The Great British Panto Awards then there is no justice!!

Aladdin runs at the Pavilion Theatre, Worthing till January 1, 2019.

To book tickets online from £13.50, click here:

LETTER TO EDITOR: Thank you Legends

We would like to thank Legends Bar and the staff for letting us have a celebration for the life of my mother, Rose on November 19.

A HUGE thank you to Miss Jason, Dave Lynn, Jennie Castell and Jackie Plunkett for a fantastic evening of entertainment in mum’s honour, also Drag with No Name for the wonderful tribute in pictures which had us all in tears.

Thank you to everyone for the wonderful memories in your kind messages and for those of you who donated in Mums memory to Alzheimer’s research a total of £1,490 plus £310 gift aid.

Thank you love Steve, Nat, Stewart, Sue, Janice and families.

REVIEW: Priscilla – The Queen of the Old Market!

Led by one of Brighton’s popular Drag Queens, Kara Van Park aka Wain Douglas and directed by West End high pedigree performer, Tania Newton, this production by the Brighton and Hove Operatic Society is a “joyful, and faithful, representation of the on-going classic musical”.

IN the interval, I bumped into a friend who is producing the new UK tour of Priscilla in 2019 (and appearing at Theatre Royal Brighton for the Christmas season 2019/20120) and he commented “as long as you have 3 strong leading men/ 3 great vocal Divas/ amazing costumes and…..a bus, then you can’t go wrong !”

This production has all that and much more. The costumes and wigs are truly fantastic and so many of them. Also, the company (who, thankfully, are of all shapes and sizes) must be commended on their commitment to wearing them with panache and giving 100% commitment to the style and energy of both the direction and the choreography.

The music appeared to be on track but was rather low-level for my liking and the lighting, although complimentary could have benefitted from a follow spot or better focused specials however, that’s not what a Priscilla audience comes for. They expect, and get, an excellent book, hit pop songs, glamour, comedy and some truthful pathos the latter particularly good in the scene between Bernadette (Wain Douglas) and Adam (Josh Hanson) and Tick (Tony Bright) and Benjy (James Marron-Page on the night I saw it)

The programme lacks a centre fold listing the scenes, locations and the songs with lead singers named so it is hard to pick out certain people. However, scene stealers were (I think!) Ella Segovia as Cynthia and the lady in the bar shaking it all in “I love the Nightlife”. And a great ensemble number featured Chris Hibbert from the Sea Serpents, Brighton own gay Rugby team.

The Divas outshone and were led by another West End top class performer – Lucy Newton who also staged them – they looked terrific!

Well done to everyone for an excellent must see production led by Tania Newton and her team and I’m glad Kara Van Park remained as such (not Wain) for her curtain call – a cool, directorial/personal, decision!

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