Call us now

Day: June 11, 2019

Fourteen LGBT+ and HIV organisations celebrate volunteering at ‘Working to Connect’ showcase

Posted on by Besi

Fourteen local LGBT+/HIV organisations attended The Working to Connect showcase event on Thursday, June 6 at the Friends Meeting House in central Brighton.

LLOYD Russell-Moyle the Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven was present, but sadly local councillors were scarce on the ground except for Cllr Phelim MacCafferty the Convenor of the Green group on Brighton and Hove City Council and lasts year’s Mayor, Dee Simson the Conservative councillor for Woodingdean ward.

Finola Brophy chair of Working to Connect welcomed everyone to the showcase introducing Sam Hall, chair of Clare Project, Angela Green from Trans Pride and John Moore, chair of BLAGSS and Gary Pargeter from Lunch Positive who all spoke of the benefits of membership of Working to Connect.

The evening concluded with a wonderful buffet provided by Lunch Positive, the HIV lunch club, giving everyone the chance to chat and get to know each other.

Working to Connect was established in 2014 with the aim of creating a network of smaller LGBT+and HIV+ groups and charities based in Brighton and Hove.

The network operates primarily to encourage peer support to member organisations, advocate for equality in the statutory and third sector and provide a mechanism for distribution of public infrastructure funds.

Working to Connect meets four times a year to share experiences, information, resources and to support capacity building.

Groups interested in membership must be not-for-profit, mainly volunteer led, provide services to the LGBT+/HIV+ communities and aspire to a formal constitution with an Equality & Inclusion policy.

To apply for membership contact via their website at www.lgbt-groups.org or by post to Working to Connect, c/o Community Base, 113 Queens Road, Brighton BN1 3XG.

Groups present at the showcase, included: Accessibility Matters, BLAGSS, Brighton Bothways, LGBT Community Safety Forum, Lunch Positive, MCC Brighton, Navigate Brighton, Older and Out Brighton, Peer Action, Rainbow Chorus, The Clare Project, Trans Pride Brighton, Trans Can Sport and Village MCC.

 

Queen honours top librarian

Posted on by Besi

The head of Brighton & Hove’s library service has been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Sally McMahon
Sally McMahon

SALLY McMahon, Head of Libraries and Information services, has been awarded the British Empire Medal for her services to libraries.

Sally who initiated the library service’s first dedicated LGBT book collection – almost certainly the first in the UK has worked in the city’s libraries for more than 25 years.

Her most significant achievement has been the success of the Jubilee Library, which has been in the top six most popular of all public libraries in the country every year since it opened in 2005.

Sally praised the work of her colleagues working in libraries across the city.

She said: “I am thrilled to have been awarded the British Empire Medal for my contribution to libraries.

“My love of libraries started when I was at school and throughout my career I have been passionate about them. Libraries are at the heart of local communities, and support people’s learning, health and wellbeing in many different ways.

“I have always sought to deliver the best service possible, and promote the positive impact of libraries on local people.”

Among her many achievements, Sally introduced innovation and new technology to extend access to library buildings and library resources through, for instance, Libraries Extra giving most city libraries seven days a week access.

Cllr Nancy Platts
Cllr Nancy Platts

Council leader, Councillor Nancy Platts, said: “Sally’s honour is well deserved and a tribute to her dedication and commitment.”

There are 14 libraries across the city from Saltdean in the east to Portslade in the west.

For more information, click here:

 

PREVIEW: Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope @Rialto Theatre

Posted on by Contributor

“If there were no praise or blame…who would you be?”

FRESH from its Off-Broadway debut and milestone 100th performance, Mark Farrelly’s hugely acclaimed solo play comes to The Rialto Theatre, Dyke Road, Brighton for two special performances to celebrate Brighton Pride 2019.

From a conventional upbringing to global notoriety via The Naked Civil Servant, Quentin Crisp was one of the most memorable figures of the twentieth century.

Openly gay as early as the 1930s, Quentin spent decades being beaten up on London’s streets for his refusal to be anything less than himself. His courage, and the philosophy that evolved from those experiences, inspire to the present day.

Naked Hope depicts Quentin at two phases of his extraordinary life: alone in his Chelsea flat in the 1960s, certain that life has passed him by, and thirty years later, performing An Evening with Quentin Crisp in New York. Packed with witty gems on everything from cleaning (“Don’t bother – after the first four years the dirt won’t get any worse”) to marriage (“Is there life after marriage? The answer is no”).

Naked Hope is a glorious, uplifting celebration of the urgent necessity to be your true self.

Mark Farrelly’s West End credits include Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opposite Matthew Kelly. He is directed in this performance by EastEnders star Linda Marlowe (Berkoff’s Women).

★★★★ Time Out “Farrelly’s mastery of his audience is total. Brilliant”

★★★★ Broadway Baby “A masterclass”

★★★★ Theatre Scene.net “a sensational performance” (Off Broadway, January 2019)

This production is supporting the Brighton Rainbow Fund, a grant giving charity who make grants to LGBT+/HIV organisations delivering effective front line services to LGBT+ people in the city.

Event: Fellow Traveller Theatre Company presents Quentin Crisp: Naked Hope – written and performed by Mark Farrelly – directed by Linda Marlowe

Where: Rialto Theatre, 11 Dyke Road, BN1 3FE

When: Wednesday, July 31 and Thursday, August 1

Time: 8pm

To book tickets online, click here:

Latest News

Community News Making Brighton ‘POP!’: local artist Dave Pop! and city centre businesses team up to dress city centre for the summer
Community News Legends and Two Brewers launch fundraisers ahead of events in Brighton and London to celebrate the life of Miss Jason
Community News Robbie Currie announced as new CEO of National AIDS Trust, taking over from Deborah Gold
Pride UK Black Pride to return on Sunday, August 11
X