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City to host UEFA Women’s Euro games in 2021

The FA choses the final venues for the UEFA European Women’s Championship, which will be played across eight English host cities in the summer of 2021, including Brighton & Hove.

UEFA Women’s EURO 2021 promises to be a record-breaking tournament, with approximately 700,000 tickets due to be available for fans across the country and extensive coverage of every game of the tournament available on free-to-air television, radio and online.

The nine stadiums chosen are:
♦   Bramall Lane, Sheffield
♦   Brentford Community Stadium, London
♦   Brighton & Hove Community Stadium, Brighton & Hove
♦   Leigh Sports Village, Wigan & Leigh
♦   Manchester City Academy Stadium, Manchester
♦   New York Stadium, Rotherham
♦   Stadium MK, Milton Keynes
♦   St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton
♦   Wembley Stadium, London

American Express Community Stadium
American Express Community Stadium

Two of the stadia are current FA Women’s Super League grounds and four of the venues, including Brighton & Hove offer a capacity of over 30,000.

The showpiece Final will be staged at Wembley Stadium, meaning the national stadium will host back-to-back men’s and women’s UEFA EURO Finals in 2020 and 2021.

As tournament hosts, England qualify automatically and will be joined by another fifteen teams for the final tournament in July 2021. The official match schedule will be announced later this year.

Cllr Alan Robins
Cllr Alan Robins

Councillor Alan Robins, chair of the council’s Tourism, Equalities, Communities & Culture Committee, said:  “The success of the Lionesses in this summer’s World Cup has given women’s football a tremendous boost and excitement is already building in our city for UEFA Women’s EURO 2021. 
“We were delighted to welcome the England team to the Brighton & Hove Community Stadium back in June and we are proud to have been given the opportunity to host this prestigious event and help raise the profile of women’s football locally and nationally.”

Hope Powell
Hope Powell

Brighton & Hove Albion women’s first-team manager Hope Powell said: “It’s exciting news for the city that the Brighton & Hove Community Stadium has been chosen as one of the host stadiums for Euro 2021. When we played there in our FA WSL match against Arsenal last season you could see that there was a huge desire for people to watch women’s football in the region. 

“Hosting a tournament such as this will not only help grow our game nationally, but also on a more local level where matches are being played. I hope it inspires the next generation of girls to play the game and introduces a new audience to women’s football.”

Sussex County FA chief executive, Ken Benham, added: “We’re delighted that some of the finest female players from across Europe will be showcasing their skills right here in Sussex.

“The tournament has the power to inspire and we hope it will encourage more people into the game.

“We have opportunities for all ages and abilities to get involved with football, so we’re really looking forward to the increased exposure the championships will bring to the local area.”

Baroness Sue Campbell, The FA’s Director of Women’s Football, said: “Looking ahead, hosting a home EURO in 2021 offers a huge opportunity for us to continue to push the profile of women’s football and to inspire more women and girls to get involved in the game. The confirmation of these nine venues is an important milestone for us as a host nation on our journey towards the final tournament in July 2021. 

“I am confident that the selected cities and stadia will allow hundreds of thousands of fans across the country to attend matches and will also help to deliver an atmosphere befitting of a home European Championship to the nation.”

Brighton & Hove has a successful track record in hosting major sporting events, including the Rugby World Cup in 2015. In 2014 the city welcomed Stage 7 of the Tour of Britain bike race and the annual Brighton Marathon is the UK’s second largest.

The event will showcase the city to an international audience, supporting tourism and the local economy. In 2017, when England reached the semi-finals, the UEFA women’s Euro viewing figures reached a global audience of 165 million.

To register interest for tickets and volunteering opportunities, click here:

Saucybitch raises money for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Saucybitch launches a pink label Special Edition Hot Sauce for Breast Cancer Awareness Month with 100% of profits going to charity.

SAUCYBITCH sauces, will be selling a pink label Special Edition Hot Sauce throughout the month of October during breast cancer awareness month with 100% of profits being donated to cancer charities.

Steve Cook co founder of Saucybitch whose own mother was diagnosed with breast cancer said: “My Mum Kath was diagnosed with breast cancer 11 years ago and our worlds fell apart. Luckily she has recently been given the all clear so we are one of the lucky families. We do what we can, when we can, for cancer charities as my Dad was also diagnosed with cancer the same year as my mum. We only started Saucybitch last year so this is the first year we have been able to do this and we hope it’s the first of many. We are quite unusual for a hot sauce brand because we sell to as many women as men so hopefully a lot of them will buy this Special Edition and we can raise lots of money for McMillan”.

The Special Edition pink label Sauce will be on sale throughout October for £5.95  The hot sauce will use a blend of fermented Habanero and red chillies with lots of garlic.

To purchase a bottle online, click here:

Manchester Pride – WE ARE FAMILY!

New Family Zone comes to Manchester Pride Festival this Saturday.

IN a first for Manchester Pride Festival, organisers are introducing a new Family Zone on Saturday, August 24 from 12pm to 5pm in Sackville Gardens.

The event, which will be at the heart of the festival in the Gay Village Party, will welcome families and children under 14 coinciding with the Manchester Pride Parade Screening in the park.

The event programme is centered around fun, wellness and learning and will comprise of family-friendly activities, a picnic area, craft workshops, sport sessions and talks as well as a place for LGBT+ families to get together.

Hosted in a big top style circus tent will be Junk Orchestra and Queen Vs Bowie Disco with Born To Be Wild Child.  The Junk Orchestra features a supersonic recycled collection of objects, rescued and re-invented from the urban sprawl! Within each individual jam session, participants will get to play and compose on tuned junk instruments; covering percussion, wind and string – flipflopaphones, scaffoldaphones, tuned tanks and wheels, logaphones, fire extinguisherphone, tincan drums, storm sheets and more!

The picnic area will welcome the popular Drag Queen Story Time and Proud To Be Parents: One stop shop. Proud To Be Parents will be offering advice for any LGBT+ person/people that would like to start a family, offering information and advice on each of the various avenues.

Plus there will be pride flag making, spaceship design, giant games, face painting, no mess crafts and a soft play area.

Mark Fletcher
Mark Fletcher

Mark Fletcher, chief executive for Manchester Pride, said: “When designing Manchester Pride Festival every year, we take a lot of time to consult with LGBT+ people and the people who come to the festival have told us that they would welcome a space in which they can celebrate with the whole family. So for the first time in 2019 we have created this space. Through art, craft, music and story telling we will create a unique space within th Gay Village Party for people of all ages to enjoy.”

Family tickets are priced from £20 – day tickets are priced from £10.

For weekend tickets click here: 

The four-day Gay Village Party, will this year bring live performances, a food and makers market and more to the iconic cobbled streets and area surrounding them in Manchester’s Gay Village.

The focal point of the event will be Sackville Gardens which will play host to the Thomas Cook Airlines stage and the brand new family space.

Sara Aalto
Sara Aalto

Music and performances will be programmed throughout the weekend with Liberty X opening the event alongside Sara Aalto and host Stephen Bailey. Proms in the Park will take over on Saturday daytime followed by a Danny Beard and friends extravaganza in the evening.

A huge part of the weekend will be the Queer Music Stage which will be programmed by Manchester Pride’s year-round programme of culture Superbia.  It will run on Sunday from 2pm to 11pm.

Trans Pride will also take place on the Sackville Gardens Stage on Monday and as always the weekend will close with the Candlelit Vigil in this space in the evening.

The EXPO, in partnership with Cooperative Bank will continue in the space on Bloom Street where it has been for many years, along with the hugely popular Silent Disco on Saturday and Sunday and Singalong Cinema on Monday.  The films shown will be selected by a poll via Manchester Pride’s Facebook page.

The car park, which in the past has played host to the main stage, will this year host the Sackville Square Fair with a host of food and drink traders and a makers market with DJs and live music playing all weekend. Plus the much-missed fairground rides will return to the site to make the most of the space which has become much reduced as a result of the construction work happening across the area.

Ticket prices for this event are subsidised by Manchester Pride to help deliver a safe, community pride celebration.

Guests can expect wristband checks in bars and the same security as previous festivals to ensure a safe and welcoming space for LGBT+ people to celebrate all weekend long.

Running from Friday, August 23 to Monday, August 26, Manchester Pride Festival 2019 will be made up of Manchester Pride Live, the Candlelit Vigil, the Superbia Weekend, the Gay Village Party, Manchester Pride Parade and Youth Pride MCR.

For more information, click here:

 

All time high in drug-related deaths in England and Wales

New data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) covering England and Wales shows that deaths from drug poisonings in 2018 were at the highest rate since records began in 1993 and 16% higher than 2017.

LAST year there were 4,359 drug-related deaths in England and Wales, 51% of which involved an opiate with deaths involving cocaine doubling over the three years to 2018, reaching their highest ever level.

Kat Smithson, Director of Policy at NAT (National AIDS Trust), said: “The climbing rate of drug-related deaths in England and Wales constitutes a public health and humanitarian crisis which must be addressed urgently.

“Investment in public health is urgently needed or deaths will continue to rise. It is unacceptable that the Government continues to cut public health funding in the face of such acute unmet need.

“It is clear that harm reduction services must be scaled up and new, innovative approaches to tackling harmful drug use are urgently needed. This should include Drug Consumptions Rooms which are proven to reduce drug-related deaths without encouraging wider drug use.

“Drug-related deaths are one outcome from problematic drug use but behind this figure are people struggling to access the drug treatment and support they need. People who are at risk of severe harm.”

NAT have published an investigation into drug-related deaths in England, including how the worst affected local authorities are responding to the crisis.

To download a copy, click here:

Hate Crime Kiss in and Vigil today in Parliament Square

Between 2014 and 2018 in the UK there has been a nearly 150% increase in anti-LGBT hate crime.

REPORTS have been growing of LGBT-phobic attacks all over the UK, including London and Brighton. Two thirds of LGBT+ people are wary of showing affection to their same-sex partners in public while protests against diversity in education have been seen outside schools in Birmingham, and this is spreading.

These attacks are legitimised by the attitudes and actions of some mainstream politicians.

We have an unelected prime minister who calls gay men bum-boys and appoints a cabinet including homophobes and racists.

Boris Johnson is not a lone bigot leading a nation. Trump’s first action as US president was to ban trans people from the military. Bolsonaro’s thugs murder LGBT+ people in Brazil as he declares he would rather have a dead son than a gay son. Putin’s death camps for LGBT people are an international horror.

Italy, Hungary, Turkey and Poland are also seeing rising state and street attacks on LGBT+ people.

Here in the UK, the divisions are being stoked up as Nazi sympathiser Tommy Robinson attempts to create a new far right street movement. The dangers of this cannot be underestimated.

We saw where this leads on April 30 1999 when Nazi David Copeland nail-bombed the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho, killing 3 people and wounding 70, some of whom lost eyes and limbs.

It is 50 years since the Stonewall Uprising and the birth of the Gay Liberation Front, a movement born out of rage and riots.

Todays Kiss-In and Vigil (Friday, August 16) called by QUEER POWER and LGBT Against Islamophobia is their first protest. The next event will be a larger protest on September 13.

For more details, click here:

Speakers will include:
♦ Ashley Joiner – director of ‘Are You Proud?’
♦ Sophie Robbins – trans activist
♦ Ejel Khan – co-ordinator, Muslim LGBT Network
♦ Jaroslaw Kubiak – Polish Rainbow in the UK, Polish LGBT Network
♦ Michael Dance – National Education Union LGBT+ National Organising Forum Officer (personal capacity)
♦ Sean Dewey – organising committee, Waltham Forest Pride
♦ Nicola Field – founder member, LGBT Against Islamophobia
♦ Dan Glass – Queer Power
♦ Speaker from Stand Up To Racism (TBC)


Event: Stand up to LGBT+ Hate Crime: Kiss-In and Vigil

Where: Parliament Square, London

When: Friday, August 16, 2019

Time: 5.30-7pm

Glow Choir – new term starts September 14

GLOW! Brighton’s natural voice community choir for LGBT+ people and allies will welcome all new voices to the start of its new term on Saturday, September 14.

UNIQUE amongst the many choirs in Brighton, GLOW choir is a Natural Voice choir for LGBT+ people and Allies to unite in song.

All voices are welcome, without exception. What unites those in the GLOW choir community is not that they are all exactly the same – because they are not. What unites them is a mutual understanding of respect for each other, willingness to listen and learn, and support for everyone to be who they are, in all their glorious uniqueness.

The atmosphere is one of respect, relaxation, learning and fun. They do their best to accommodate specific needs that choir members may have. People of all levels of musical experience and ability are very welcome to join in.

“GLOW has made me feel more confident with my own voice and taking up space in the world – it feels like a safe space where I’m welcomed and that has had far reaching outcomes in the rest of my life.”……..Nikolai

“Singing together elevates mood and creates a sense of sharing, connection and community which is highly positive. This is certainly true of the majority of choirs, but what makes GLOW unique is the incredibly supportive, almost family, atmosphere that is created. No one feels excluded but instead greeted and welcomed into a place where there is no judgement, only harmony and an amazing range of beautiful songs from the Natural Voice Practitioners Network in a variety of styles and subjects. There is a sense of real peace and contentment that is commented on by many at the end of a session.”……….AnnA

GLOW choir sings a wide range of songs from across the globe, all taught by ear.

Once a term they stage a sharing/concert, and at least 50% of the profits from this are donated to relevant charities.

In recent terms, they have raised money for Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard, MindOut, Educate and Celebrate and The Albert Kennedy Trust. Last term they raised £95 for MindOut. This term’s charity is yet to be decided.

Whilst many participants enjoy performing at the End of Term Sharing Concert, there is no obligation to perform if you just want to go along and enjoy the sessions. The main focus of GLOW choir is the participants’ enjoyment, the support of the community, and the experience of a group sing in an encouraging environment.

“Glow is incredible – I could not have dreamt of a more welcoming, warm and light hearted, fun singing group. I never thought I would be in a choir. Glow changed that. Glow represents what is best about communities.”……… Sophie C

Choir leader Hannah-Rose Tristram has been leading choirs and teaching singing for well over a decade, and has travelled the world in pursuit of great music for a cappella voices.

This term’s Musical Menu may include: A healing song from Caucasus Georgia, an uplifting traditional Gospel song, a fun and atmospheric Spanish song, an ode to tea by Kenneth Simpson, a gentle song by Chrys Blanchard (Natural Voice Network), a peace and protest song of the heart by Kathy Lowe, a song about the need for compassion in refugee situations by Rebecca Spalding, a beautiful round by Chandler Yorkhall with a personal blessing from the composer for GLOW, and short sweet easy hearty songs by Nickomo (NVN) and Hannah-Rose Tristram (NVN).


Event: Saturday afternoons

Time: 2.30pm to 4.30pm (tea break included)

When: New term is from: September 14 to December 14, 2019

End of Term Sharing: Dec 14

Where: St Luke’s Church Prestonville, 64 Old Shoreham Rd, BN1 5DD

Other Where: September 28 and October 26 are at West Hill Hall, Compton Avenue, BN1 3PS.

Prices: Drop in: £10 Full Price, £9 Standard, £7 Concession.

If you pay up front for the term you get three sessions free.

For more information, click here:

To contact Hannah-Rose Tristram, email:

Dementia patients wanted in Sussex

Dementia patients needed for new research into ways to rectify inequalities in care.

BRIGHTON and Sussex Medical School, run by Brighton and Sussex Universities, will follow 900 people over three years, as part of a national study DETERMIND.

The Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which is appealing for participants, said volunteers will have received a dementia diagnosis within the last six months. They will be interviewed by a research worker for two hours after 12, 24 and 36 months. If they have a carer, the research workers will also interview them.

Researchers will be looking for information on service use, costs and outcomes, including quality of life. Patients in south east London, Newcastle and north east England will also be interviewed.

The study will “deliberately oversample” black African Caribbean and South Asian populations in Sussex and south London as well as LGBTQ+ groups in Brighton.

Dr Ben Hicks, Research Fellow at the Centre for Dementia Studies, said the study will have a “great impact on UK dementia care policy and enhance the lives of people currently living with dementia and their carers, as well as those hundreds of thousands who will be affected in the future”.

There are around 800,000 people living with dementia in the UK and another 670,000 acting as primary carers for people with dementia. Dementia costs the UK economy £23 billion.

The DETERMIND study will combine clinical research in dementia with the social and economic research expertise of the Personal Social Services Research Unit at the London School of Economics.

Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), the £4.7 million research programme is part of a broader £15 million initiative on research to improve the lives of people living with dementia.

For more information on the research, email: askaboutresearch@sussexpartnerhsip.nhs.uk

 

Gay Games gold medallist returns to compete at Brighton and Hove Triathlon

Mark Edmunds
Mark Edmunds

Brighton and Hove Triathlon returns this year to Hove Lawns for the fourth time – dedicated as always to celebrating inclusivity in sport.

THIS year also sees the return of elite level athlete Mark Edmonds, who at the age of 49 is returning to the sport of Triathlon after 13 years. Mark has competed in over 250 triathlons over the years and is a 3 x Triathlon Gold Medallist at the Gay Games.

At the age of 16 Mark was a member of Team GB before progressing up the ranks and remaining as part of the team until he was 28. Throughout those 12 years of competing, Mark was too scared to admit he was gay.

Mark said: “Like many other boys my age, I was very scared in admitting to others I was gay for fear of being ridiculed or bullied. I didn’t have anyone close to me that I felt I could confide in. So I chose to put all my feelings and emotions in a box (figuratively) with an aim to deal with them later.

As a result of these insecurities and worries I became very shy in general. I didn’t want to arouse suspicion about me in general, so I withdrew from pretty much any social activity from 11 years old onwards. I poured all my energies into the triathlon training instead.

“When I got included in the Team GB set up, they were all faster than me and were much more well- rounded with life experience too. To be honest, I think had I been brave enough to come out to them at the time, I’m sure they would have accepted me fully.”

Mark continued: “After dealing with 12 years of being side-lined from competing due to various injuries that had effectively ended my sporting career, I really struggled emotionally and didn’t know what to do with my life. I adapted and found other pathways in life… but I always felt a big part of me had been taken away.

“I am so happy to be able to finally run again. Once it looked like all systems were go I decided to look for a late season triathlon. Brighton was the obvious candidate. It was perfect time of year. I had been an ambassador to support the LGBT+ aspect of the race for the previous two years and because I knew the race organiser, John Lunt, well, I knew it would be very well organised.

“Time has moved on and people’s perceptions of gay men/women has definitely moved on too. I must say when I train and race, I do not think of myself as a ‘gay’ triathlete though. I see myself foremost as an athlete who happens to be gay. I believe triathlon has many gay athletes racing. Some are open and out, many are not. It doesn’t matter either way. Triathlon is a sexy sport with many sexy fit bodies, tight fitting Lycra and rubber (wetsuits), so to that fact it’s actually a very gay friendly sport.

“It’s great the Brighton will be so welcoming to the LGBT+ athletes and I’m really excited to be competing there.”

John Lunt
John Lunt

Race Director John Lunt said: “We look forward to seeing Mark Edmonds returning to our sport after a 13 year lay-off. Mark is a great role model for the LGBT+ communities and we are honoured Mark has chosen Brighton as his comeback race. Brighton and Hove Triathlon is committed to making sport inclusive. We need to show that sport can be everyone’s game.”

TAIMI becomes UKs first LGBT+ inclusive dating and social network app

TAIMI, the LGBT+ inclusive social network expands this weekend into the United Kingdom.

THE app has garnered attention as a dating and social network for gay men in the US will be fully LGBT+ inclusive.

TAIMI is adamant about spreading the message of equality, freedom and love around the globe.

The network’s staff include LGBT+ activists and allies who are committed to raising awareness and fighting state-sponsored homophobia.

TAIMI’s founder – Alex Pasykov says the dating app has evolved into a social network that gives its users an ability to form connections, network and date while staying true to themselves.

He said: “TAIMI continuously fights for equal rights. We tremendously value our freedom and want to do everything in our power to eliminate homophobia around the world. This is exactly why we are extremely excited to announce that TAIMI – LGBTQI+ Social Network is now available in the United Kingdom.  In case you’re wondering, we kept the dating function as well! I always say, make love not war!” 

TAIMI prides itself on being a reliable and safe network where users can freely post their opinions, create groups and form communities. The recently updated easy-to-use interface gives users an ability to produce interactive feeds, publish stories, make video calls and send ice-breaks without compromising their safety and security.

TAIMI is free and available to download in the App Store and Google Play.

A subscription-based premium version is also available.

Foresters Friendly Society appoint first openly Gay President

Michael Charlton-Hubble of Lower Lydbrook, Forest of Dean, was sworn in as the new President of Foresters Friendly Society on June 24, 2019 – their first openly gay President.

FORESTERS Friendly is a mutual financial services provider offering a range of savings and investment products. Owned by its members, with no shareholders to pay, the Society provides additional benefits and gives back over £1million each year to its members in the form of discretionary grants.

On his appointment, Michael said: “I am delighted and honoured to accept this role. As an openly gay and proud man, it is an incredible time to spearhead the Society and encourage more members to join our “Foresters family”.

Each year the new President chooses a charity for Foresters members to fundraise for and support.  For Michael’s year in office, he has chosen children’s charity Rays of Sunshine.

Explaining his choice of charity he said: “My one regret in life is not having children and my husband feels the same. However, we are lucky in that we have 22 Godchildren. While we are too old to raise a family of our own now, choosing a charity that brings some happiness to children seems the perfect fit. There will be fundraising events held all over the country with a sponsored ‘Let’s do 10’ in March, involving large scale events and one-off collections all to help more children have their wishes granted.”

Anyone can join Foresters Friendly Society by purchasing either a financial policy or by becoming a fraternal member at £25 a year. Membership benefits are the same with both types and include help with further education, times of need and the everyday costs of things like dental and optical care, practical and emotional support for members and their family via Foresters Care – a Personal Nurse Adviser service, and access to social events taking place both locally and nationally.

For further information on getting involved,
email:
mcharlton-hubble@forestersfriendlysociety.co.uk or call 01594 860239.

 

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