Charity worker, Nigel Sarjudeen, runs his tenth Brighton Marathon for Martlets in Hove this April.
HE has already raised £9,266 for the hospice, but is hoping to beat his target of £10,000.
Nigel has run in all nine of the Brighton Marathons, with his first in 2010 and also ran in nearly all of the half marathons.
He was inspired to run following unexpected heart problems in 2006 and, after rehabilitation, he joined a local running club.
He said; “It was a real shock because I was young and fit. However, in some ways I’m glad it happened when it did because I was able to get over it.”
When he gained his place in the 2010 Brighton Marathon, Nigel decided to support Martlets, since some of his friends and their families had been supported by the hospice over the years. He felt that it important to fundraise for the charity, since it provides an essential service to local people.
He said;“I have been touched by the level of the care given by Martlets to its patients and their family and friends. If Martlets was not here, it would be so much harder for people to cope.
“I never intended that I would keep on going, I did the first marathon, then the second and after that I just kept on running and now I’m on my tenth!
“One year, towards the end, I remember thinking ‘I’m hurting and in pain’. Then I remembered all the people who are hurting because they have lost their loved ones and it drove me forward.’
“So far I’ve raised over £9,000 for the hospice and I’m hoping to get over the £10,000 mark with this one!”
Clem Hunnisett from the hospice’s Fundraising Team said;“This is an extraordinary achievement, Nigel is a real fundraising superhero. We are so grateful to him for all his amazing support.
“Even when he was finding it difficult, he dug deep into his reserves and fought on because he knew that what he was doing would make a real difference to the lives of local people.
“He is a true inspiration.”
If Nigel has inspired you to strap on your running shoes then it’s not too late to join #TeamMartlets, since there is just one more space left on the hospice’s Brighton Marathon team.
A new limited edition bottle called Absolut Drop shows that a drop of love can go a long way.
ARRIVING just in time to celebrate LGBT+ History Month, Absolut’s new limited edition bottle, Absolut Drop, celebrates the power that love has for making a real difference in the world.
Why not take something negative and hateful – and turn it into love?
Absolut did just that and travelled to anti-LGBT+ and racist protests around the world. There, they collected ink from the physical signs that spread hurtful messages, and repurposed into something positive – a message to spread love.
Using pioneering creative technologies, they extracted the ink from the signage and utilised it in the production of the Absolut Drop bottle artwork. Each of the bottles feature a drop of ink from the signs within the mint and pink bottle outlines, changing the intended negative message into something positive and spreading love through action.
The bottle design is emblazoned with the word love in multiple languages to represent love having no borders, and the UK version of the bottle also features a rainbow heart in honour of the LGBT+ community, reading: Taking Pride in Diversity.
Ink is not the only element that has been repurposed; as the bottle has also been made using 70% recycled glass including recycled glass from previous limited edition bottles.The brilliance of the bottle colour is the result of using cobalt colored glass instead of using coating or any other type of decoration. Colouring the glass meant that Absolut could maximise the amount of recycled glass content in the bottle, without having to worry about discolouration
Absolut wants to create a more open world and with Absolut Drop a more open world starts with a drop of love.
To find out more about the bottle and pledge to become an LGBT+ ally click here:
Absolut Drop is £19.45 and can be found at the following stores from February 1: Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Sainsburys, Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons, Co-op, Nisa & Spar.
The much-loved pantomime Peter Pan, from JW Productions at Brighton’s Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts in December pulled in record audience attendances with many performances sold-out.
NOW that all the figures have been calculated and verified, a total of nearly £4,000 was raised from ticket sales for Great Ormond Street Hospital.
This included the company’s annual Platform Panto (thanks to Govia/Thameslink) on the Brighton Station Concourse and a performance on Brighton Palace Pier.
“This shows the generosity of Brighton theatre-goers,”said JW Productions’ director James Weisz,“especially at Christmas-time when money is stretched in all directions. Not only did the audiences love our performances, they laughed, sang, clapped, and generally went with the flow! I think our cast’s comic rendering of The Twelve Days of Christmas will be forever etched in the minds of everyone who saw it!”
The 2019 panto production will be The Wizard of Oz and James and his team are currently in the early stages of scriptwriting and design. Before that, JW Productions will be busy with a full summer residency programme at Brighton Open Air Theatre and various other surprises along the way. Watch out too for a brand new website to showcase what’s on.
“As always, we’re delighted to be producing family-friendly plays and musicals for everyone in the Brighton and Hove area,”adds James,“so do come along and support us whenever you can. I know all of my team would like to extend our thanks to our loyal supporters.”
University of Brighton graduate wins an international award launched to boost the numbers of female IT leaders worldwide.
Nina Monckton (second from left) with other award winners
NINA Monckton, Chief Insight Officer and Caldicott Guardian for the NHS Business Services Authority, took the title Transformation Lead of the Year at the annual Women in IT awards, bestowed for playing a part in her authority’s recent IT transformation.
Women in IT, “the world’s leading tech diversity event”, highlights the fact only nine per cent of IT leaders globally are women and aims to tackle this issue head on and redress the gender imbalance by showcasing achievements of women in the sector and identifying new role models.
Nina, Vice Chair of the University of Brighton’s Maths and Computing Industry Advisory Board which ensures students develop the right skills and knowledge, graduated from the University in 1993 with a BSc(Hons) Combined Sciences degree.
She said:“I was really surprised to win the award because the other finalists were from big companies with very strong online presence. It just goes to show that technology in the public sector can be just as good as or even better than large corporates.
“The technology sector still seems to have a problem with attracting and promoting females. My heart does sink when I go to conferences and have to look hard for women attendees; sometimes there are no female speakers. Events like the Women in IT Awards are needed to showcase the talent and potential of women working in the sector.”
Nina said the NHS Business Services Authority, an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health which provides some support services to the NHS in England and Wales, often recruits data engineers and data scientists, adding: “I am looking forward to the University of Brighton launching its masters-level data analytics apprenticeship.”
Recalling her time at the University, she said:“I remember coding in Fortran (programming language) and stats packages. I gained confidence in playing around with data, coding and running simulations while I was at university.
“I loved being a student in Brighton. I fell so deeply in love with Brighton that I still live here.”
The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (Olev) has awarded Brighton & Hove, £468,000 to introduce electric taxi hubs and rapid charging facilities.
THE council’s bid was awarded in full and will pay for 75% of the scheme to provide a network of charging facilities for taxis across the city. The remaining 25% will be paid for through a concession agreement, with a portion of the charge coming back to the council.
Taxis will benefit from four rapid charging electric vehicle hubs in the city. Each hub will have three rapid charging stations and will be for taxi use. The infrastructure is designed to encourage taxi operators to choose electric vehicles.
Cllr Gill Mitchell
Councillor Gill Mitchell, chair of the city’s environment, transport & sustainability committee, said:“This money will support local companies who want to introduce electric vehicles to their fleet by ensuring they have the infrastructure to operate.
“It’s part of our aim, in partnership not only with taxi drivers, but also with public transport operators, businesses, residents and visitors to support and encourage the move towards zero emissions and improved air quality for all who live, work and visit the city.”
Our licensing team have played an important part in talking to the taxi trade and worked with transport officers on the bid.
In a council survey of taxi and private hire drivers and companies, 81% of those responding said that their cars currently use diesel but almost a third said they would consider changing to an electric vehicle in the next one to two years and 43% said they had seen an electric vehicle they would like to buy but would not do so until there were more places to charge. The cost of charging an electric vehicle would be much cheaper than conventional fuel.
Sixty-two per cent said that dedicated taxi charging points were ‘essential’ and almost half (47%) said they would be likely to charge their vehicle at a public car park with shops or a café which fits in with our strategy to install rapid charging hubs with nearby facilities. Almost 92% said they were likely to charge their vehicles at home off shift, meaning they would start the day with a full charge, so providing a rapid charge facility mid shift would be an ideal solution for them.
The Department for Transport has also announced grants of more than £4 million for investment in zero emission buses in Brighton & Hove.
Cllr Lee Wares, the Conservative spokesperson on Environment, Transport & Sustainability accuses Labour and Green councillors of ignoring widespread resident and business concerns over the Valley Gardens stage 3 development.
Cllr Wares said:“Labour claims to be listening and the Greens constantly complain there is not enough consultation. Yet with Valley Gardens Phase 3, neither seems interested in what is being said.
“Labour’s report that will be presented to the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee tomorrow, February 7 with support from the Greens, air-brushes out the economic and environmental concerns the design will bring.
“Few I have spoken to disagree that the bottom of Valley Gardens needs major regeneration and that we need to improve provision for cyclists, pedestrians and accessibility for less able citizens. Most agree we will all benefit with the right design.”
In the report, a single paragraph acknowledges that businesses and stakeholders raised concerns but Labour merely says they will ensure lessons learnt will be incorporated into future projects.
Cllr Wares continues;“Equally, Labour sweeps aside alternatives such as using Pool Valley saying they have been noted and retained for consideration for any future projects that may come forward. These ideas would further enhance cycling provision and mitigate the risk of lowering air quality.
“Labour highlights 52% agreed that cycling routes and crossings will be improved; it doesn’t highlight 62% said the roundabout should be retained.
“Labour shows contempt for those that dare oppose their scheme. They praise “supportive and constructive letters” from those that back them, suggesting any opposition is unhelpful. However, those concerned with the current design (and who stand to gain from a good design) employ tens of thousands of people and bring billions of pounds of economic prosperity to our City.”
These businesses and groups include:- North Laine, Brighton Lanes, Seafront Traders and Kemptown Traders associations, Brighton Fringe, Brighton Events Group, Brighton and Hove Taxi Forum, Tourism Alliance, Pavilion Surgery, Brighton Language College, Brighton & Hove Restaurant Association, Brighton Grassroots Music Venues, Sainsbury’s Local, Marlborough Pub & Theatre, Palace Pier, Royal Albion Hotel, Brighton Old Town Local Action Team, The Kingscliffe Society, employers such as solicitors, surveyors, digital start-ups and local residents and public transport groups.
Irrespective of promises to listen, the Conservative say nobody who is critical of the project is being heard and nothing fundamental in the design will change.
Cllr Wares said:“Labour acknowledges their design is flawed with the need to now spend millions on Dukes Mound to compensate for an error they don’t have to make. They propose to allow right turns across the seafront road that are prevented because roads get blocked and accidents happen. They acknowledge the design is unaffordable now having to rely on private investment that cannot be identified.
“Public transport operators and users concede they are now left with trying to make a bad design work rather than having an optimal design.
“Labour argues a risk to Government funding. They were not concerned when they delayed Valley Gardens 1 & 2 by two years. Risks such as these need managing through dialogue with Government rather than forcing through something that will negate all the benefits that could be achieved.
“Unless there is a change of heart by Labour or Greens we are on a journey of economic self-harm. It is now down to them.”
Cllr Gill Mitchell
Responding for the administration, Cllr Gill Mitchell, Chair of Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, said:“There has been extensive public consultation on the Valley Gardens Phase 3 scheme since last Spring, with further consultation planned. Over 1600 people, organisations and businesses have sent In their views. At each stage these are reported back to the ETS Committee so it is surprising that Cllr Wares, who sits on the committee, has not noticed.
“In addition several workshop sessions have been held with Tourism leads, local transport providers, equalities and disability groups, pedestrian and cycling representatives and conservation groups. There has also been a lot of 1-1 contact with local traders and businesses.
“We are committed to listening and maintaining this high level of engagement as the scheme develops.”
Cllr Leo Littman
Green Group spokesperson on the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, Councillor Leo Littman added:“Original proposals for the Valley Gardens scheme from the Greens focused on providing a new city centre park – a desperately needed ‘green lung’ for residents that would also enable greater access to the seafront for pedestrians and cyclists. Rather than support this work, the Labour Council’s prevarication delayed the entire project, risking the hard-won funding handed over to them by the Greens to get it started. Greens have met with many of the businesses affected and it is clear that many feel Labour handled the progress of Valley Gardens very poorly indeed.
“Greens want to see safety and green space made a priority in this project once again – and we put forward our own amendments to push the Labour Council to recognise the importance of sustainable transport. Valley Gardens was never intended to be a ‘traffic scheme,’ yet both Labour and Conservative Councillors have framed it as such, with the Tories also seeing fit to propose that we keep the aquarium roundabout, when we need to minimise dangerous traffic junctions, not retain them.”
Statistics published by the Government show that Brighton & Hove is bucking the national trend when it comes to bus use.
BRIGHTON & Hove continues to have the highest rate of bus use outside London with 49.2 million passenger journeys made in 2017/18.
This total is up from 45.6 million in 2015/16 and a significant rise from the 40.8 million passenger journeys made in 2009/10. Twice as many passenger journeys are being made now than in 1993.
The council say the continued popularity of the bus in the city can be explained by their award-winning Quality Bus Partnership with the bus operators, which creates the conditions for frequent, effective services run with modern vehicles and the latest information technology.
Brighton & Hove City Council works with Brighton & Hove buses, The Big Lemon and Compass Travel to support zero and low emission bus services across the city. The council plans and funds a number of bus services including some complete routes and a number of weekend and school services. As these services are not profitable, they would not run without council funding. The council’s overall budget for supporting bus services is £1,041,900 per annum.
All of the city’s buses are fitted with the latest Euro 6 low emission engines which meet clean air requirements. The Big Lemon buses are now solar-powered, having previously run on waste cooking oil. It is expected that their electric bus fleet will be up and running in the near future.
Supporting sustainable bus travel is parts of the council’s wider strategy to improve air quality in the city, which has included securing government funding to fit 76 buses and 22 taxis with clean air technology, introducing a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) and establishing an Air Quality Programme Board. This year, 200 Electric Vehicle charging points will be installed across the city thanks to a successful bid by the council for £300,000 of Government funding.
Chair of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, Councillor Gill Mitchell, said:“We are committed to supporting low emission, sustainable travel to help improve air quality in the city. “We have the highest rate of bus use of any local authority outside of London so it is vital that we do everything we can to improve the efficiency and reduce the emissions of the city’s buses. “A lot of work has been done with the local bus companies to ensure we are joined up in our approach and we look forward to continuing our work with them to see what more can be done.”
Morrisons create a Rainbow Rose to celebrate ‘all love’ this Valentines day and have chosen to support The Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT) with sales of the rose.
THIS Valentine’s Day on February 14, Morrisons florists will celebrate all love by launching one of the UK’s most colourful flowers – the Rainbow Rose which will cost £4 with 50p from each sale going straight to support the work of AKT.
Part of Morrisons’ The Best range, the Rainbow Rose has been designed so that anyone can give it to anyone else and will be available in Morrisons stores from February 11. The rainbow is used to symbolise Pride in the LGBT+ communities worldwide.
Morrisons have partnered with LGBT+ youth homeless charity AKT to launch the rose. 50p per rose sold will be donated to the charity, which provides safe homes and support to young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bi or trans. The charity was selected by the supermarket’s LGBT+ network.
Developed by florists at Morrisons, the roses are dyed so that each petal displays the colours of the rainbow. To do this, florists cut the rose stems and dip each part into a different coloured water – which are absorbed by the flower to turn each petal into different vibrant colours – including blue, yellow, green, violet and pink.
Drew Kirk, Produce Category Manager at Morrisons said:“We’re stocking rainbow roses this Valentine’s Day for the first time. They’ve been designed to celebrate love.”
Carrie Reiners, Director of Fundraising at The Albert Kennedy charity added:“We’re delighted to partner with Morrisons on their Rainbow Rose campaign for Valentine’s Day. As the national LGBTQ+ youth homelessness charity, we are always looking to raise awareness and raise vital funds to support the work we do to provide safe homes and support to young people who face homelessness – just for being brave enough to come out to their families and communities.”
PCC welcomes unanimous support from scrutiny panel to strengthen local policing
Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne
KATY Bourne, the county’s Police & Crime Commissioner, has welcomed the decision from Sussex Police & Crime scrutiny panel to support her plans to level an increase on the council tax precept to spend more money on policing by an extra £2 per month (for an average band D property).
This recommendation was made after an online public consultation by the PCC and thirteen focus groups held across Sussex in which people said they would pay more for policing if it increased the visibility of local police.
It also follows discussions that the PCC has had with the Chief Constable and his senior team to understand the demands on Sussex Police.
The Force’s analysis of the demands on local policing, investigations, roads policing and the need to vastly improve the 101 service, has led them to request:
100 additional PCSOs going back in to the community to provide a reassuring local presence
50 additional police officers to add to the recruitment drive already underway. (The Force already plans to recruit 800 officers by 2022. 600 of these are needed to replace officers who leave or retire, and 200 will be additional officers.)
50 specialist staff and investigators
Speaking after the meeting, Mrs Bourne said:“I have been lobbying hard to secure the best possible funding arrangements for policing. I am pleased that the Panel has supported my decision to increase the police precept by its maximum for 2019/20, taking full advantage of the flexibility provided by government.
“I recognise that any increase in taxation at any level will be challenging for some of our residents and this is not a decision I have taken lightly. However, I believe it’s the right one to further strengthen local policing and to enable the Chief Constable to focus his resources in the areas that the public tell me matter most to them.
“Following the precept rise last year and money from reserves, Sussex Police has already embarked on its biggest recruitment programme for ten years, protecting 476 posts under threat and recruiting 270 police officers. Sussex residents have told me that they welcome this but also say they want to see PCSOs back in communities, more police on our roads and a better 101 service.
“I am pleased that the Panel have recognised that I have listened intently to what Sussex residents want and what the Chief Constable needs. With their support, we are now able to take this unique opportunity to recruit even more officers and invest in an all round better service.”
For results from the online survey and focus groups click here:
Martlets, the hospice in Hove, calls for brave people to walk barefoot over hot coals to raise funds for life-changing hospice care.
THERE are a few spaces available for individuals or group entries to take on the Firewalk challenge that will be happening at dusk at The Venue, Western Esplanade, Kingsway in Hove on Saturday, February 9.
It costs £20 to register for the Firewalk and Martlets is asking that entrants raise a minimum of £100 for the hospice to take part. All funds raised will go towards helping Martlets provide care to local people living with terminal illness allowing them hope, purpose and possibility.
Clem Hunnisett from Martlets Fundraising Team said:“It’s so easy to sign up to do something extraordinary and put yourself to the test while raising much needed funds for Martlets. It’s the final call for people brave enough to take on the Firewalk! Come alone or challenge friends, family or work colleagues to join you for what promises to be an unforgettable experience.”
A new limited edition bottle called Absolut Drop shows that a drop of love can go a long way.
Chair of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, Councillor Gill Mitchell, said: “We are committed to supporting low emission, sustainable travel to help improve air quality in the city. 
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