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Author: Olivia Hall-Smith

Opportunity to enter global photography contest

Posted on by Olivia Hall-Smith

The Thomson Reuters Foundation and Nokia have launched an international photography competition aimed at empowering women around the world through images.

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The contest invites creative individuals and aspiring photojournalists to submit photos to document the many aspects of women’s empowerment and explore themes such as: leadership, courage, passion, opportunity, innovation and motherhood.

Photo entries will be submitted to the public vote and judged by a distinguished line-up of experts from the world of photography, journalism and women’s rights.

The judging panel will be looking for submissions that are able to both spark debate and inspire others.

Thomson Reuters Foundation CEO, Monique Villa said: “This award is an opportunity to give those on the ground a creative platform to showcase women’s empowerment in its very different forms.”

She continued: “A picture of a woman driving a car can have a very different meaning depending in which country they drive, and this contest aims to showcase precisely that.”

Ten finalists will be chosen from the pool of entries and asked to put the new Nokia Lumia 1020 to the test by using the smart phone to create a portfolio of photos that capture the empowerment of women.

The winner will receive the first Thomson Reuters Foundation–Nokia Photography Award, which includes: an all expenses paid trip to attend a week long professional training on mobile journalism organised and run by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. A Nokia Lumia 1020 smartphone, full promotion across Talenthouse’s global platform and the opportunity to have his or her work published on the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s website.

Carla Eid, Global Head of Social Engagement at Nokia said: “Cameras are used to explore the world and in this way, they become tools of change. By capturing the best possible images on a small device such as our Lumia 1020, which is always with the photographer, we can empower through the eye of the lens.”

Submissions are open until February 11, 2014 and participants can enter the contest via the Thomson Reuters Foundation website:

To enter, CLICK HERE: 

Entries will be submitted for the public to vote between February 12 and February 19. The shortlisted candidates will be notified on March 5, and the winner will be announced on Wednesday, April 2.

Laure Prouvost wins the Turner Prize 2013

Posted on by Olivia Hall-Smith

Laure Prouvost, known for her films and installations characterised by richly layered narrative, language, translation, and surreal interruption, has been awarded the 2013 Turner Prize.

Laure Prouvost
Laure Prouvost

The Prize which was established in 1984, is awarded annually to a British artist under fifty for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work.

The jury thought the work of Prouvost, who is 35, was unexpectedly moving and outstanding for its complex and courageous combination of images and objects in a deeply atmospheric environment. Building on personal memory, she was able to weave together fact, fiction, art history and modern technology.

Prouvost favours the use of film in a contemporary way and takes viewers to an inner world, while making reference to the streaming of images in a post-internet age.

This year’s prize, worth £25,000 was presented by the celebrated young Irish actress Saoirse Ronan, who received Academy Award, BAFTA and Golden Globe Award nominations for her role in the 2007 film Atonement. An additional £5,000 was awarded to each of the shortlisted artists while the event was broadcast live on Channel 4.

The Turner Prize 2013 exhibition will be held outside of England for the first time this year and in Derry, Londonderry, the first UK City of Culture, in partnership with Tate. The exhibition is staged at Ebrington, and runs until January 5, 2014.

Caroline Lucas MP calls for more tax relief for small businesses

Posted on by Olivia Hall-Smith

Prior to the release of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement on December 5 and ahead of Small Business Saturday on December 7, Caroline Lucas, the Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, has asked the Government to do more to support small businesses.

Caroline Lucas, MP
Caroline Lucas, MP

The measures Lucas has proposed would benefit more than 2,600 businesses in Brighton and Hove by allowing them a discount on their business rates.

Currently, companies are entitled to small business rate relief if they use only one property and its rateable value is less than £12,000.   In her letter to Treasury minister David Gauke, Lucas has called for this threshold to be increased to £15,000, which would benefit over 500 businesses in the local area.

Business properties with a rateable value of £6000 or less presently qualify for 100% rate relief. However this support is not guaranteed beyond March 31 2014 so Lucas is also calling for this support to continue beyond that date, potentially benefitting 2,109 businesses in Brighton and Hove.

Caroline said: “Brighton and Hove’s unique and vibrant small businesses are vital to the city’s economy.  As well as forming part of community life, they provide valuable services and jobs. However the business owners I meet in Brighton Pavilion tell me that they are struggling with business rates, which represent their highest expense after rent and wages.  Many of them don’t get much benefit from relief, because their rates are so high.”

“This Government says it is pro-small business, and some of the steps it has taken so far are welcome.  But we need more businesses to benefit, and for longer.”

Small Business Saturday will take place on December 7 and on the day, at 12:15pm, Caroline will be opening hiSbe, a new ethical supermarket aimed at regular supermarket shoppers, on 20-21 York Place, London Road.

 

Taking a test in London is even easier during HIV Testing Week

Posted on by Olivia Hall-Smith

To make testing quick and easy during HIV week, sexual health and HIV centres managed by Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust will offer clinics open longer and later.

NHS

Between November 22-20, clinicians at the Mortimer Market Centre and the Archway Centre will be on hand for extra lunchtime, evening and weekend walk-in clinics for anyone wanting to take a test. A number of outreach events across London are also planned throughout the week.

The centres are particularly appealing to the two groups who are hardest hit by HIV, men who have sex with men (MSM) and black and minority ethnic communities (BME).

Klaus Johansen, MSM Outreach and GUM Specialist Nurse at the Mortimer Market Centre said: “People might put off having the test for a number of reasons, but this week it is even easier to get it done. We can help people to either put their mind at ease or, with early diagnosis and good care, we can help people continue to live long and healthy lives.”

Advancements in testing and treatment over the last 15 years have meant that the lives of people who are living with HIV have improved dramatically. Nonetheless, knowing your HIV status is important particularly as it can help prevent onward transmission to others.

Those requiring a test are invited to drop in to one of the clinics listed below for a rapid HIV test that can provide a result in under an hour, or on Monday and Thursday take home a saliva testing kit which can be returned in the post.

Events planned in the London borough of Camden next week include:

•               Saturday November 23, 11.00-14.00, Archway Centre, 681 – 689 Holloway Road, London N19 5SE: Sexual health and contraceptive advice, HIV/STI tests, workshops and focus groups primarily aimed at black and minority ethnic communities.

•               Monday November 25, 11.00-13.00, 86 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DN: In partnership with Antidote, the LGBT drug and alcohol charity, offering HIV home sampling saliva testing kits and sexual health advice.

•               Wednesday November 27, 12.00-14.00, University of London Union (ULU) car park, Byng Place, WC1E 7LE: In partnership with 56 Dean Street, HIV tests will be offered from an outreach health bus primarily aimed at LGBT and BME university staff and students .

•                Thursday November 28, 18.00-20.30, 32a Wardour Street, London W1D 6AQ: In partnership with Antidote, the LGBT drug and alcohol charity, offering HIV home sampling saliva testing kits and sexual health advice.

•                Friday November 29, 17.00-19.00, Archway Centre, 681 – 689 Holloway Road, London N19 5SE and Mortimer Market Centre, off Tottenham Court Road, London WC1E 6JB: Open for men who have sex with men (MSM) for rapid HIV testing.

For more information about these events, CLICK HERE:  

Or follow us them twitter @camdenprovider

Russian protest group launch first video

Posted on by Olivia Hall-Smith

(We are) #Gaypropaganda launches first video to illustrate violence against LGBT people in Russia.

Gay Propaganda

(We Are) #GayPropaganda has launched the first in a series of public service announcements, inspired by recent images of violence against the LGBT community in Russia.

The organisation seeks to unite voices from around the world in support of LGBT people facing prejudice and violence and they hope to provide the international community with the tools and language needed to make their opposition to Russia’s anti-LGBT oppression heard during the Winter Olympics.

Kevin Dolan, Co-founder of (We Are) #GayPropaganda said: “We are proud to release the first of three media pieces in an effort to humanize and more clearly illustrate the escalating violence against LGBT people in Russia.”

He added: “Social media has given us a platform to communicate who we are and what we believe. Our presence and the use of #GayPropaganda seeks to reclaim this term by unifying the conversations in order to provide education, support, and empowerment to LGBT people and their allies with an unshakeable belief in the power of community.”

The hard-hitting video states, “To you they are just pictures. For them, it’s real life” it also urges the watcher to “be the antidote to hate.”

To watch the video CLICK HERE:

To Subscribe to the We Are Gay Propaganda YouTube channel, CLICK HERE:   http://bit.ly/SubscribeGayPropaganda

Go to the #GayPropaganda #tagboard: http://bit.ly/GPTagboard

Brighton & Hove is Dressed to Impress this Christmas

Posted on by Olivia Hall-Smith

Brighton & Hove City Council is pulling out all the stops to show support for local retailers and businesses this Christmas.

Christmas in Brighton

VisitBrighton, the city’s official destination marketing unit, has launched a campaign to inspire potential visitors by demonstrating what the city has to offer over the festive period.

The website, www.christmasinbrighton.co.uk, has been developed to showcase the array of independent shopping, accommodation and restaurants that the city has to offer. Additionally it provides a searchable “what’s on” section with details of the diverse range of entertainment including seasonal shows, ice skating, pantomimes and advent calendar beach huts.

The city council’s Economic Development Team has also attempted to support local businesses and boost trade through the Dressed for Success scheme. As part of the plan, twenty-five independent shops in the city will receive free one-to-one expert training from retail trainers in how to make the most of their window displays in the run up to Christmas. The public will then choose a winner by voting on online and via Facebook.

The competition proved popular last year with over 2,500 votes submitted. In addition, feedback from participating shops stated that there was increased footfall and sales and a boost to staff morale at the critical point in the year.

The council has also given its backing to the upcoming Small Business Saturday with Brighton boasting highest number of independent retailers on the south coast. This national initiative, which has cross-party support, aims to encourage residents to back small businesses by purchasing local goods and services.

Small Business Saturday is set to occur on 7 December and on the day, helpers from Hove Business Association, VisitBrighton and the Council’s Economic Development team will be on hand at Brighton, Hove and Portslade train stations to give out maps and information about the independent retail areas. They will also promote local festive events such as Artists Open Houses, the annual Santa Dash along Hove seafront and the Rottingdean Smugglers night.

Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council Jason Kitcat, who last month signed the council up to the initiative, said: “Research proves that money spent with small local businesses is money kept in the local community. The vast majority of businesses in our city are small independent firms, and they remain the lifeblood of our economy.”

Free parking will be available on Saturday, December 7 and Sundays, 8, 15 and December 22 in five city car parks – Trafalgar Street, High Street, Regency Square, London Road, and Norton Road.

For more travel information CLICK HERE:

For more information about Small Business Saturday, CLICK HERE: 

 

WORLD AIDS DAY IN BRIGHTON : Durex & MTV launch sex-ed revolution

Posted on by Olivia Hall-Smith

Somone Like me Campaign

Durex and MTV Staying Alive Foundation (SAF) have launched Someone Like Me, a global sex education campaign led by young people for young people.

Research has revealed that 40% of people cannot remember their sex education and only 19% of women enjoyed their first sexual experience.

In light of these statistics, Someone Like Me seeks to show young people that they are not alone and that Someone like me has the same worries, concerns and questions about sex.

The campaign is aimed at normalising the way sex is talked about and encourages 100 million young people to engage with #someonelikeme, to share stories and make their own positive change to sex and sexual health.

It also seeks to target perceptions surrounding HIV and demonstrate that the infection could happen to Someone like me.

Georgia Arnold
Georgia Arnold

Georgia Arnold, Executive Director MTV Staying Alive Foundation, said: “For the past 15 years, the MTV Staying Alive Foundation has worked tirelessly to influence positive sexual behaviour among young people around the world. At MTV SAF, we believe that this generation will change the course of the HIV epidemic, and are thrilled to be partnering with Durex on a campaign that will empower young people to do just that.”

MTV SAF and Durex aim to build the Someonelikeme.tv hub into the world’s largest peer hub generated by young people for young people.

Volker Sydow
Volker Sydow

Volker Sydow, Durex Global Category Director, Reckitt Benckiser, said: “With ‘#someonelikeme’ we are excited to provide to young people around the world a new and revolutionary platform to speak up. We want to drive change for them to experience in their lifetime an HIV-free generation.”

A specially made documentary and a month long global social media campaign are intended to start the global conversation about sex and sexual health, culminating in World AIDS Day on Sunday, December 1.

On Monday, November 25 the Someone Like Me documentary, ‘My Sex Life and Everyone Else’s’ will air on MTV in the UK at 11pm.

To see film preview, CLICK HERE:   

New city strategy to boost sport and physical activity

Posted on by Olivia Hall-Smith

Brighton & Hove CouncilBrighton & Hove City Council’s economic development and culture committee have approved a new sports and physical activity strategy aimed at making people more active.

Between 2013 and 2018 the plan will try to encourage people from all areas of the city to improve their health and happiness through sport and physical activity.

In the UK more than three quarters of city residents do less than the recommended levels of physical activity. As a result, the annual estimated cost of ill health directly attributable to physical inactivity is £1 billion.

With fewer public leisure facilities, Brighton currently lags behind many other cities and the report has promised to tackle this. A new large multi-purpose sports centre was proposed which is to be completed by 2022. Additionally the report showed commitment to an increase in the number of community swimming pools and new specialist gymnastics facilities.

The Council also has plans to organise inclusive activity sessions including Health Walks and free swimming for young people.

To read the report, CLICK HERE: 

Council calls for ‘Sensible on Strength’ campaign to reduce alcohol harm

Posted on by Olivia Hall-Smith

Brighton & Hove Council

Brighton & Hove Council has proposed a Sensible on Strength campaign to encourage off-licences to stop selling highly alcoholic beer, lager or cider.

The voluntary new scheme was devised with help from Sussex Police and local businesses to prevent street drinkers, crime and public nuisance. A similar idea has previously proved successful in Ipswich and Sensible on Strength will be put before the city’s Licensing Committee on November 21.

Shops that opt into the new plans will display Sensible on Strength stickers meaning that they no longer sell beer, lager or cider above 6% alcohol by volume.

Cllr Stephanie Powell

Cllr Stephanie Powell, chair of the Licensing Committee, said: “High-strength drinks can cause immense harm to vulnerable people.”

She continued: “Alcohol-related disorder creates fear of crime and an unpleasant environment for everyone.”

A single 500ml can of 9% lager contains four and a half units of alcohol. This exceeds the government’s daily recommended safe alcohol limit of two to three units for women and three to four units for men.

Jesse Wilde, service manager at Equinox, an outreach programme for people with alcohol problems, confirmed that the removal of super-strength drinks is a positive step for Brighton.

She said: “Street drinkers are more willing to engage with our support and are less likely to put themselves at risk or impact on the wider community when they have consumed weaker alcohol.”

Over 60 off-licences have already volunteered to remove the offending brands from their shelves, including all the off-licences in London Road where there have been problems with street drinkers and public disorder in the past.

Chief Inspector Simon Nelson from Sussex Police, said: “We know that super-strength alcohol is bought with the sole intention of getting drunk fast. This particular scheme is intended to allow retailers to take responsibility towards reducing alcohol related harm.” 

If agreed, the Sensible on Strength campaign will be up and running before Christmas.

To read the report for the Licensing Committee about the Sensible on Strength scheme see Agenda Item no. 15 here: http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=157&MId=4593

Charity Bank launches free consultations to help Sussex charities

Posted on by Olivia Hall-Smith

Charity Bank

Charity Bank, which lends solely to charities and community organisations, is offering free consultations for potential borrowers with their Lending Manager for London and the South of England, Jaishree Mistry.

Research conducted by the bank found that increasingly, charities need to borrow money to pursue their missions. However, these organisations are often unsuccessful in obtaining affordable finance from high street banks.

Jaishree, who spent many years in commercial banking and with the Prince’s Trust Business Programme, is passionate about seeing banking and enterprise used for the good of society. As a result, she intends to use her extensive knowledge in the free consultations to explore the suitability of loan finance for charities.

Her involvement with numerous organisations in the south of England means that she has great local knowledge and is well placed to refer her clients elsewhere if a loan is not the best solution.

Jaishree said: “We believe that we should use our local knowledge to provide better advice than high street banks to organisations looking for finance.”

She added: “Free consultations have always been a part of Charity Bank’s service and are especially important now as the need for borrowing continues to increase and high street banks are not fully meeting this demand.”

Charity Bank’s research included a survey that discovered that while 65% of respondents agreed that loans could help charities, 29% had their application turned down and 40% were offered a loan but it was too expensive or the conditions were too onerous to take up.

Jaishree continued: “Charity Bank not only comprehends the sector but also has a regional presence that helps us better understand local requirements. Our knowledge can be invaluable in helping organisations.”

Charity Bank has previously given aid to a number of Sussex organisations including Ditchling Museum, East Sussex Disability Association, Fiveways Playcentre, Lewes and District YMCA, Old Hastings Preservation Society and Trafalgar Road Baptist Church.

Bevern View near Lewes, a purpose-built bungalow for eight young adults with profound learning disabilities, also received help from the bank when it borrowed £318,000 for a hydrotherapy pool and three extra beds.

About the assistance his organisation received, Ian Pounce, Executive Director of Bevern View, said: “The loan from Charity Bank was crucial. We simply could not have extended our care home to provide a much-needed respite care service and hydro therapy pool without it.”

To request a free consultation, CLICK HERE:

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