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New lights brighten St James Street

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New lighting in St James Street

Following the hugely successful public meeting at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church at the end of November 2012, the committee of the new St James’s Street Local Action Team (LAT) have not been letting the grass grow under their feet.

New and improved lighting was top of the group’s shopping list. As a direct result of lobbying by community activist and interim chair of the LAT, Chris Cooke, the council have installed five new lamp columns in St James’s Street, eight new wall mounted lanterns and have changed the bulbs of 13 existing columns.
Seven new column lights have been installed in St James’s Avenue, while in Dorset Gardens all the lanterns on existing columns are being changed to a white light source. In Devonshire Place one additional column has been added and all of the other four lanterns are being changed to a white light source.

Inspector Gareth Davies from Sussex Police said:

“I am really pleased that improvements are being made in the St James’s Street area. My team, and many others, have been working hard in the area and as the local police we take the community’s feedback on how safe they feel seriously. I am anxious to continue the work we have been doing with partners and the new community groups to continue to improve this and to develop communication with all member of the local community who live and work in the area.

“The change in the street lighting in the area is a great start to this and credit goes to the new LAT group in driving this forward and getting results. I am hopeful this will assist and enhance any CCTV images obtained.

“Myself and my neighbourhood team look forward to working with the new community group and with partners, to make sure the area is safe and vibrant for people to enjoy.”

Local hotelier, Nick Head, said:

“Police are beeing very cooperative dealing with residents’ concerns and have increased their numbers and visibility on the streets especially between 9pm and 3am on Friday and Saturday nights since the public meeting in November.”

Chris Cook, interim Chair of the LAT until their first AGM, said:

“It is amazing how these little bits of community intervention can make such a difference to peoples perception of safety.”

Queen’s Park Councillor, Geoffrey Bowden and Simon Kirby, MP for Kemptown & Peacehaven, have been helping move the debate about pedestrian priority and ‘shared space’ in the area forward. At present six-hundred buses a day use St James’s Street and many residents and business owners want that number reduced to improve the local environment for residents and visitors which they claim will ultimately boost the local economy.

Behind the scenes there has been a row involving ward councillor Stephanie Powell, who has been complaining there are not enough women on the new St James Street LAT. On Facebook she said the activities of the new LAT were political, saying it was “Labour against the Greens”, and “the Gay men’s mafia of St James’s Street were out to get their local Green councillors”.

Complaint has been made about the councillor’s comments which some consider homophobic in nature to the Standards Board.

One third of the new LAT working group is female and 2 of the five members of the management committee are also women.

The message that came from people loud and clear at the public meeting in November was that residents did not want politicians to sit on the LAT committee as it created a conflict of interest. One resident present at the meeting described the atmosphere created by their presence as ‘toxic’.

Rather, it has been decided, politicians should be called to account by the LAT at regular public meetings to answer residents’ concerns and report to them what they have been doing to improve the safety of area.

The next public meeting of the new LAT is on Wednesday, March 13 at the Dorset Garden Methodist Church, at 6.30pm.

Everyone is welcome to attend.

Skye’s the limit

Isle of Skye
Isle of Skye

Having lived in Brighton for twenty years, the contrast with moving to the Inner Hebrides has been extreme. The Isle of Skye is in the North West of Scotland with some parts of the island being further west than Land’s End. The capital of Skye, Portree, is an old fashioned village with one main street. You can walk down it and feel that the last thirty years never happened.

Let me tell you about the rain. It rains a lot. In fact, we only had forty dry days last year. That means we had 325 days when it rained. I sometimes feel similar to the Eskimos, but instead of many words for snow, I find myself thinking of new words for the different types of rain. At the moment, it is a persistent drizzle that shows no sign of clearing up or of getting worse. I shall call it a pizzle.

However, when the weather is good, we begin to understand why we moved up here. Sometimes, on a perfect summer’s day, under a cloudless sky, there is a vista of the white sandy beaches of the Outer Hebrides across the calm azure sea and you could easily imagine you were in the Aegean.

Brian & Andy
Brian & Andy

We moved up here almost three years ago, feeling that there must be more to life than Brighton and also wanting less stressful lives. We found a good solicitor in Inverness (you need a Scottish solicitor to purchase property up here) and once we had found a house, the purchase went through in two weeks.

Our glen is only 20 houses, but it contains an amazing cross-section of people from all over the world including artists, composers and poets. There are also people who have embraced the concept of The Good Life and who keep animals, grow vegetables and are virtually self-sufficient. Everyone has been very friendly and totally accepting of us being gay. We have met other gay and lesbian people living on the island and the surrounding areas. There is also a strong arts and crafts tradition here, with art trails in the summer similar to the Open Houses, at Festival time in Brighton and Hove.

The Guest House
The Guest House

We run the house as a B&B from April to October and welcome guests from around Europe, who seem to know more about Scotland than the English. Steadily, the number of gay guests has increased as more people look for something different for their summer breaks. We are registered with Visit Scotland, who have helped us immensely and are also on the gayjourney website, which has brought us intrepid gay travellers from all over the world.

Isle of Skye
Isle of Skye

So what have we learnt from our time here? I didn’t realise how dangerous it is to drive around at night in the winter, due to the number of animals wandering freely – sheep, deer, foxes etc. I didn’t realise that we would need the wood burner lit in August as it only gets above 20C a few days of the year. I didn’t realise that growing plants and vegetables in the garden would be such hard work due to the wind and rain. Also being isolated means a 25 mile round trip to the shops and at home, no mobile signal at all.

Eilean Donan Castle near Skye
Eilean Donan Castle near Skye

However, when I look back at the highlights any negatives are quickly forgotten. To walk with the Highland Rangers across the whole of Skye, to see the Aurora Borealis above our house and to go out on our motorbike along winding empty roads with breathtaking views. The intangible benefits, the peace and quiet, the relaxed lifestyle, the sheer beauty of the ever-changing landscape and the truly astonishing wildlife are all I want now.

So, occasionally at night, I look up and see the broad band of the Milky Way crossing the sky. I pause and think of being at the end of a dark pier, looking back at the town and seeing the lights reflected in the water around the bay and sometimes, just sometimes, I dream of Brighton again.

info:
Vatersay House, Glenhinnisdal, Portree, Isle of Skye, IV51 9UZ

Email: mail@vatersayhouse.com

Telephone: 01470 542284
www.vatersayhouse.com

www.isleofskye.com
www.isleofskye.org.uk
www.skye.co.uk

Shakedown Festival receives landlord’s consent

Shakedown Festival 2012
Shakedown Festival 2012

The decision to grant Landlord’s Consent comes after extensive consultation with representatives of Stanmer village, other interested stakeholders, all political parties, as well as the organisers of the Festival.

The decision means that the two day event, with the second day having a family focus, will take place on the weekend  of September 28 and 29. It will be the last Shakedown to take place in Stanmer Park before looking to move to a new location in the city.

Cllr Geoffrey Bowden, chair of Economic Development & Culture Committee, said:

“I think it would be disingenuous to ignore there were a number of aspects of last year’s Shakedown Festival that could have been handled better by the organisers. These weaknesses have been publicly acknowledged by the organisers. The Council will be building in robust conditions into the agreement to take account of those concerns. 

“Another consideration in giving the Festival the green light is the city’s reputation for hosting events appealing to the youth market and foster local talent. Just as importantly though, local businesses benefit from the Festival. Last year more than 50 local companies supplied contracts worth in excess of £250,000 meaning the local economy gains from the event.”

In response to residents’ feedback, changes to how vehicles enter the Stanmer Park will be made. There will be regular reporting to the Stanmer Park stakeholders as well as ongoing input by Stanmer villagers. Also an on-site traffic management team will be present throughout the build up, breakdown and on the days of the event. Routes in the park will be protected with measures such as “metal roads” and there will be a holding pen for large vehicles to avoid congestion.

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‘Friends of the Earth’ bee goes to Parliament

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Mike Weatherley, the Conservative MP for Hove and Portslade, met a giant bumble bee in Parliament as part of a campaign by environmental charity, Friends of the Earth.

As well as meeting with furry representatives from Friends of the Earth, Mike recently signed the Early Day Motion 312 (Pesticide Use and Bumble Bees) which highlights the plight facing bumble bees when exposed to imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid pesticide.

Mike has met with a number of local beekeepers in Hove and discussed the serious threat against bees in Britain.

Last year, Friends of the Earth launched its Bee Cause campaign, which has been backed by more than 80,000 people and calls for the Government to urgently to introduce a National Bee Action Plan aimed at saving Britain’s bees.

For more on the campaign, click here:  

Mike said:

“I am extremely concerned about the rapid decline of British Bees. They are not only an iconic part of our countryside, but play a vital role in pollinating our crops and flowers too. It is great news that Friends of the Earth is creating a buzz about these crucially important insects – I’ll be doing all that I can to help protect our bees in 2013.” 

Just two days left to complete ‘Trust and Confidence’ survey

A community survey to test and establish the levels of trust and confidence in the Police and Council is now live and there is just three days left to complete it.

The LGBT Community Safety Forum is an independent elected group of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgendered (LGBT) people in Brighton & Hove. The role of the group is to ensure effective accountability between the LGBT communities of Brighton & Hove and the statutory authorities, including Sussex Police and Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC).

The short survey is about establishing the level of trust in the Police and Council services, including the Partnership Community Safety Team, and public confidence in reporting issues around abuse, discrimination and LGBT safety within Brighton & Hove. This includes educational establishments, care services, private business or home and will be rolled out each year to establish if the trust levels go up or down on an annual basis.

This questionnaire is confidential. There are 20 questions. The survey is set up to allow one response per person, so answer all the questions you wish to before you click ‘done’ as you will not be able to start a new survey once completed.

The survey is now live and runs till Thursday, January 31, 2013.

The survey can be accessed at:
COMMUNITY SAFETY FORUM

OR view:
SURVEY MONKEY

For hard copies or large print telephone: 01273 262220

The survey process has been independently supported by The Trust for Developing Communities.

More information about the Brighton and Hove LGBT Community Safety Foru, view:

LGBT SAFETY FORUM

To contact the LGBT Community Safety Forum email:

EMAIL

‘Miss Saigon’: Corn Exchange: Theatre Review:

Outside the American Embassy
Outside the American Embassy

After producing their masterpiece Les Miserables in 1970, Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil turned their attention to reworking Puccini’s Madame Butterfly into the huge success that became Miss Saigon.

Musically more emotional, complex and operatic than the earlier, heroic Les Miserables, Miss Saigon is set in Vietnam between 1975-78 towards the end of the Vietnam war.

Kim, a young Vietnamese woman flees her village after her family are murdered. She arrives in Saigon and works reluctantly in a night club owned by the notorious owner/pimp ‘The Engineer’.

John an American GI introduces Kim to Chris also an American GI and they fall in love.

During the fall of Saigon in 1975, Chris and Kim get separated at the American Embassy  as it is being evacuated by helicopter. Chris returns to America where thinking that Kim is dead, marries a local girl, Ellen. Back in Vietnam Kim gives birth to a son. Chris is the father.

Three years after the fall of Saigon, Kim’s cousin Thuy returns to Saigon and seeks the help of ‘The Engineer’ to find Kim. He wants to marry her and is angry when he finds Kim has had a child to Chris. He threatens to kill the boy. Kim refuses to marry him and kills him to protect her child. ‘The Engineer ‘and Kim flee Saigon together and go to Bangkok.

The story moves forward to 1978, the setting is Atlanta in the USA. John now works for a foundation who repatriates Vietnamese childen with their American fathers. Through his work John learns that Kim is alive and has a child. He tells Chris and suggests that they all go to Bangkok to search for Kim and the child.

John discovers Kim dancing in a sleazy nightclub. He tells her that Chris is in Bankok but fails to tell her he is now married to Ellen. Kim goes to find Chris but first meets Ellen who tells her that she is now married to Chris. Kim realises she has no future now without the man she loves. She makes the ultimate sacrifice and shoots herself so that her son will have a better life in America with Chris and Ellen.

Miss Saigon opened at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London on September 20, 1989 and closed after 4,000 performances on October 30, 1999. It opened on Broadway at the Broadway Theatre in 1991 and remains the eleventh longest-running musical to ever run on Broadway.

This production of Miss Saigon is staged by the Brighton Theatre Group Youth, was performed entirely by students and has been adapted for young performers.

It is pushing the boundaries for any ‘am dram’ to take on a musical of this scale. However, while the subject matter is very challenging I never felt uncomfortable watching these young people play the roles of prostitutes and pimps. The director had done a great job.

The production is quite simply majestic. The production has a few weak moments but the commanding performances by the lead performers make you forget those moments very quickly.

Richard Hadfield who plays John is at 19, one of the older performers with the company. He has a glorious full lyric baritone voice. His presidential delivery of Bui-Doi in the second half was one of the highlights of the show. For four minutes he held the audience in the palm of his hands. It was all rousing stuff. His phrasing was immaculate, intonation secure and I believed every word he sang.

Ollie Wray played Chris perfectly and his characterisation clearly engaged the audience. He has a fine lyrical voice and the few moments when he over pitched the high notes were more to do with the halls acoustic than his technique. He was more than a match for his big  numbers Last Night of the World and Why God why? His performance at times was quite disarming in its boy next door simplicity and delivery.

‘The Engineer’ was sung and acted to perfection by Jordan Southwell who did not miss an opportunity to squeeze every last bit of comedy out of the role. Jordan had the least developed of the male lead voices but was streets ahead of everyone in the acting stakes. I will remember his delivery of The American Dream for a long, long time.

Kim and Chris - Jade Kennedy and Ollie Wray
Kim and Chris – Jade Kennedy and Ollie Wray

Finally the crucial role of Kim was played by fifteen year old Jade Kennedy. In 1975, Miss Saigon turned Lea Salonga into an overnight star. In this production Jade marks  the cards of singers 10 years her senior with a performance full of pathos and passion.

Her voice is round and full in the lower register and her chest voice is huge and soulful. When her head voice develops completely she will be the full package. For a 15 year old to manage the technical challenges of this role is quite astonishing.

Must give a quick mention to the choreographer, Jodie Harrop. Her choreography during the Dju Vui Vay wedding sequence in the first act was pure genius.

The production was directed by Michael Burnie who did not allow the scale of the shows concept to detract him. He kept the action fast and furious and the scene with the helicopter was impressively handled as was every number with the company on stage together.

The company were well drilled in good voice and clearly having a great time.

The fourteen piece band of keyboards woodwind, brass and percussion were directed by Ellen Campbell. Some of the tempi she chose were slightly quick for my liking but maybe that was more to do with the acoustics of the Corn Exchange which were on the dead side. It must have been difficult for these young singers to handle such dull acoustics.

I have had a handful of great night outs in Brighton this last year. This show was up there in the top three.

Overall I was left thinking the  future of musical theatre is safe in the hands of these young people.

Miss Saigon plays until Saturday, February 2 evening performances at 7.30pm, with matinees on Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm.

Make a special effort and go see it.

Tickets: matinees from £14 (£12 concs); evenings from £16 (£14 concs).

To book click here: 

Or telephone: 01273 709709.

For more information about Brighton Theatre Group click here:

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