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PREVIEW: Artists Open Houses in The Dog House

Open Houses LogoBrighton is well-known for being a city of dog lovers, and that will be reflected in true Brighton style during this year’s Artists Open Houses Festival.

THE Artists Open Houses festival takes place throughout Brighton, Hove and various towns and villages across Sussex.

Around 200 artists homes and studios open their doors to the public, offering a unique exhibition of over 1,000 artists and makers. Last year’s festival attracted more than 200,000 visitors, and this year that number is set to increase as this year the festival is to host a special open house The Dog Show, dedicated to dogs and open to four-pawed visitors.

Three Graces by Muir and Osborne
Three Graces by Muir and Osborne

The dog-friendly exhibition is an open house dedicated to all things canine, exhibiting the work of artists whose work is exclusively themed around dogs.

The Dog Show is the brainchild of Joanna Osborne and Sally Muir, who have both made a career from their love of dogs.

Award winning authors of the Best In Show series of knitted dog books, the pair have been broadcast to millions on the Martha Stewart Show in America, in front of an audience of dogs and Jonathan Ross also commissioned a pair of knitted ear protectors for his beloved pug dog Mr Pickles.

Joanna will be opening her Grade II listed house in the centre of Brighton to display the work of ten artists, all of whose work is centred on our canine companions.

Knitted Archie by Muir and Osborne
Knitted Archie by Muir and Osborne

Participating artists include sculptor Gemma Rees, who makes delicate sculptures out of clay, paper, hay and wire; Dominic Gubb, who makes life-sized sculptures using found materials; Lorraine Corrigan, who makes elegant, arresting small sculptures from wire, papiér maché and old books; Robin Parker who sketches in wire, giving his sculptures a wonderful aura and Felted Fido who make beautiful miniature life-like felted dogs.

Holborn Portrait Prize-winner Sally Muir will also be taking part in the exhibition, and she will also be offering individual on-the-spot dog drawings on Saturday May 16. Proceeds from the drawings will go to the Dogs Trust, and booking is essential.

The Artists Open Houses is the largest event of its kind in the UK, beginning on May 2 and continuing during each weekend in May.

Entry to The Dog Show and the rest of the Artists Open Houses festival is free to the public.

For full Open House listings click here:

Support the Marlets Hospice at Lake District Enduro

The Martlets Hospice, Hove, is looking for teams to take on the demanding Lake District Enduro challenge to help raise funds for their work.

Martlets Hospice

THIS sponsored multi-activity event in the beautiful hills and valleys of the Lake District, will require participants to tackle the tough terrain by canoe, bike and on foot.

Clem Hunnisett, Martlets Community Events Fundraiser, said: “Why not challenge your mates or work colleagues to a demanding multi-activity event. Cycle, paddle and hike your way across the magnificent scenery of the Lakes. There’s no better test of skills, stamina and mental strength than this ultimate team-building challenge.

“Whether you take part on your own, with colleagues or with friends, this long, tough day offers a great challenge, for a fantastic local cause – and the sense of achievement at the end will be unforgettable.

“This event is designed to be challenging for those of good health and fitness, and is achievable for most people provided they train well in advance.”

Martlets HospiceThe funds raised will help the Martlets provide end of life care to adults who are affected by terminal and life limiting illness, as well as caring for their families and loved ones.

Facilities at the Martlets include an 18 bed In-Patient Unit, Hospice at Home service, Patient and Family Support team and Martlets Day Services.

The Martlets receives less than a third of their funding from the government and must raise £9,000 a day to help people who are dying to do so with dignity and in as calm and peaceful a way as possible.

The Lake District Enduro event will take place on Saturday, June 20 at Derwentwater in the Lake District.

However, participants will need to register by May 8 to secure their place.

Registration costs £49 per person and each participant must raise a minimum of £250 in sponsorship.

For more information, or to register, email Clem Hunnisett: events@martlets.org.uk

Or telephone: 01273 718780.

Health Minister visits Sussex Beacon

Jeremy Hunt MP the Secretary of State for Health paid a visit to the Sussex Beacon with Simon Kirby the Conservative candidate for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven on Thursday, April 16.

Jeremy Hunt at Sussex Beacon

DURING the visit Mr Hunt was shown round the Beacon’s in patient unit, had tea with Beacon supporters and volunteers then answered questions from the local media.

Asked about his Governments commitment to prevention and sex education in schools, he said: “I’m proud of our record working with the gay community. The whole centre of gravity in the NHS has to move more towards prevention rather than cure and helping people to live well.”

Mr Hunt went on to praise the Sussex Beacon and the work it delivers saying: “Places like the Sussex Beacon with their holistic approach, offered lessons for those caring for people with other chronic conditions such as diabetes.”

“The success of this place was that it wasn’t dreamt up by a minister in Whitehall but was created and developed by the local communities.”

 

 

‘I Got Rhythm’ with the Actually Gay Men’s Chorus – tonight

Tonight, Saturday, April 18, Brooklyn bursts into Brighton as Actually Gay Mens Chorus pay tribute to the city that doesn’t sleep.

I Goy Rhythm

THEIR latest show, I Got Rhythm finds the boys brushing’ off their tails for an evening of music and song celebrating the dreams that made New York iconic.

Featuring amongst others, songs of Leonard Bernstein and Irving Berlin, this show promises the best of Broadway and more recent music from the movies of Manhattan.

The Chorus is delighted to be welcoming back their own symbol of Liberty, Maisie Trollette, who will be performing and presenting on the night whilst guest soprano, Karen Orchin will be making her St Andrew’s debut, all under the baton of Musical Director Jason Pimblett.

Money raised from this show will once again be supporting Inclusion For All and the work that they do addressing homophobic bullying in schools.

I Got Rhythm will be performed at St Andrew’s Church, Waterloo Street, Hove on Saturday April 18 at 7.30pm.


Event: I Got Rhythm with Actually Gay Men’s Chorus

Where: St Andrew’s Church, Waterloo Street, Hove

When: Saturday, April 18

Time: 7.30pm

Cost: £12 /£10concessions

To book tickets online, click here:

Or buy from the Bulldog on St James Street or the Iron Duke on Waterloo Street.

LGBT Hustings – All candidates present support proposal for NHS Gender Clinic in Brighton

About 65 people attended the first of two LGBT election hustings, organised by The LGBT Community Safety Forum, at The Queens Hotel on Monday April 13.

LGBT Hustings

THIS first one was for Parliamentary Candidates from the three Brighton and Hove Constituencies. The second LGBT election hustings, for candidates who are ward councillors, will be held at the same venue on Tuesday, April 21, between 7pm-9pm.

All parties and Independent candidates were free to sit on the panel.

The six candidates that chose to do so were:

• Paul Chandler (Liberal Democrat Party candidate for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven)

• Matt Taylor (Independent candidate for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven)

• Howard Pillot (Socialist Party of Great Britian candidate for Brighton Pavilion)

• Peter Kyle (Labour Party candidate for Hove & Portslade)

• Caroline Lucas (Green Party candidate for Brighton Pavilion)

• Simon Kirby (Conservative Party candidate for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven)

UKIP were noticeable by their absence.

Fourteen questions were submitted online, and these were asked after each candidate had given a 2 minute opening statement.

The order for answering each question was decided by random draw each time, and each candidate had 2 minutes to answer each question.

The candidates were sent the questions 6 hours before the meeting, and understood that there would also be further questions from the floor.

Howard Pillot declared at the start that he was unelectable – but was pleased to have the opportunity to propose a total change to the system and an end to Capitalism. His answers to all the questions were unashamedly variations on this basic theme.

Matt Taylor also had a very simple message – elect him and he will promise to represent everybody. His main platforms were End Corruption, and a Natural Health Service. He said that he had learnt a lot from attending the Hustings and was keen to listen….

Simon Kirby and Caroline Lucas, both seeking re-election after one term as MPs for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven and Brighton Pavilion respectively, took the opportunity to remind the audience of their support for the LGBT and HIV communities, and Peter Kyle was keen to point out his achievements, as a gay man, in supporting our communities.

There were several questions about what candidates felt still needed to be done around LGBT issues, and specifically what they would do to legislate around Trans, Older LGBT, Disabled LGBT, BME and HIV issues.

The candidates from the four ‘mainstream’ parties were largely in agreement on aims, the main differences were around the way to achieve those aims through the way that the economy is run and the way that the NHS is run. Simon Kirby was keen to support involvement of private companies such as Virgin Care, while Caroline Lucas was keen to “renationalise” the NHS for instance.

A question came from a man who is unable to marry his non-EU partner because his income isn’t sufficient to meet the Government’s requirements. All candidates agreed that this was a scandalous situation, and that equality, and freedom to marry the person one loves, is not possible if a financial test is applied, especially one that 51% of the population would not “pass”.

All candidates felt that they would support a proposal for an NHS Gender Clinic in Brighton.

Speaking after the hustings, Mr Kirby said: “As someone who has been proud to represent a constituency with a large LGBT community I was delighted to be able to take questions today at this hustings, and to reiterate my proven commitment to LGBT issues.

“I was glad that we were able to discuss issues affecting trans people so openly, and I am pleased that everyone on the panel mentioned that they will be looking to work hard on these issues over the next five years.

“The LGBT Community Safety Forum is a fantastic local organisation, and I was delighted to be able to speak at their hustings.”

WEB.600.Hustings

Breeze Bus service gears up for the Summer

The popular Breeze Up to the Downs bus services which carry passengers to Brighton & Hove’s parks and countryside are gearing up for a busy summer with more buses and new seven-days-a-week services.

Breeze Up The Downs

Breeze up to the Downs services are funded and managed by Brighton & Hove City Council, with contributions from The National Trust and the South Downs National Park Authority.

This year, additional funding from the 2 Parks Local Sustainable Transport Fund means that services 77 and 78 will run much more often.

From April 20, service 78 to Stanmer Park will offer a peak time Monday to Friday service that has been requested by people who work, study and volunteer in Stanmer Park, along with a new off-peak Monday to Friday service for residents and visitors. On Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays service 78 will continue to run hourly.

Service 77 will also run from Mondays to Fridays throughout the year, offering up to 7 departures a day and catering for the many weekday visitors to Devil’s Dyke.

At weekends, the Low Summer timetable will run from April 19 until June 13, with up to two buses per hour on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays.

Breeze Up The Down

The High Summer service, from June 14 to August 31, will run seven days a week and the timetable is improved to half-hourly – by adding a third bus to the route. Later evening buses will mean the last bus leaves Devil’s Dyke at 8.35pm.  Open top buses will work most daytime journeys.

Service 79 to Ditchling Beacon will continue to offer an hourly service on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays.

Following requests services 78 and 79 will see double-decker buses running and each of them will have two bike spaces available.

If you’re travelling in from outside the city, take the train and get 2 single or return Breeze bus tickets for the price of one!  Just show your valid train ticket to the bus driver.

For full details of the new Breeze service timetables, click here:

Or telephone 01273 292480 to request new editions of the printed leaflets.

The leaflets are full of ideas for walks and other things to do, plus discounts at many cafes and pubs when you show your bus ticket!

 

New LGBTU group at Brighton Housing Trust

Brighton Housing Trust is running a new LGBTU group to provide support and encourage friendship for the Brighton and Hove LGBTU community who are clients of BHT or who are homeless, living in temporary accommodation or “sofa surfing”.

Brighton Housing TrustTHE group is held at First Base in Montpelier Place every second Wednesday from 5pm to 7pm.

There are lots of different activities including cooking groups, LGBTU film nights, quizzes and much more. They provide a safe environment where LGBTU people who feel vulnerable can be who they want to be without feeling judged or ostracised.

Dedicated to empowering people, the group hosts a number of different workshop sessions covering LGBTU life, hate crime reporting, sexual health, life skills and lots more. These workshops are designed to help tackle the increasing issue of social isolation and discrimination from within the LGBTU community.

The LGBTU group are also planning a theatre production. The play will describe how people have come to embrace their sexuality and how homelessness has affected their ability to feel part of the LGBTU community as a whole.

Please feel free to contact the LGBTU group for more information.

To contact the group:

Email: Travis Cox or telephone: 01273 326844

Email: Isla Mackintosh or telephone: 01273 929392

NHS champion to speak in Brighton this Sunday

Stalwart champion of the NHS, Harry Leslie Smith will speak in Brighton on the future of the NHS on Sunday April 19.

Harry Leslie Smith
Harry Leslie Smith

HARRY – author, activist, and staunch defender of the NHS will make what he refers to as his last stand for Britain at Community Base, 113 Queens Road, Brighton at 2.30pm.

In an event hosted by Purna Sen, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Brighton Pavilion, Harry will speak about the poverty of his past, the problems of the present, and the future of the country after the general election. With 92 years of experience to draw on, Harry says he is fighting to make sure his past doesn’t become our future.

Born to an unemployed coal miner in 1920s Yorkshire, Harry has lived through the Great Depression, fought in the Second World War, and endured post-war austerity. Having experienced the indignities of poverty first-hand, he is determined to keep our generation from the same fate.

His talk will touch on everything from inequality to political values, while focusing on the importance of the NHS.

​Harry touched the hearts of many people across the country when his deeply felt speech at last year’s Labour Party Conference was televised.

Speaking alongside Purna Sen, Harry will focus on how the NHS is a necessity which must be protected at all costs. As a man who grew up without it, few know better than Harry how vital the NHS is to Britain.

Purna Sen
Purna Sen

Purna said: “If there is one thing to learn from the past, it is that Britain needs a properly functioning health service and the future of our NHS relies on a detailed, fully costed plan.”

As the general election approaches, this special event will focus on some of the defining issues of British life.

It will be chaired by Ian Evans (a biomedical scientist who chairs Unite’s Healthcare Sciences committee), while local resident Geoff Braterman (a man who has relied on the NHS for recent care for his family) will also be attending to speak of his experiences.

The event will begin at 2.30pm on Sunday April 19 at Community Base.


Event: Harry’s last stand for Britain

When: Sunday, April 19

Where: Community Base, 113 Queens Road, BN1 3XG Brighton

Time: 2.30pm

To book a ticket online, click here:

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