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Toronto to host IGLTA’s 35th Annual Global Convention in 2018

International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA) returns to Canada’s premier LGBT destination in 2018.

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The IGLTA is Canada-bound in 2018, bringing its Annual Global Convention to Toronto for the second time in the association’s history.

IGLTA’s board of directors selected Ontario’s capital city, famous for its vibrant LGBT community – for the 35th edition of the conference,  May 9-12, 2018.

The convention, the leading educational and networking event for the LGBT tourism industry, will take place at the downtown Westin Harbour Castle hotel on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Dan Melesurgo
Dan Melesurgo

IGLTA Board Chair Dan Melesurgo, said: “Canada stands at the forefront of gay and lesbian rights, and our 2009 convention in Toronto was one of our best attended.”

“Toronto is truly a diverse, multicultural city that has world-class attractions and unique neighbourhoods, including a large and popular gay village. We’re excited to return in 2018 and set the bar even higher.”

Toronto’s reputation as an LGBT-welcoming destination continues to grow. WorldPride 2014 united advocates and allies from around the globe in Toronto, attracting an estimated 2 million visitors over the course of the 10-day festival.

The city’s annual gay pride event is one of the largest in North America.

Chief Marketing Officer of Tourism Toronto, Andrew Weir, said: “Our tourism community looks forward to welcoming IGLTA in 2018.”

“The world is taking notice of Toronto’s vibrancy and progressive spirit that makes this not only a welcoming destination but also one of North America’s most exciting cities to explore.”

Toronto, Canada

The International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association is the leading member-based global organisation dedicated to LGBT tourism and an Affiliate Member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation. The association’s membership includes LGBT and LGBT-friendly accommodations, destinations, service providers, travel agents, tour operators, events and travel media in 80 countries.

For more information about IGLTA, click here:

For Convention updates, click here:

For information about Toronto, click here:

Toronto skyline

 

Garage sale trail comes to Brighton & Hove

The first ever Brighton & Hove Garage Sale Trail will take place on September 26.

Garage Sale Trail founders Andrew Valder and Darryl Nichols
Garage Sale Trail founders Andrew Valder and Darryl Nichols

Brighton and Hove is one of just three locations that will be hosting the UK’s first ever Garage Sale Trail, alongside Hackney and Todmorden.

The Garage Sale Trail is a new event that hopes to bring together communities, whilst providing a platform for fundraising and also championing up-cycling and re-use through the buying and selling of second-hand items.

The Garage Sale Trail is open to everyone: individuals, households, schools, community groups, local institutions and independent businesses are all encouraged to take part!

Whether you fancy a clear out and would like to become a seller, or if you’re keen to nab a bargain click here: to check out the Garage Sale Trail website.

The Garage Sale Trail first came into existence in 2010 in Sydney, Australia. An idea born to combat illegal dumping, Don’t Dump it, Sell it was conceived by two friends Andrew Valder and Darryl Nichols. In just over four years, the programme has grown from a partnership with one council and 126 garage sales, to a national initiative with over 133 councils and more than 8,000 sales registered all over Australia. It is now the fastest growing community and sustainability programme in the entire country, and the UK events hope to achieve the same success.

Anyone interested in hosting a sale can register for FREE on the Garage Sale Trail website right up until the day itself. The Garage Sale Trail will be promoting the campaign nationally, and the local hubs will be shouting about the sales on their doorstep.

The event website says: “You also get promotional material, tips and a pack of goodies to help promote your sale, both online and in real life. We’re massively encouraging people to get creative, club together and put on entertainments to add value to their sale experience if you’re up to it.

On Saturday, September 26, bargains will be found, treasure discovered, friends made, money raised and fun had by all. Cupboards, garages and sheds will be de-cluttered, stuff reused and landfill everywhere heave a sigh of relief.”

For more information, click here: 

REVIEW: Cafe Debris: Marlborough Theatre

cafe debris poster

The Cafe Debris Company Presents The Fabulous Punch and Judy Show

With elements of Brecht savagely intertwined with Restoration bawdiness this is a surprisingly sophisticated deeply tongue in cheek utterly filthy piece of perfectly timed understated crude, rude and provocative brilliance.

Using the Australian clichéd idea of vulgar self-serving entitlement obsessed thick white men and their murderously misogynistic attitudes towards anyone else the Café Debris team lift this show up into a realm of satire that is just plain fucking oddness with a passion and commitment which is rare.

Look! don’t read any more of this, book now!

p&judy 1

It’s a lovely clash of style, clever full-on Queer satire with its perfectly formed internal strangeness – think Rocky Horror via John Walters, Edith Massey at The Cockettes, Joe Orton revisiting Neighbours, Marlene Dietrich doing Stanley Kowalski.  It’s all these things and more and what it is at its heart is a lovingly reenacted puppetless Punch and Judy show with all the politically incorrect savagery and unpredictable violence exaggerated and teased out in ways which would be familiar to any audience from the last four hundred years. Punch brings our faces up the glass of our seemingly safe and normal reality and then pushes us through the window, laughing and wondering why we might complain about his right to be right all the time. With most of the Antipodean references adjusted so as to be understandable to us poor Poms this is a show with heart and it’s nice to see a company have so much fun with such a classic piece of traditional theatre and allow its energy and threatening allure to delight. It’s hard to be so very wrong and get it so touch perfect right, these performers know the line and effortlessly walk it with verve.

So, as I said, a sophisticated piece of well researched theatre hiding under a deliciously strange and bizarre production. Mr Punch is always the perfect mirror to our times, hence his survival and here, he’s made to reflect at his wickedness and the consequences of his behaviour which ranges from online porn and work shy wanking to infanticide, sexual abuse, domestic violence, homophobic killings and other casual murder, but lets not chat about despair here, this is not the point. Café Debris have slipped in as many seriously funny throw away lines as possible and the show is as tightly scripted and provocatively funny as it is quotable, crass and snort your drink out your nose in shock.

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Christine Firkin, Tim Garnham, Billy O’Riordan and Brent Thorpe all pull some excellent performances and work together to keep the narrative tension as tight as a noose; with some creepy and wonderfully wacked out one off performances. Mr Punch’s Cabaret; the show within the show made me laugh and laugh and laugh with an onstage freakshow of delightfully strange Judy Garland’s ‘I may cry no, no, no, no, no, but do it again’ then lust a little at the most perfect tight butt and sexy sequined posing pouch I’ve seen on stage in the last year.

For more info on the show and cast see their website here:

There’s a little of everything in this brave deconstructive show which appears to be a commentary on the Australian and Western Hetro male and all his triumphs of self-delusion, but Mr Punch is at heart deeply subversive and you’ll find yourself laughing at the dark side but laugh you will. Punch triumphs at the end and for that this terribly rogue wins our hearts, it’s a plot device which challenges us. Director Billy O’Riordan has pulled some energetic and committed performances from this team of talented actors and singers and it gels well, but is still a classical piece of Commedia dell’arte, subversive, raucous, very modern and savagely satirical.

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If you like your cabaret funny, strange, familiar, creepy, shocking and seriously entertaining then get yourself along to the Marlborough Theatre as soon as you can, Café Debris are only here until September 8 and I would recommend you catch this show while you can.

(Bravo Darlings! I left laughing and anyone that can work such lovely classical music into such high-end bizarreness deserves an extra nod of appreciation from this cynical old critic.)

Catch The Cafe Debris Company and their fresh from Edinburgh show, The Fabulous Punch and Judy Show now. A popular feature at Sydney’s legendary Imperial Hotel (featured in ‘Priscilla Queen of the Desert’) you can now enjoy some of Australia’s best Po-Mo-Ho-Mo export in Brighton,

For more details or to book (and book now!) see the Theatre website here

Until September 8

The Marlborough Theatre

Princes St

Brighton

Please note this show is not suitable for children at all.

 

 

Holiday home Brits urged to review wills

A change in EU inheritance law has prompted solicitors to warn Britons with holiday homes in European countries to check their wills.

Law Society

Under new rules which came into force on August 17, UK residents with assets in Europe may be unnecessarily subjecting their property or assets to local laws.

The law of ‘forced heirship’ in European countries such as France, Spain, Portugal and Italy means that you are compelled to leave a certain percentage of your estate to your descendants, regardless of your wishes. This can cause distress and hardship to a surviving spouse or civil partner.

The change in EU Law makes it easier for UK nationals to avoid this, however they need to make this clear in their will, and explicitly state what legal jurisdiction they want their estate to be handled in.

Gary Rycroft, a solicitor and member of the Law Society’s Wills and Equity committee says that the recent high-profile death of TV star Cilla Black has brought the issue into focus.

He said: “It is assumed Cilla had her legal affairs in order and the beneficiaries of her estate will be her children. But ownership of foreign property is an extra complication when a loved one dies and with Spain for example, there are issues with regard to Spanish ‘death duty’ and how that interplays with inheritance tax payable in the UK.”

Gary said that Britons who were unsure of their position should speak to a solicitor.

He added; “A solicitor will be able to help people update their will by making a ‘choice of law’. This means people can choose whether to have English law apply upon their death or the law of the country where they have property or assets.”

To find a solicitor in your area that specialises in wills and estate planning, click here:

 

In Search of Lost Boys – Open Auditions in Eastbourne

Eastbourne Theatres will hold open auditions for their professional Christmas pantomime Peter Pan this weekend.

Twist & Pulse
Twist & Pulse as Pirate Swash and Buckle

Open auditions to find boys to play the parts of John, Michael and the Lost Boys in this year’s Eastbourne Theatres’ professional pantomime Peter Pan will take place this Sunday, September 6 at the Winter Garden starting at 10am. Registration is from 9.30am.

Producers are inviting male actors with an unbroken voice, aged between 7 and 14 years and with a maximum height of 5ft, to join a fun group audition of movement and singing at 10am. Recalls to read for the parts of Michael and John Darling will be held at 11am, and are expected to finish by 12.30pm. There is no need to prepare anything, but clothing and footwear that is easy to move in is advisable.

In total, Eastbourne Theatres are looking for 2 Michaels, 2 Johns and 2 teams of 6 Lost Boys. Those auditioning are asked to ensure that they are available for the full run and rehearsals of Peter Pan, from November 29, 2015 until January 17, 2016.

Interested individuals should email; theatresmarketing@eastbourne.gov.uk for a pre-registration form or click here:

Pre-registration is advisable.

Those arriving on the day having not pre-registered should arrive early to ensure they have sufficient time to complete the necessary registration paperwork before auditions begin promptly at 10am.

Peter Pan tells the magical story of a boy who refuses to grow up. Peter and his tiny fairy friend Tinker Bell invite the Darling children to take to the skies, flying second to the right and straight on until morning to Neverland, an enchanted island where children stay perpetually young. Swashbuckling escapades with Pan’s nemesis Captain Hook, a ticking crocodile, Tiger Lilly and a hoard of misfit pirates bring them excitement and adventure but what will happen when Wendy Darling longs for home?

Peter Pan will star Brian Capron (Coronation Street) as Captain Hook and Britains Got Talent dance sensation Twist & Pulse as Pirate Swash and Buckle. Plus back by popular demand Tucker and Martyn Knight who we be playing Smee and Mrs Smee.


Event: Peter Pan

Where: Devonshire Theatre, Chiswick Pl, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 4BJ

When: December 11, 2015 – January 17, 2016.

Tickets: from just £12.50.

For full details click here:

Brightonians more likely to raise money and campaign for charity

People living in Brighton are most likely to raise money and/or campaign for international charities, in the UK according to the Attitudes to International Aid survey.

Peter Kyle MP for Hove & Portslade
Peter Kyle MP for Hove & Portslade

Brightonians are amongst the most active in charity in the UK, with around 10 per cent of people regularly fundraising and/or campaigning for a cause of their choice, according to an Attitudes to International Aid Survey by leading UK membership body Bond.

Around 10 per cent of people questioned in Brighton said they have organised a fundraising event for an international development charity and would get actively involved in a campaign, compared to none in Leeds and just two per cent of people in Bristol and Cardiff.

The survey comes as Bond (UK membership body for international development organisations) prepares on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 of September to bring its VW Camper Van Summer Bus Tour – to find the most charitable people in the UK – to the Together the People Festival in Preston Park, Brighton from 12pm to 6pm.

Caroline Lucas MP for Brighton Pavilion
Caroline Lucas MP for Brighton Pavilion

Caroline Lucas MP for Brighton Pavilion, and Peter Kyle MP for Hove and Portslade, will be at the Bond Bus talking to people at the Festival about international aid and the role the UK plays around the world to support people living in poverty.

Caroline and Peter will also be taking to the Festival’s Community Soapbox to host a 30 minute session on international development.

Ben Jackson, CEO of Bond said: “We are really pleased to be bringing the Bond 10 Day Summer Tour to Brighton to celebrate the role we play in helping others around the world despite fierce criticism from people who question the UK’s aid commitment.  It is a great opportunity to talk to people here, which our survey found to be one of the most active for charity in the UK. And where better to do that than at Brighton’s Arts and Music Festival to celebrate the city’s community spirit.

“2015 is an important and historic year, as the world looks back over the past 15 years of progress made to overcome poverty, and looks forward to the next 15 years on how we tackle poverty, inequality and climate change.  These global goals (Sustainable Development Goals) are just as important for the UK as it is for other countries.”

Bond’s Attitudes to International Aid Survey also found that half of those people questioned in Brighton are ethical shoppers with 48 per cent of people buying or refusing to buy products for ethical, environmental and/or political reasons.

Of more than 2,260 adults surveyed across the UK, nearly two thirds of people in Brighton said it was important that the UK keeps its promises to help people.

The survey was commissioned during 2015 to also mark the European Year of Development 2015 which highlights the results the European Union and member countries – including the UK – have achieved to date in tackling global poverty.

The UK is Europe’s top overseas donor according to the Organisation for Economic Co-Operations and Development (OECD).  The Bond Bus is also part of the global campaign action2015 which involves over 1950 organisations around the world, all committed to fighting for a better future for people and the planet.

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