It’s been another successful Brighton Pride with both the Preston Park and Pride Village Party being very enjoyable events.
But whilst it takes the concerted efforts of a huge amount of people to deliver Pride, I wanted to single out and thank Tony Chapman and his team at Legends.
His generosity and commitment every year to Pride and Brighton’s LGBT communities ensures the cabaret tent remains sponsored each year and we are able to invite the finest cabaret artists in the country to appear.
On Pride Sunday he then throws open Legends to me to stage the, now annual, cabaret fundraiser for the Rainbow Fund.
This action indicates to me his understanding of what Pride is about. A chance to highlight to the thousands of visitors and to remind those of us who live here that our LGBT scene is wonderfully diverse but needs constant care and most importantly funding for it to remain so in the future.
The Rainbow Fund is an excellent model for delivering this and Tony’s constant support, not just over Pride, really leads the way across our scene.
Each year we raise thousands of pounds for the Rainbow Fund through Pride ticket sales but the Sunday event at Legends boosts that total whilst providing a real sense of community thanks to the Legends team’s hard work.
This year we collected in the buckets, £3,526.74 at Legends, our best yet and I thank everyone who donated but especially Tony Chapman for ensuring it could happen and who made a £1,000 personal donation bringing the total raised to £4,526.74.
b-side, the leading multimedia arts festival in Dorset, has been announced its full programme for 2016, featuring some exciting events – including the world premiere of Shame Chorus, by international artist Jordan McKenzie.
Taking place across nine days from September 10-18 on the Isle of Portland, the festival brings the best in contemporary art to the South Coast.
One of the highlights will be Shame Chorus an uplifting musical performance devised in collaboration with international artist Jordan McKenzie, The London Gay Men’s Chorus, The Freud Museum and psychotherapist Susie Orbach.
The project addresses shame and sexuality in the gay community. Shame is a debilitating and disabling emotion that leads to depression and isolation and is borne in silence.
Susie Orbach with singers from the London Gay Men’s Chorus
Shame Chorus seeks to break this silence and isolation, using original testimonies from members of the chorus, Jordan McKenzie commissioned Dorset based Billy Bragg, Shane Cullinan, Jessica Curry, Leo Chadburn, Edmund Jolliffe, Steven Smith, David McAlmont, Conor Mitchell, Sarah Morrison, Verity Susman, Benjamin Till and Jack White to make twelve original compositions exploring shame that will be sung by London Gay Men’s Chorus.
This world premiere will be performed at well-known beauty spot West Weares, creating an outdoor experience that is sure to live long in the memory. Shame Chorus will also take over St George’s Church for a unique Sunday performance.
John Cooper Clark, otherwise known as ‘The Peoples’ Poet’, will be appearing at Weymonth Pavilion on Wednesday, September 14. The performance poet, who first shot to prominence in the 1970s but remains a British cultural icon, will join the festival with his trademark look and incisive material. JCC’s career has spanned cultures, audiences, art forms and continents, collaborating with the likes of The Arctic Monkeys and Plan B in recent years, he has also been involved in two global number one albums in the last two years.
Tom Marshman will take over the Conservative Club on Portland to invite audiences to pull up a sun-lounger for A Place in the Sun and enjoy an all-inclusive holiday experience with the complete package of seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride around the glorious pool. Eat as much as you like, prejudice and xenophobia at every turn. Tom actively encourages audiences and participants to share their thoughts and experiences for his pieces and the results give very evocative authentic glimpses into everyday things.
Festival favourite Matthew Robins returns with what the Guardian describes as “charming, sometimes heartbreaking little stories that are delivered as adult shadow-puppet operas, comprising homemade cardboard figures and sets, and accompanied by a superb eight-piece band.”
This year’s story features Flyboy (he’s half-boy / half-fly) and his friend Mothboy, Evaporina (she can’t sit too close to the radiator), the sad story of the Wicker Cat, Walter Knitty (he’s made of wool), and many others, including some new songs written especially for this show.
Sadie Hennesey will create Boombox, based on her teenage diary written in 1982, whilst she was a student at Weymouth Tech (or rather whilst she was supposed to be, as her attendance record shows a somewhat dismal 42%). Boombox tells the story of Sadie’s turbulent and surprisingly brief teen love affair with Portland-based Andi. Andi’s sister had a Reliant Robin that the teenagers would sit in (partly to stop it blowing over!). The installation takes place in one of these classic cars and is accompanied by a soundtrack of music that the doomed lovers played on their ‘boomboxes’ in 1982. This piece has also inspired an unusual closing event on September 18 at 11.30am. A convoy of Reliant Robins, and other cars from the Reliant stable, will set off across the Causeway to the accompanying sounds of new wave hits from the early 1980’s.
Metropolis will bring b-side’s pop up cinema experience for 2016, teaming up with The Penn to create a unique opportunity to see Fritz Lang’s 1927 sci-fi epic and silent film classic. Metropolis will screen outdoors in the beautiful grounds of Pennsylvania Castle overlooking the sea, accompanied by a new soundtrack created especially for this one very special screening, played and mixed live.
A leading multimedia art festival, b-side’s ambitious programme has evolved through conversations between artists, residents and producers to create work that complements the island’s unique and endlessly-evolving history, geology and character.
This year’s diverse programme features exciting new commissions by artists Bridgette Ashton, Lee Berwick, Henny Burnett, Debbie Adele Cooper, Emma Critchley, Sadie Hennessy, Katarina Rose, Tim Spooner and Paul Wenham-Clarke. Underground military tunnels, submerged ship wrecks, climate change, tourism and Reliant Robins are just some of the ideas currently in production.
Puppies find magical furry-tail endings in time for Manchester Pride Parade.
Photo: Wendy Lovatt
Dogs Trust Manchester makes doggie dreams come true as they get ready to take part in Manchester Pride Parade this Saturday, August 28.
Staff at Dogs Trust Manchester are celebrating after eight puppies found their furry-tail ending in time for this year’s Pride Parade.
The American Bulldog pups have been dreaming of finding happy homes after being born at the centre eight weeks ago, and now their dreams have come true – they are all heading home in time for the weekend of celebrations while the Manchester team at Dogs Trust get ready to take part in the Parade for the first time.
The staff at the Denton centre named the energetic eight after much-loved fairytale characters in recognition of this year’s Once Upon a Time Parade theme and brothers and sisters Charming and Cinders, Eric and Ariel, Aladdin and Jasmine and Prince and Princess couldn’t have hoped for a happier ending.
Dawn Bishop, Dogs Trust Manchester Rehoming Centre Manager, said:“We are so excited about taking part in the Parade for the first time and the fact that we know all our pups are going to be settling in their forever homes as the floats make their way through the city, is wonderful.
“The pups were born just a few days after the mum arrived at the centre. They are a beautiful litter and we are absolutely delighted but not surprised people have fallen in love with them!”
She added:“Our bright yellow, four tonne 3.2 meter high Dogcilla will definitely stand out in Saturday’s Parade and we hope that as a result, lots of dog-lovers will come and visit us and give some of our beautiful dogs the second chance they deserve.”
For more information about Dogs Trust, click here:
For more information about Manchester Pride, click here:
City Council launches parks and open spaces consultation.
Queens Park
Brighton & Hove City Council is talking about the future of its parks and open spaces – and is inviting everyone to join in the conversation.
As budgets decline, the council has to make some big decisions about how the city’s parks and open spaces will be protected and maintained into the future.
To get the debate going, the council is launching The Big Parks and Open Spaces Conversation. – a consultation which invites residents, visitors and all park users to have their say and consider how parks could evolve into the future.
Brighton and Hove has 147 parks, including heritage parks, playing fields, green verges and a section of the South Downs National Park.
Most of the city’s green public spaces are currently managed and maintained by the council’s Cityparks staff, supported by volunteers and Friends Groups.
Parks and open spaces improve the quality of life for residents in the city, and are used by schools, colleges, universities and voluntary/community organisations.
They support the city’s tourism and economy, provide spaces for local community events and large festivals such as Brighton Pride and the Brighton Fringe and are part of the wider Brighton & Lewes Downs Biosphere.
But managing public services on reducing budgets is challenging. Money spent on parks and open spaces is one of the council’s smallest budgets (approximately £14 per person a year.)
Current budget restrictions mean the council is unable to provide the levels of funding currently needed to maintain its parks and open spaces.
Councillor Gill Mitchell, chair of the environment, transport and sustainability committee said: “We know that people really value their neighbourhood parks and recreation areas, and want to see them protected and preserved into the future.
“That’s why we are encouraging everyone to get involved in the Big Conversation, share their priorities, opinions and ideas and make sure their voice is heard.
“This consultation is a way of involving everyone from the start in a really important discussion on how we create new models for the future management of our precious parks and open spaces.”
Mayor of Brighton. Cllr Pete West to attend the Sussex Beacon Autumn Leaves Fete on Saturday, September 24.
The Mayor will be unveiling a new summer-house paid for by fundraising by local community organisation, Bear-Patrol.
Simon Dowe
Simon Dowe CEO The Sussex Beacon, said:“The Sussex Beacon is one of the Mayors charities and I look forward to welcoming the Mayor to our Autumn Leaves Fete. On the day we will have a range of stalls, refreshments and entertainment alongside the opportunity to view our beautiful garden.”
The event is supported by E3 entertainment agency and production company.
The Sussex Beacon offers specialist care and support for people living with HIV. Based in Brighton, which has the highest proportion of people living with HIV outside of London, their centre is open 365 days a year and helps people manage the everyday realities of living with this life-long condition that has no cure.
For more information about the Sussex Beacon, click here:
The Lunch Positive Community Café at Brighton Pride on Preston Park this year involved record numbers of volunteers and raising £3,936 for the HIV charity.
Thirty-eight people volunteered to stage the Café, including lunch club volunteers, trustees, friends, supporters, and lunch club members.
The café was situated in the quieter Community Village area at the south end of Preston Park. Lunch Positive sold affordable hot and cold food and drinks to the public, served lunches to Pride volunteers, served free drinks to local community groups, and also catered for artists on the Main Stage.
Gary Pargeter
Gary Pargeter, Lunch Positive Service Manager, said:“This was a record year for us in the number of people involved and the funds we raised. It was a hugely enjoyable day and we served over 800 people in the space of 6 hours. It was great meeting so many Pride-goers and members of the public.
“Staging the Café was a fantastic team effort with everyone working wonderfully alongside each other, helping and supporting, and hugely enjoying our place at Pride. Importantly, people became involved who would otherwise not have been part of Pride or would have felt it difficult to be at such a busy event.
“Everyone commented on how pleased they were to be part of something meaningful and to have given something back through volunteering. The funds we raised for Lunch Positive will be a big help to us to deliver and develop the service we provide at the HIV Lunch Club. Huge thanks to everyone who made the Café happen, volunteered, and who came along to support us. You’ve made a massive difference to our work.”
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