Brighton Bear Weekend raise a whopping £503.55 for the Rainbow Fund at their Halloween party at Subline on Saturday, October 29.
TheBear Witch Project was a feast for the eyes with the majority of those attending having dressed up and ready to put the willies up each other. The winner of the fancy dress competition was Richie, Ben from Bath was second and James Brooks third.
Prizes were donated by the Brighton Metropole Hilton Hotel, The Old Ship Hotel and the Camelford Arms.
Graham Munday, Chair of Brighton Bear Weekend, said:“It was a busy night and great to see so many people dressed in Halloween costumes. The club looked fantastic as we had bought in huge branches to decorate it. Thank you to everyone for coming and help us raise £503.55, thank you to the companies who donated the prizes for the fancy dress competition and thank you to Steve and the staff at Subline for allowing us to use the club.”
The Rainbow Fund make grants to local LGBT/HIV organisations who provide effective front line services to LGBT people in the city.
Photos by Jack Lynn.
For more information about Brighton Bear Weekend, click here:
Applications are now open to enter Pride’s Got Talent 2017 with finalists getting the chance to perform on one of the London Pride stages, including in front of 15,000 people at Trafalgar Square.
Pride’s Got Talent finalists in 2016: Photo by Simon Bennett
Pride’s Got Talent offers new and emerging talent in the LGBT+ communities a performance showcase and gives them the chance to perform onstage at Pride in London.
Each year, hundreds of artists apply, and dozens are invited to audition before a panel of industry experts.
Finalists are guaranteed a space on one of the Pride in London stages on Saturday, July 8 2017, including at Trafalgar Square, performing to up to 15,000 people.
Pride’s Got Talent is split into two categories. Pride’s Got Talent is reserved exclusively for popular music acts, while Pride’s Got Talent Cabaret is reserved for music/dance (non popular music acts), cabaret/alternative, presenters, hosts and novelty acts.
Applicants and judges will be joined by pop princess Sinitta and cabaret performer Michael Twaits.
Jack Feureisen the winner in 2016, is currently in the studio writing his 1st EP and will start his Pride tour in 2017. He can be heard regularly at Archer Street – Soho.
Meanwhile Pride’s Got Talent Cabaret winner Alex James Ellison has been very busy writing new material, new writing collaborations, and continuously gigging. This year he will be appearing in panto and plans to release new singles in 2017.
To apply to enter Pride’s Got Talent 2017, click here:
Sussex Police are in the process of developing new posters to encourage people in communities most affected by hate to report it to them.
A police spokesperson said: “We have not always got things right for all the different communities we serve and we understand why some people may be reluctant to contact us – but we have learned a lot and changed a lot – and we’re constantly working to improve our service, especially to people who may become victims of hate simply because of who they are.
“We are currently developing posters to encourage people in communities most affected by hate to report it to us. To help us get it right, we’d be grateful for your honest feedback on the wording.”
The survey will close on Thursday, November 10.
To have you say and comment on the posters, click here:
Brighton is not short of a sandwich bar or two, however few pay as much attention to detail as Eten + Drinken, Espresso Bar and Kitchen who offer a touch of old Amsterdam in the heart of Brighton.
In The Netherlands, eten et drinken is a friendly, local café found in most neighbourhoods or towns, where you drink great coffee and taste food made from the finest ingredients.
John Williams has brought a similar ethos to Brighton, opening Eten + Drinken, Espresso Bar and Kitchen with a menu that marries traditional British fayre including sandwiches, salads and breakfasts with some exciting and tasty Dutch specialities.
Dutch Specialities available include:
Kroketten (beef or chicken satay croquettes)
Bitterballen (beef croquette bites)
Frikandellen (savoury sausages)
Uitsmijter sandwich (ham, gouda, fried egg, rocket on sourdough)
Dutch Apple Cake (made on the premises)
Stroopwafels (syrup waffles)
When I was a poor student, living in Amsterdam in the 70s I existed on Kroketten and Bitterballen, which you could, and still can purchase from those food dispensers with glass windows found in most food bars in central Amsterdam. I was addicted to them and even now when I visit Amsterdam, the first thing I do is find a food bar, put my euro in the dispenser and munch away on a selection of delicious crispy croquettes with soft creamy centres.
At Eten + Drinken two beef or chicken satay croquettes (Kroketten) cost £6.25 or you can try six beef croquettes (Bitterballen) for the same price. They are authentic, delicious and highly recommended.
If you prefer some Dutch sausage in your mouth, I can heartily recommend the savoury sausage sandwich (Broodje Frikandel)/savoury sausage and relish (Frikandel Speciaal) costing £4.25. Spicy sausage and lovely bread.
My personal favourite for breakfast is the ham, fried egg, gouda, rocket and sourdough Uitsmijter Sandwich (£4.25).
If you want something to accompany your cup of coffee or tea, try the delicious Dutch Apple Cake (Met Slagroom with whipped cream) which is freshly baked on the premises and costs just £2.50 a slice. It is great cake and very reasonably priced.
Founder and owner John Williams
Explaining why he wanted to bring the concept of eten et drinken cafes to Brighton, founder and owner John Williams, said:“I love The Netherlands and have spent quite a lot of time there over the years. Visiting ‘eten et drinken’ cafes inspired me, with their combination of great food and pride in their coffee with a friendly, neighbourhood vibe that is missing from so many of our coffee shops and cafés.
“Ever since we opened in March we’ve had Dutch people coming in and demanding to know when we would be offering the foods from home that they loved so much. I’m delighted we’ve finally been able to source some of these foods in the UK (imported from Holland) and I’m looking forward to introducing them to a British audience as well as to our Dutch ‘kameraaden’ or friends.”
All sandwiches at Eten+Drinkenare made from quality ingredients and served on real patisserie white sourdough or chewy brown sourdough. The sandwiches are named after Dutch cities and cost just £4. Great value!
The menu features a selection of breakfast options including Breakfast in a Box, the popular Brunch box (avocado, scrambled egg, tomato, sourdough toast, seeds) and salad boxes, with a selection of three salads served with chicken, salmon or halloumi.
For choice of brunch and salad boxes available, click here:
Great coffee is an important part of what Eten + Drinken offer. Their house blend is a Columbian Premium Dark Bar (dark, rich, intense) and they also offer a guest blend of Ethiopian Moka (smooth and almond-y). All their beans are roasted by an artisan roaster in Kent.
Eten + Drinken also offer a corporate lunch service, as well as a bespoke catering service where they come to your home and cook for you. Cakes in the shop can also be made to order.
Eten + Drinken, is at 9 Church Street, Brighton, on the junction with Jew Street. The café is open Monday-Friday from 8am-4pm and Saturdays from 11am-5pm. Telephone 01273 724 499.
The Halloween Horror Show fundraising ball, held at Grand Hotel on Friday, October 28, raises almost £35,000 for the Sussex Beacon.
Circus of Thrills was hosted by international cabaret star Dolly Rocket with Duncan James from boy band Blue her strapping assistant for the evening in charge of the circus freaks, ghosts and ghouls from the Brighton Academy who entertained guests all evening with music and dancing.
Local divas, The Sundaes and Jenna Hall performed live sets bringing many of the guests dressed up in Spooktacular Halloween costumes to the dance floor to dance until the early hours.
Michael Deol and Robert Webb from Revenge present the winner of the grand raffle, Besi Ledward with a luxury holiday for two in Palma de Majorca.
Top prize in the raffle, a weeks holiday in a four star hotel in Palma de Majorca including flights was donated by Michael Deol and Robert Webb, owners of Revenge nightclub and David Hill from E3. Besi Ledward on the Gscene Old Bitches and Witches table was the lucky winner.
Simon Dowe
Simon Dowe, CEO of The Sussex Beacon, said:“Some of our guests looked truly terrifying, but they were also incredibly generous! We’re delighted with the total raised on the night, boosted by our skillful auctioneer David Hill, which will go towards supporting people living with HIV. We want to thank everyone who attended and the people who worked so hard to make the event spectacular. We’re incredibly grateful for the support of our headline sponsor ‘City Cabs’ together with all our ball partners and guests who made the night such a huge success.”
Leading entertainment design agency the E3 Group worked with the Sussex Beacon to produce the ball, which many present acclaimed as the best Halloween Horror Show to date.
The Sussex Beacon provides specialist support and care for people living with HIV. It provides both inpatient and outpatient services to promote independence and improve health.
Photographs by Graham Franks, Nick Ford Photography and James Ledward.
To purchase photographs taken by Nick Ford online, click here:
For more information about the Sussex Beacon, click here:
Telemann ‘Water Music’ suite and JS Bach Orchestral Suites No.1 and No.2
Tue 1 Nov
SEA LIFE Center
Taking place in the superbly lit and extraordinarily interesting Sea Life centre’s Victorian Gothic vaulted arcades this was a delight of a night. It’s been a while since I’ve had such a pure Enlightenment evening but listening to Bach while watching – intently- a Cuttlefish’s skin throb and pulsate with hues of light and observe me back form the abyss is a wonderful delightful experience. It’s also the very definition of the theme of this years festival – Nature & Science. There is something perfect about Telemann and sea life and not served up on a plate, but gently wafting, schooling and swimming around in the vast tanks around us as we sat and quietly wandered around the space enjoying the superb music.
Katie Thomas’s Constellation Club took us on a well-loved musical journey, with some Rococo delights perfectly suited for the literally Baroque environment (Baroque means imperfect pearl, another delightful association). Thomas’s conducting was spirited and light, giving the music enough space to flood the brick vaults while keeping the precision and delicate nuances focused. It’s not the best venue to host a classical music concert as the pumps, oxygenators, splashes and general life support for the very varied sea life is constantly working away in the background, but to be honest, this didn’t really detract from the wonderful quality and the pure spirit of fun that the Constellation Club brought to their programme of music this evening. This was rapture in the deep.
Showcasing The Constellation Club in chamber orchestra configuration for the first time, the evening’s nautical voyage embarked with Telemann’s “Water Music” suite. Overshadowed by Handel’s famous settings, Telemann evokes the physical swell of the tides expertly from the outset before conjuring up the sea gods, water nymphs, and storms. After more calming breezes, the final movement celebrates with a sailors’ dance.
The programme also featured two orchestral suites of JS Bach. The flowing passages of the majestic and playful dance movements, culminating in the famous ‘Badinerie’ for solo flute from Rachel Beckett. This was a refined and well balanced programme of music, familiar to most, but always welcomed and well loved.
The Constellation Club is a concert project group directed by Katie Thomas. It unites the best professional musicians in the UK to present a broad spectrum of the finest works in the vocal and instrumental repertoire, both core and eclectic.
The Constellation Club are
Katie Thomas conductor
Madeleine Easton leader
Iona Davies violin
Jane Rogers viola
Jonathan Byers cello
Pippa Macmillan double bass
Pawel Siwczak harpsichord
Rachel Beckett flute, recorder
Katharina Spreckelsen oboe
Sarah Humphrys oboe, recorder
Hayley Pullen bassoon
The evening finished off with a unexpected tour of the rest of the Sea Life center and with Telemann’s exquisite harmonies echoing in my mind I wandered into the deep, to gaze in wonder at the creatures of the abyss swimming all around and over me from out of a Perspex tunnel, and isn’t that Dear Reader, what life is all about?
The Brighton Early Music festival continues to provide high quality performance with an edge of innovation that attracts new people to experience old music in engaging ways. To learn more about the rest of the festival events see their website here.
As Coperforma is stripped of its NHS patient transport contract, Greens councillors say this is a “warning shot” about NHS privatisation and demand “Lesson be learned”.
Cllr Dick Page
The Greens are insisting that “lessons be learnt” following news that private company Coperforma are to step down from their contract to provide patient transport in Sussex.
Both Councillors and MPs alike are seeking detailed answers from the High Weald and Haven CCG as to how a company with little track record were selected and permitted to run the patient transport service. The CCG, who oversaw the decision to award the £60 million plus contract to the company, have now announced that patient transport will again be managed by an NHS Trust Provider, South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS).
The news follows a catalogue of failings made by the Coperforma, with patients reporting unacceptable customer service including incidences of missed operations, long waiting times to be taken home from hospital, and drivers not showing up for critical appointments such as dialysis or cancer treatment.
Despite assurances from the company that improvements were in place, problems continued and reports emerged of staff not being paid, local offices closing down, and news that during certain periods the company operated fleets without a valid licence.
Greens are concerned that such ‘outsourcing’ measures are leading CCGs to inappropriately award NHS service contracts to companies that are unfit for purpose.
Locally, Green councillors called upon the Health and Wellbeing Board to demand that the contract be stripped from Coperforma, and nationally, Caroline Lucas MP has sought answers and oversight from government officials and the CCG.
Both councillors and MP are also seeking assurances that the CCG is able to effectively manage the period of transfer to the new provider, who will not completely run the service until transition is complete in April 2017.
Councillor Dick Page, Green spokesperson for the Health and Wellbeing Board, said: “Though the news that an NHS trust service will now take over patient transport again can only be welcomed, we must address the real problem, which is around how these contracts are awarded and delivered to begin with. I will pursue answers as to how much extra public money has been spent on dealing with the failings, such as emergency transport costs and unpaid staff wages. We have also since learned that the report into the failings may have cost around £40k. After more than 6 months of chaos, we know that the ‘assurances’ the CCGs were naively prepared to accept from the company were clearly false. I want to see proper supervision and control of the contract by the CCGs which so far has been sadly lacking.
“It is shocking that in a recent statement, despite reports, Coperforma have still claimed they provided a safe and reliable service. We have raised the alarm that our NHS is being dismantled piece by piece and in this case, a piece was given to a company that was entirely unable to run the service and caused misery to many patients, families and carers. The Coperforma mess sends a real warning about the consequences of handing public services to private companies. Serious lessons must be learned. We must demand real scrutiny and true transparency over the commissioning of our public services, to ensure that this kind of unacceptable practice is not repeated.”
“Remember, remember…. getting to Lewes Bonfire can be tricky by rail, bus or car and not half as much fun as the totally massive and amazing Bonfire Bike Train” say the organisers of the annual ride from Brighton to Lewes.
This Saturday, November 5, two ‘bike train’ mass cycle rides will roll off from the Level in central Brighton, via the University of Sussex at Falmer.
The first ride will be joined by the city’s cycling mayor, Cllr Pete West, on the mayoral tandem. A total of up to 200 people are expected on each of the bike trains with more board at the University of Sussex (Falmer House).
From Falmer the ride will use the inside lane of the A27 dual carriageway. Organisers say this is a safer option than the very dark and narrow cycle path alongside it.
Organiser Duncan Blinkhorn, said:“This will our seventh Bonfire Bike Train to Lewes. It is always hugely popular, bringing light, music and laughter to the Lewes Road and demonstrating that group cycle rides can provide a safe and efficient means for getting from A to B, even on such a busy road. We are delighted that our cycling Mayor Pete West will joining us and we look forward to escorting him on his mayoral tandem, flying the flag for a low carbon Brighton and Hove ”
He added:“The narrow shared cycle and foot path from Falmer to Lewes is not really fit for purpose for such a big ride and desperately needs major improvement if more people are to use it during the darker months of the year . The main road has a much better quality surface and more space making it safer. We will have warning lights, reflective signs, flags and a support vehicle at the rear to ensure we are seen by approaching traffic and there will be plenty of space for vehicles to overtake us, so we won’t be holding anyone up.”
Concern have been expressed by Lewes residents involved with the processions about bikes being brought into crowded areas,
Ride organiser, Mr Blinkhorn, said:“We will brief all our riders, advising them to park their bikes away from central Lewes to ensure that we do not get in the way of any processions or add to the pressures on crowded streets.”
The bike train is free to join.
Participants are asked to:
♦ ensure they bring a road-worthy bike with lights
♦ register on the Facebook event page or when they arrive at the start point.
♦ assemble from 2.30pm and 4.30pm to get ready for the respective departures.
Return rides will depart from outside Lewes Prison, at 11pm, midnight on Saturday night and 1am on Sunday morning.
Homelessness Reduction Bill wins unanimous support from MPs across all political parties.
Cllr Geoffrey Theobald
The private member’s bill, which places duties on councils to prevent homelessness, received backing on October 28 of the 100 MPs needed to get it one step closer to becoming law.
The Bill will widen the scope of who is eligible for support and transform the way in which homeless people are looked after in England.
Current rules, which date back to 1977, specify that only single mothers and fathers, individuals with mental health issues or victims of domestic violence and those who have recently left the armed forces can go to the front of the queue for housing assistance.
Conservative MP, Bob Blackman’s Government backed private member’s Bill will place a new duty on councils to prevent the homelessness of anyone eligible for assistance within 56 days, regardless of their official ‘priority need’ status.
Leader of the Conservative Group, Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, said:“Homelessness and rough sleeping is a huge issue in Brighton and Hove and has got increasingly worse over this and the previous administration. As a Group we have often expressed that as a Council we should be doing everything we can to help people who find themselves in such situations, often through no fault of their own. This Bill, together with the Government’s recent £40m programme of measures to tackle homelessness, shows exactly that – a real commitment from the Conservatives in doing all we can to help those who lose their homes and provide them with the support they need to get their lives back on track.”
The £40m programme of new measures to tackle homelessness announced two weeks ago includes £20 million for local authorities to pilot new initiatives to tackle homelessness, £10 million for targeted support for those at imminent risk of sleeping rough or those new to the streets and £10 million in Social Impact Bonds to help long-term rough sleepers with the most complex needs.
Marcus Jones MP, Minister for local government who is responsible for homelessness, has announced the government will provide additional funding to cover the costs councils will face in taking on the new responsibilities to prevent homelessness.
However, a spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said it had not been decided how much funding would be made available, but it would be enough to cover “reasonable” costs councils will incur.
While backing the bill, Shadow Housing Minister John Healey MP has challenged the government to fully fund the costs councils will incur with these new duties and says more social housing needs to be built.
The bill will now go to the committee stage in parliament where it will be scrutinised by MPs.
MindOut the LGBT+ mental health project run by LGBT+ people for LGBT+ people will be holding their annual celebration event on November 16.
The event will be at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church between 5-7pm and will celebrate MindOut’s achievements in the past 12 months, their planned developments and ambitions for the coming 12 months and you will get a chance to hear about the services they offer.
Everyone is welcome, the venue is wheelchair accessible, light refreshments will be provided by Lunch Positive, the HIV lunch club and there will be some entertainment provided.
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