Gary Hart

Gay MP for Hove & Portslade to march at Pride

Posted on 30/07/201530/07/2015 by Gary Hart

Peter Kyle, the new Labour MP for Hove & Portslade will be marching with the Labour Group on the Pride Community Parade, Carnival of Diversity on Saturday, August 1.

Mr Kyle, said: “As Hove’s first openly gay MP I’m proud to be able to represent the LGBT communities and show how far we have come and what we can achieve. I’m over-the-moon to be in a position to be able to be a loud and effective voice for all sections of the community and I will endeavor to continue to push forward boundaries and show the next generation that nothing is impossible. Enjoy Pride weekend – I hope it’s the best one yet.”

Nationally Labour is committed to strengthening the law on homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate crime, tackling bullying in schools and working towards the decriminalisation of homosexuality worldwide.

Councillor Warren Morgan, Leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, added: “Under my leadership the city council will celebrate the LGBT contribution to the city year round, and work on ensuring all are safe, respected and included. Have a great Pride weekend and thanks to all those who make the weekend such a success.”

Brighton, Hove and District Labour Party say Brighton Pride is a special event in their annual calendar and an opportunity each year to remind people of Labour’s record on fighting for equality and discrimination.

Nancy Platts, Chair of Brighton, Hove and District Labour Party, said: “I’m proud to join the Pride parade and my thoughts are with the LGBT communities in other parts of the world, where they are unable to enjoy the freedom to openly express their love and still have to win the fight for equal rights.”

The Brighton Pride Community Parade will set off at 11am on Saturday, August 1, from the Peace Statue on Hove Lawns and travel east along Kings Road, north up West Street, east along North Street and north along London Road to Preston Park.

Martlets London Road shop brims with Pride

Posted on 29/07/201529/07/2015 by Gary Hart

Looking for those few finishing touches to complete your outfit for Pride?

Perhaps the Martlets London Road shop can help. From feather boas, wigs and hats to fancy dress, masquerade masks and butterfly wings, they have an amazing selection to choose from.

Martlets Head of Retail, Eve Collins, said: “We are really proud to be supporting Pride, especially on its 25th anniversary. The parade will be going right past the shop this year, and we can’t wait to see the procession and all the colourful floats as they go by.

“We have a wonderful variety of stunning, colourful and glitzy party outfits and accessories, which we think could be just perfect for Pride.”

The Martlets has ten shops around Brighton & Hove, Lewes, Peacehaven, Rottingdean and Woodingdean which create valuable income source for the hospice.

All profits raised through Martlets Trading Co. helps the Martlets Hospice 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.

The Hospice receives less than a third of their funding from the government and must raise £11,000 a day to help people who are dying to do so with dignity and in as calm and peaceful a way as possible.

Eve added: “Our shops sell everything from Vintage clothes and jewellery, quality used furniture and electricals, white goods, new mobility aids as well as clothing, home ware, books and toys. We also sell books online through Amazon and EBay, we have over 80,000 titles listed so we think there’s something for most people!”

The Martlets Hospice in Hove provides end of life care services to adults with terminal illness including cancer. Hospice facilities consist of an 18 bed InPatient Unit, a Hospice at Home Service, and Day Services for patients and their carers.

The Martlets believes that everyone is entitled to die well. Its main aim is to maximise patients’ quality of life and to support patient choice, dignity and independence.

A registered charity, all services are provided free of charge. The Martlets receives less than a third of its funding from the government and so must raise £11,000 a day to care for patients and their families.

For more information about the Martlets, click here:

Centre for older people celebrates 35th anniversary

Posted on 29/07/2015 by Gary Hart

Somerset Day Centre, home to the OLDER & Out project for older LGBT people celebrated its 35th anniversary last week with a party attended by almost 200 people.

The event, attended by the mayor of Brighton and Hove, Cllr Linda Hyde, trustees, service users and their friends and families, took place at their premises in St James’s Street, Brighton.

Director Jules Dienes, said: “We encourage independence and help people to access other services and make sure they are getting the right benefits and help people generally with their confidence and mobility.”

OLDER & Out the LGBT social group meets at the Somerset Day Centre on the second Friday of each month from 1-3pm.

For more information about OLDER & Out, click here:

For more information about the Somerset Day Centre, click here:

Or telephone: 01273 699000

Council’s smart answer to bus ticket problem

Posted on 28/07/2015 by Gary Hart

Bus passengers with electronic ‘smart’ tickets will be able to use them on more than one bus company in Brighton & Hove from next week.

Brighton and Hove City Cllr Gill Mitchell launches the expansion of the Bus Key Cards in Brighton and Hove with L-R Neil Morgan (The Big Lemon) Nick Hill (Brighton & Hove Buses) and Joe Beckley ( Compass Travel). From August 3rd the electronic smart tickets will be accepted onThe Big Lemon and Compass Travel buses as well as Brighton & Hove buses. — Cllr Gill Mitchell (second from left) launches the expansion of the Bus Key Cards in Brighton and Hove

At present, smartcard tickets, known as The Key, used on Brighton & Hove Bus Company services, could not be accepted by other firms, meaning anyone who needed to make a journey involving more than one company had to buy tickets from different sources.

From August 3, the new multi operator ticketing scheme will be available on vehicles run by The Big Lemon and on all Compass Buses operating on the Brighton & Hove network.

To buy tickets online, click here: or at Brighton & Hove Buses’ North Street shop.

M-Tickets bought and displayed on mobile phones via an app will also be accepted across the three companies.

For more information, click here:

Transport bosses say it will make cross-city bus travel easier and cheaper.

The move was made possible by a £71,000 grant the council won from the Department for Transport, plus resources from Brighton & Hove Buses and their parent company Go Ahead, and the project has funded computing changes to integrate the services, plus installation of card-readers on buses run by Compass Travel and the Big Lemon.

The companies provide supported bus services, subsidised by the council, which would otherwise not be commercially viable. The three-year pilot scheme will cover Compass Travel services 37, 37B, 47 56, 57, 16 and 66, plus service 52 operated by The Big Lemon.

As well as winning the grant and facilitating the project, the city council is also contributing £27,000 towards set-up costs, with bus companies meeting the running costs.

Smartcards can be topped up online or at Brighton & Hove Buses’ North Street shop, providing tickets ranging from single journeys to one-year seasons.

If successful the council’s multi-operator scheme could be extended to all operators of bus services in the city.

Cllr Gill Mitchell, Chair of the council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee, said: “This makes cross-city bus travel much more practical. It could increase travel on routes which have to be subsidised and make them increasingly viable.

“This has been a very positive exercise, with the council assisting co-operation between our different bus companies for the benefit of the travelling public.”

Supported services mainly run to outlying areas east of the city as far as Saltdean and to Hangleton, Knoll and Portslade in the west. They cover routes or times that are socially important but not commercially viable.

Hepatitis C in the UK continues to rise

Posted on 28/07/2015 by Gary Hart

Latest figures published by Public Health England (PHE) show hospital admissions from hepatitis C-related end-stage liver disease and liver cancer continue to rise.

Although there has been a small drop in deaths in 2013 compared to 2012, overall trends in hospital admissions and deaths have been upwards for more than a decade.

PHE estimates that 160,000 people in England are living with hepatitis C, many of whom are unaware of their infections. However, more individuals are being tested and diagnosed; particular improvements have been seen in primary care where surveillance indicates that testing has risen by 21% in England in the last five years.

People who inject drugs remain at greatest risk of infection. In 2014, 83% of people who inject drugs and participated in surveys report having had a hepatitis C test, an increase from 67% in 2004.

The report highlights the importance of maintaining provision of needle and syringe programmes and to avoid substitution therapies in drug services as part of the wider efforts to prevent the spread of hepatitis C infection.

Dr Helen Harris, hepatitis C expert at PHE, who led the publication of the report, said: “With more patients being tested and improved treatments, there is at last real hope that we will begin to see an impact on the number of deaths from hepatitis C-related end-stage liver disease and liver cancer.

“Antiviral treatments are available in the UK that can successfully clear hepatitis C virus in the majority of patients, and new drugs coming online offer improved rates of viral clearance, fewer side effects, and are easier to administer.

“Hepatitis C is a problem in England, but it’s a problem with a solution.”

The recent policy announcement making new treatments available to patients with hepatitis C-related cirrhosis, will help to reduce the future burden of hepatitis C disease, and a scale-up of new treatments in those with less severe disease could achieve a reduction in the numbers of people who would otherwise go on to develop serious liver disease.

Charles Gore, Chief Executive of The Hepatitis C Trust, added: “We are living in a potentially transformative time for hepatitis C. New treatments offer us the chance to save and transform the lives of thousands of people in this country. No longer can we tolerate the ever-rising number of people dying from hepatitis C related cirrhosis and liver cancer. We can instead create a future where hepatitis C is eliminated as a serious public health concern.”

We All Bleed Red

Posted on 28/07/201528/07/2015 by Gary Hart

Poet and artist Vince Laws has created We All Bleed Red for the church of St Peter & St Paul, in Oulton, Norfolk.

“It’s a beautiful, simple church, just up the road from where I live,” said Vince. “Sometimes I go inside and practise poetry. Sometimes I sit on the wall outside and watch spectacular sunsets unfold.”

The church tower is in need of significant repair, the heating is inadequate and wooden platforms need replacing. A new floor of pamment tiles in the nave will create a level space, and allow a variety of community uses, such as art shows, concerts, and yoga.

“I want to show the tower bleeding, in need of first aid, and wounded,” explained Vince. “And at the same time, as the church takes on the new mantle of being a community space, I want ‘We All Bleed Red’ to be an invitation to everyone to use the space, regardless of religion, ethnicity, sexuality, etc.”

Stephen Jefford, who is co-ordinating the restoration project with the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for St Peter & St Paul, Oulton, said: “We’re really thrilled that Vince has come up with such a dramatic idea. I’ve know for a while that he, like many in the village, cherishes the church as an open building. His idea of making the Tower a part of his exhibition is really thoughtful. We’re also really grateful for the support we’ve had from the Church and Diocese, as well as our regular parishioners, to embrace making the church building both a place of worship as well as a community resource.”

Vince will be exhibiting an array of text art and poetry inside the church from till Sunday, August 30, everybody welcome.

The church is open daily, and entry is free.

Access: Parking is on grass 20 metres from the church door, the main path is gravel, and there is a ramp into the church. Other paths around the church are grassy and uneven. There is no toilet.

Donations towards the Oulton Tower & Community Project are welcome.

Email: for details of how to donate.

The restoration project to date has been supported by a first round Grants for Places of Worship award from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), to develop the proposals further as well as an award from the Norfolk Historic Churches Trust; the church is awaiting confirmation of further funding from the HLF towards the costs of carrying out the works and would be grateful for any financial help toward this project.

For more information about Vince Laws, click here:

Martlets appeal for volunteers to help support isolated patients

Posted on 27/07/2015 by Gary Hart

The Martlets Hospice appeals for volunteers to join their new Community Home Visiting Service, launching soon to help support isolated patients.

Together two groups of volunteers will form a new service called the Community Home Visiting Service. Community volunteers will provide vital care to patients who are housebound, and struggling alone. Discharge buddies will support patients who are leaving the hospice inpatient unit, by helping them adjust to life at home on their own, and making sure that they feel safe.

Judith Williams, Discharge Coordinator at Martlets Hospice said: “When people leave the hospice they are often scared and feeling vulnerable, they’re leaving the InPatient Unit where they’ve had 24 hour care. This scheme will help to bridge the gap between the hospice and home. Our discharge buddies will help patients feel secure, they’ll see them through the door safely, unpack the suitcase and make sure there’s food in the fridge. Not only that, they’ll be around to help out for two to three weeks. Both these volunteer roles are really practical, offering hands on support – we’d love to hear from anyone who thinks this sounds like them!”

The Martlets has been successfully running a small-scale home visiting service since 2011 so the staff at the hospice know from experience what their patients need.

Volunteers visit once a week for a few hours, and will help with practical jobs like learning how to use a mobile phone, or sorting paperwork. Perhaps more importantly they also provide patients with time to talk about themselves; it’s a chance to forget about their illness for once.

If you’d like to find out more about becoming a part of the Community Home Visiting Service, contact Judith Williams or Stuart Carter on 01273 273400.

For more information about the Martlets, click here:

Greens join Pride’s ‘Carnival of Diversity’

Posted on 27/07/2015 by Gary Hart

Green Councillors to join thousands of revellers for the ‘Carnival of Diversity’ Pride Community Parade, celebrating 25 years of Pride in Brighton & Hove.

Cllr Alex Phillips: Deputy Convenor of Green Group

Green councillors, including Phélim Mac Cafferty, Alex Phillips, Louisa Greenbaum and Leo Littman will accompany the Green Party float which will be driven by their busman colleague Cllr Tom Druitt.

The parade will set off from its new starting point at the Peace Statue on Hove Lawns at 11am on Saturday, August 1, progressing along the seafront past the West Pier, turning left up West Street, right at the clock tower, left at the Old Steine and out on the London Road to Preston Park and the main event.

Cllr Alex Phillips, Deputy Convenor of the Green Group, said: “I’m proud to say that, alongside Pride’s achievements and those of many lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) groups across Brighton & Hove, our City Council has become an award-winning and pro-active advocate of LGBT rights, promoting equality and understanding while tackling homophobic discrimination and bullying in our communities and in our schools. As Greens, we have fought for the law to change so that gay men are not discriminated against when giving blood; we have fought for equal gay marriage; we have worked in schools with organisations like Stonewall and Allsorts youth project so that children learn that some people are gay and that’s fine; and we have done ground-breaking work on the needs and discrimination faced by people who identify as trans through the council’s cross-party Trans Scrutiny Panel (link).”

“In spite of all this, there are no grounds for complacency, even in cities like Brighton and Hove there is LGBT hate crime and some people still live in fear just because of their sexuality or gender identity. We have led the way on LGBT rights both here and abroad and we will continue to do so.

“In the next 25 years our vision is for a city where people are treated as equals regardless of their sexuality or gender identity and no one is ever afraid to go out because they are in fear of their safety. There is still much more work to be done and as Greens we will continue to fight for it.”

In 2014 the former Green administration controversially attempted to remove the annual £25,000 Grant to Pride from the Councils main budget putting the future of the Pride Parade at risk. A Conservative amendment in 2014 reversed the decision and a Labour amendment in 2015 secured £20,000 to help fund the parade,

Cllr. Phillips added: “Pride at 25 has become a fun, energetic celebration of human rights, diverse relationships and resistance to intolerance and bigotry on a scale that would have been unimaginable in the early days. All the Green councillors wish Pride Happy Birthday and Congratulations at reaching 25 in such style!”

Archdeacon of Brighton to march on Pride Parade

Posted on 27/07/201527/07/2015 by Gary Hart

Rev Martin Williams, the Archdeacon of Brighton, will march on the Pride Community Parade, on Saturday, August 1, with members of the Brighton Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement.

The theme of this years parade is Carnival of Diversity. The Parade will start from the Peace Statue on Hove Lawns at 11am progressing along the seafront past the old West Pier, turning left up West Street, turning right at the clock then left at Old Steine and out on the London Road to Preston Park for the main event.

If you intend to march please email Nigel Nash, the chair of Brighton Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, to say you are coming and he will give you instructions where to meet on Hove Lawns.

On arrival Preston Park, St John’s Church, Knoyle Road, Preston, Brighton BN1 6RB will be holding ‘Open Church’ from 1-2pm for refreshments, an opportunity to picnic and use the churches facilities.

At 2pm there will be a service of welcome with guest speaker Rev Andrew Woodward.

For more information about the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, click here:

PCC proud to celebrate 25 years of Brighton Pride

Posted on 27/07/2015 by Gary Hart

Katy Bourne the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner will join police officers on the Brighton Pride Community Parade this, Saturday, August 1.

The theme of this years parade is Carnival of Diversity. It will start from the Peace Statue on Hove Lawns at 11am progressing along the seafront past the old West Pier, turning left up West Street, turning right at the clock then left at Old Steine and out on the London Road to Preston Park for the main event.

Commenting on being part of the 2015 celebrations, Mrs Bourne said: “Brighton Pride is the biggest cultural event in the city’s calendar and showcases all that is great about the city and its vibrant LGBT community.

“This is my third year attending in my role as PCC and I’m really looking forward to joining Sussex Police officers on their march to Preston Park and meeting all those who help make this an important and fun day.

“As with previous years I will have a stand in Preston Park next to the Surrey and Sussex Police Diversity Team. This is part of my Talk Sussex programme, which is an opportunity for residents to have their say in local policing and crime priorities. We will be tweeting on the day using #TalkSussex. My Youth Commission will also be in Preston Park gathering views on LGBT hate crime and the police’s response to it.

“I look forward to visiting the volunteers of the LGBT Community Safety Forum at the Access Tent. They will be providing services for disabled visitors including older, deaf and blind attendees during the parade and at Preston Park. This facility has been supported with a grant from my Safer in Sussex Fund (SiSF). A previous grant from the SiSF supported their ‘Report It!’ project, which aims to make it easier for members of the LGBT community to report a crime and get the help and support they need.

“I wish everyone a happy and safe 25th Pride.”

To view the Report It video, click here:

For more information about Brighton Pride, click here:

Call us now

Author: Gary Hart

Gay MP for Hove & Portslade to march at Pride

Peter Kyle, the new Labour MP for Hove & Portslade will be marching with the Labour Group on the Pride Community Parade, Carnival of Diversity on Saturday, August 1.

Martlets London Road shop brims with Pride

Looking for those few finishing touches to complete your outfit for Pride?

Centre for older people celebrates 35th anniversary

Somerset Day Centre, home to the OLDER & Out project for older LGBT people celebrated its 35th anniversary last week with a party attended by almost 200 people.

Council’s smart answer to bus ticket problem

Bus passengers with electronic ‘smart’ tickets will be able to use them on more than one bus company in Brighton & Hove from next week.

Hepatitis C in the UK continues to rise

Latest figures published by Public Health England (PHE) show hospital admissions from hepatitis C-related end-stage liver disease and liver cancer continue to rise.

We All Bleed Red

Poet and artist Vince Laws has created We All Bleed Red for the church of St Peter & St Paul, in Oulton, Norfolk.

Martlets appeal for volunteers to help support isolated patients

The Martlets Hospice appeals for volunteers to join their new Community Home Visiting Service, launching soon to help support isolated patients.

Greens join Pride’s ‘Carnival of Diversity’

Green Councillors to join thousands of revellers for the ‘Carnival of Diversity’ Pride Community Parade, celebrating 25 years of Pride in Brighton & Hove.

Archdeacon of Brighton to march on Pride Parade

Rev Martin Williams, the Archdeacon of Brighton, will march on the Pride Community Parade, on Saturday, August 1, with members of the Brighton Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement.

PCC proud to celebrate 25 years of Brighton Pride

Katy Bourne the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner will join police officers on the Brighton Pride Community Parade this, Saturday, August 1.

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Peter Kyle, the new Labour MP for Hove & Portslade will be marching with the Labour Group on the Pride Community Parade, Carnival of Diversity on Saturday, August 1.

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Looking for those few finishing touches to complete your outfit for Pride?

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Somerset Day Centre, home to the OLDER & Out project for older LGBT people celebrated its 35th anniversary last week with a party attended by almost 200 people.

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Bus passengers with electronic ‘smart’ tickets will be able to use them on more than one bus company in Brighton & Hove from next week.

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Latest figures published by Public Health England (PHE) show hospital admissions from hepatitis C-related end-stage liver disease and liver cancer continue to rise.

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Poet and artist Vince Laws has created We All Bleed Red for the church of St Peter & St Paul, in Oulton, Norfolk.

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The Martlets Hospice appeals for volunteers to join their new Community Home Visiting Service, launching soon to help support isolated patients.

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Green Councillors to join thousands of revellers for the ‘Carnival of Diversity’ Pride Community Parade, celebrating 25 years of Pride in Brighton & Hove.

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Rev Martin Williams, the Archdeacon of Brighton, will march on the Pride Community Parade, on Saturday, August 1, with members of the Brighton Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement.

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Katy Bourne the Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner will join police officers on the Brighton Pride Community Parade this, Saturday, August 1.

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