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Labour seek views of organisations and residents city wide

Labour in Brighton & Hove ask “what do you want to see from a Labour and Co-operative Council?”

Cllr Warren Morgan, Leader of Labour & Co-operative
Cllr Warren Morgan, Leader of Labour & Co-operative

Cllr Warren Morgan, leader of the Labour & Co-operative group on Brighton & Hove City Council has written to fifty key organisations across the city asking for their views on what a Labour-led council should tackle if elected in May.

Cllr Morgan, said: “We want to hear from residents, business leaders, community organisations, the voluntary sector and others.” 

“Their views and ideas are essential if we are to run a council that truly reflects the whole city.”

In his letter Cllr Morgan says that despite tens of millions of pounds of cuts to council services, there is scope for positive policies and fresh approaches to help residents, communities and traders in the city.

Labour has already proposed measures to help tenants in the private rented sector, and to establish a Fairness Commission to address growing poverty and inequality in Brighton & Hove. More major policy announcements are expected soon.

 Cllr Morgan, added: “Our first task will be to get the basics right, win back trust in the council and ensure that the whole city benefits from what we as a city council do, not just the city centre.” 

“A Labour council won’t be about imposing ideology on neighbourhoods as the Greens have done, but working with people on the issues that matter to them.”

To submit your ideas online to Labour, CLICK HERE:

Or by post to Our City, Brighton and Hove Labour, 99 Church Road, Hove BN3 2BA.

 

Pride Preview: Matt Alber

Gay Grammy Award singer Matt Alber comes to Brighton.

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San Francisco singer songwriting Matt Alber will be performing in Brighton at 8pm on July 31 at the Latest Music Bar on Manchester Street.

Grammy award-winning Matt has crafted a handsome collection of enchanting songs perfectly capturing the trials and tribulations of living and loving as a gay man in the world as we know it.

Perhaps best known for his beautiful music video End Of The World and unique interpretation of Whitney Houston’s classic Wanna Dance With Somebody, Matt is in Brighton for just one night only in the run up to Brighton Pride weekend and is performing as part of the Pride Arts and Film Festival.

£1 from every ticket goes to supporting the Pride community fundraising effort for the Rainbow Fund.

The idea for the show came about when organiser Adam Betteridge of Authentic Productions met Matt in Manchester whilst he was touring the UK last year.

Adam BetteridgeAdam said: “We both got chatting and as soon as the idea of playing in Brighton came up – Matt jumped at the opportunity! He’d heard such great things about our wonderful city. I’d also like to emphasise that the whole team of volunteers helping put together Matt’s gig here have done so purely out of their love and admiration of his music. We are all tremendously excited to have the opportunity to hear him perform live here in Brighton, whilst also helping support Brighton Pride and the Rainbow Fund.”

A big hit on the US gay scene, Matt has played at various high profile events on the international LGBT scene including Provincetown Bear Week and on stage at London Pride.

The event will also be supported by DJ Bozzy Bear (aka Neil Borrett) who will be playing tunes to help get the crowd in the mood.

Doors will open at 7.00pm for an 8.00pm start at Latest Music Bar. There is a licensed bar available all night.

A limited number of Advance Tickets can be bought at the reduced price of £10.

To book online, CLICK HERE: or direct from Latest Music Bar on Manchester Street, Brighton.

Once advanced tickets run out, full price tickets can be purchased for £12.

What: Matt Albert Live

Where: Latest Music Bar, Manchester Street, Brighton

When: Thursday, July 31

Time: 8pm

Tickets: Early bird £10 then £12: To book online, CLICK HERE:

Conference for care of older lesbian and gay people

First ever conference to support a person centred care approach in the care of older lesbian and gay people.

Open Clapse Theatre Company

The first ever national training conference is being held in Newcastle upon Tyne this September to help provide health and social care professionals with the necessary skills to meet the individual care needs of members of the older lesbian and gay community.

Making Person Centred Care A Reality: How to Support Lesbian and Gay Older People In Care Settings will address a number of care challenges that arise when an older lesbian or gay person is admitted into the care system and focus on practical approaches and tools to support care organisations to practically adapt to these ways of working.

Jill Heslop, Creative Producer at Open Clasp Theatre Company who are running the conference, said: “When an older gay or lesbian person goes into care there is a common assumption that they are straight and in many cases important aspects of their identity which makes them unique get left at the door.

“Our conference is about supporting care professionals and providing them with the skills necessary to acknowledge that a person’s sexual orientation is an important part of who they are and to practically adapt their approach in order to ensure that their individual care requirements are met.” 

The specialist training day will include key speakers from Age UK, Stonewall Housing and a number of experts in gender equality and ageing who will present information, research findings, and address the legal guidelines surrounding the care of lesbian and gay people.

The conference will also feature workshops, facilitated discussions and a live performance taken from the critically acclaimed production Swags & Tails which is based on the real life experiences and opinions of 166 older women, carers, care providers, healthcare nurses and people living with dementia. The scenes will demonstrate examples of good practice in the care of the lesbian community and show how care workers can make positive changes within the workplace.

The conference will be held at The CastleGate in the centre of Newcastle Upon Tyne on Tuesday September 30, 2014 from 9:30am – 5.00pm.

Care professionals who would like to attend the conference are encouraged to take advantage of a special early bird rate of £125 which is available until September 1, 2014.

Each delegate from a care organisation will receive their own copy of the Swags & Tails: Valuing Good Practice In Care an in-house training tool including DVD, usually priced at £120.

To purchase tickets online from Brown Paper Tickets, CLICK HERE:

For more information about the conference, CLICK HERE:

Open Clasp is an award winning North East based company that specialises in bringing to life real societal issues through theatre and providing a voice to groups of women to create professional and thought provoking productions driven by the real life experiences of the women they work with.

 

 

PREVIEW: ‘A Tranny On The Verge Of A Nervous’ Breakdown’

After an successful 2013 run, Mzz Kimberley is back for the Edinburgh Festival 2014.

Mzz Kimberley in Edinburgh

She will be performing at the VooDoo rooms with her one woman show , ‘A Tranny On The Verge of A Nervous Breakdown’.

Enjoy an evening with the UK’s favourite import from Detroit Michigan singing live songs from jazz, blues, gospel and show tunes.

Also expect educational and fun stories about living as a transwoman and relationships with men from her hometown of Detroit. This powerful singer promises a night filled with fun and laughter.

What: A Tranny On The Verge Of A Nervous’ Breakdown

Where: The Voodoo Rooms, 19a West Register St, Edinburgh EH2 2AA

When: August 3 – 25, 2014: No performance on 11 & 18

Time: Showtime 6.15pm

Tickets: Free event

For more information, CLICK HERE:

 

0131 556 7060 thevoodoorooms.com

 

Hippodrome campaign group appeal direct to City Councillors

Campaigners call for Hippodrome planning application to be ‘called in’ by the Secretary of State.

Hippodrome Brighton

A campaign group created to save the Hippodrome in Middle Street as a live theatre venue is making a last ditch appeal to City Councillors to defer a decision on the future of the Hippodrome site for six months.

Councillors meet at Hove Town Hall tomorrow at 2pm to discuss a scheme submitted by Indigo Planning on behalf of Alaska Property Developments to develop the historic venue into an eight screen cinema with four restaurants.

Campaigners maintain that a viability report written for the developers by J Ashworth Associates is misleading whilst their own report highlighting the inconsistencies in the Ashwork document was withheld from the District Valuer because they are a pressure group.

The campaign group is headed up by cinema expert David Fisher, Theatres Trust architect trustee Tim Foster, Tony Jaffe, director of the Old Courtroom and has the support of artists and writers including Alan Ayckbourne, Judi Dench and Penelope Keith.

Brighton Hippodrome

The Hippodrome was designed in 1901 by the great theatre architect, Frank Matcham and is a unique performance space with a classic proscenium stage and also able to stage events in the round.

Campaigners maintain the venue if retained as a theatre could stage big West End musicals, ballet, dance and opera to thrust-stage, theatre-in-the-round and ’roundhouse’ productions like Cirque du Soleil which they claim would bring substancial economic benefits to the local economy.

Alaska Property Developers plan to demolish the stage and fly tower, all the back-stage space, the stalls and orchestral pit. Campaigners say the changes if allowed will be irreversible except at huge expense and one of the countries finest theatres will be lost forever.

In the new city plan Brighton & Hove CIty Council identifies the Hippodrome as part of the “existing cultural infrastructure” that should be “protected and enhanced..to contribute to the city’s unique tourism offer.”

David Fisher, a former editor of Screen Magazine and a Government advisor on cinema told a hastily called press conference on Monday, at the Old Courtroom, opposite the council subsidised Dome that the proposed restaurants in the Alaska application were not needed as there were 72 restaurants, 19 pubs and 13 cafe’s withing walking distance of the Hippodrome.

He pointed to the effect any new cinemas would have on Odeon Kingwest and Cineworld at Brighton Marina and highlighted how audiences to the cinema were reducing while attendances at live theatres is increasing.

David Blyth, Property Director of the Ambassador Theatre Group, owners of the Brighton Theatre Royal, wrote to the Head of Planning at Brighton & Hove City Council in March this year after reading the Viability Report prepared by Ashworth Associates.

He wrote: Contary to what is said in the report we have considered the full potential in respect of capacity, staging facilities, accommodation and flexibility offered by the Hippodrome and can confrim they would meet our needs. We acknowledge the essential upgrading that will be required after its prolonged period out of live theatre, but we believe that the critical requirements can be met.”

“It is also implied in the document that our ownership of the Theatre Royal would be compromised were we (or others) to take on the Hippodrome, This is not the case. The Theatre Royal, ideal for many productions, has significant limitations in its staging capabilities and is unable to receive the larger musicals. The greater capacity and stage of the Hippodrome would provide this. The two venues would run happily in harness.

“We also have to say that we are disappointed not to have been consulted directly by the Council, as to our interest, as soon as it was clear that the previous application was not going to be approved.

“We urge the Council to give serious consideration to and allow time for a proper exploration of ways and means to return the Hippodrome to live performance use.”

Campaigners are calling on supporters to lobby the members of the planning comittee directly before tomorrows meeting at Hove Town Hall.

Councillors on the planning committee are:

For more information about the campaign, CLICK HERE: 

MindOut for the laughs!

Comedienne, Zoe Lyons headlines the annual comedy extravaganza MindOut for the laughs! at the Komedia on Wednesday July 16.

MindOut for the laughs

She will be joined by the Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus, Dolly Rocket, Tom Allen, Debra Jane Appelby and the Two Wrongies.

Your compere for the evening is Cat Harding and the event will be BSL signed by Paul and Paula.

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Go along, take your friends and enjoy a fun-filled evening with MindOut! the LGBT mental health project.

What: MindOut for the laughs!

Where: Komedia, Gardiner Street, Brighton

When: Wednesday, July 16

Time: Door open 6.30pm for 7.30pm start

Tickets: £12/£10 concessions

To book tickets online, CLICK HERE: or telephone the box office on 0845 2938480

 

 

 

 

PRIDE PREVIEW: Brighton Pride Arts & Film Festival flagship exhibition ‘Freedom to live’

 

The Brighton Pride Arts & Film Festival flagship exhibition Freedom To Live will be the cultural highlight of this years two week Brighton Pride Festival.

Image: 'PUNK BETTE' by Boy George, Richard Duardo and Germizm
Image: ‘PUNK BETTE’ by Boy George, Richard Duardo and Germizm

Curated by Hizze Fletcher from Thirteen Art Productions, this unique exhibition will feature an eclectic mix of new work by fine artists from the LGBTQ community (and their supporters ) including Boy George, Sadie Lee, Kitty Finegan, Dave Pop, Billy Chainsaw, Michelle Mindenhall, Romany Mark Bruce and many more.

Reflecting on how lucky we are in the UK to have the freedom to be who we are, Freedom To Live will be a strong visual voice for those in countries less fortunate than ourselves, standing beside those communities tied down and held back by injustice.

Boy George and his marketing director, Bob Fierro, have donated one of the original screenprints of “PUNK BETTE” by Boy George, Richard Duardo and Germizm to the Freedom to Live Exhibition which will launch Brighton Pride’s Arts & Film Festival with a private view on Thursday July 17 at Jubilee Library.

The artwork will be auctioned at the event hosted by Dolly Rocket and will be on display for the duration of the exhibition.

Profits from the event itself will be donated to Pride and their charity The Rainbow Fund.

For an invite EMAIL:

What: Freedom to Live Exhibition

Where: Jubilee Library, Jubilee Square, Brighton

When: July 18 – August 3, 2014

Time: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 10am-7pm, Wednesday, Fri & Sat 10am-5pm, Sunday 11am-5pm

UN recognise gay marriage for staffers

However, key UN Bodies continue to undermine gay rights.

UN Watch

UN Recognizes Gay Marriage for Staffers, yet key UN Bodies undermine gay rights

UN Watch, the Geneva-based rights group, welcomed UN chief Ban Ki-moon’s recognition of staffers’ same-sex marriages, but said the world body would only send a clear message on equal rights when its top human rights bodies “stop adopting anti-gay resolutions, and stop promoting those who kill, persecute and criminalize gays.”

Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, said: “We urge the Secretary-General to call out the UN Human Rights Council for its renewed spate of anti-gay measures, as well as all influential UN bodies that are electing and empowering abusers.”

Neuer also spoke out about the latest attack on gay rights by UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), saying: “In its latest June session, the UNHRC again refused, as it has done now for three years, to oppose violence against gays. Instead, on June 27th, it launched yet another thinly-veiled attack on gays by adopting a widely-condemned resolution entitled ‘Protection of the Family’ – co-sponsored by abuser states such as Qatar and Mauritania, both on the list of 10 countries where homosexuality is punishable by death.”

He continued: “When democracies sought to expand the definition of family, the UNHRC’s anti-gay majority shut down all debate through a ‘No Action’ motion, a draconian measure used only once before in the entire history of the Council’s 46 regular and special sessions.

“All of this comes as the Council continues to adopt similar resolutions invoking ‘traditional values’ — discourse which has been used by Russia, Nigeria and Uganda to justify anti-gay legislation.”

Neuer expressed alarm at recent UN decisions that, “elevate and empower notorious perpetrators of anti-gay discrimination,” saying such actions “send the worst message and only ensure the further undermining of fundamental human rights.”

Recently, in a move that elicited wide criticism, the UN General Assembly unanimously elected Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa, who supports his country’s infamously strict anti-gay laws, as President for the next year.

Of the 47 UNHRC member states Algeria, Botswana, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kuwait, Maldives, Morocco, Namibia and Sierra Leone have laws making homosexuality illegal.

For more information, CLICK HERE:

 

LGBT groups picnic in the park

The LGBT Community Groups Network held an informal picnic in Queen’s Park on Saturday, July 12.

LGBT Community Network

Gary Pargeter and Chris Cooke (facilitators of the Network) were joined by members and volunteers from a number of LGBT groups including Gems, Older & Out, Blagss, Brighton Bothways and the LGBT Network.

The weather was kind and a good time was had by all attendees who tucked into food provided by Lunch Positive.

The next meeting of the LGBT Community Groups Network is on Saturday, August 16 (further details will be announced shortly).

For more information on the LGBT Network, CLICK HERE:  

 

 

‘Time to Change’ starts conversations about mental health

Time For ChangeThe topic of mental health will be on the agenda at various Pride events this summer.

Time to Change, England’s biggest programme to challenge mental health stigma and discrimination have already visited Blackpool Pride and Bristol Pride last weekend to get the conversation started about mental health.

Evidence suggests that people from LGB&T communities have a higher risk of experiencing suicidal feelings, self-harm, drug or alcohol misuse and mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.

By starting the conversation amongst the LGB&T community at Pride events this summer, Time to Change hopes to end the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness.

A ‘Boudoir’ and cinema will pop up at various Pride Festivals across England, where volunteers with personal experience of mental health problems will be speaking to festival goers to challenge the stigma around mental health. Having a face to face conversation can be one of the most powerful ways to challenge negative stereotypes and can help to change attitudes amongst a community.

Darren Bee, LGB&T equalities coordinator at Time to Change, said: “We’re really looking forward to getting out and about at lots of Pride events this summer. Mental health problems can be common in the LGB&T community and for those of us who have our own experience, discrimination can happen on two fronts. This is why it’s really important for us to be at these festivals.”

“After Blackpool and Bristol Pride Festivals ‘Time to Change’ will be heading to various other Pride events to start the conversation about mental health all across the country.”

Time for Change

Time to Change will be at the following Pride events this summer:

Newcastle Pride (with Pride in Mind) – Saturday, July 19

Norwich Pride – Saturday, July 26

Nottinghamshire Pride – Saturday, July 26

Trans*Pride Brighton – Saturday, July 26

Brighton Pride – Saturday, August 2

Manchester Pride – Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 August

Preston Pride – Saturday, September 27

For more information or to get involved with the events, CLICK HERE:  

 

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