Mike Weatherley MP, is backing a joint campaign by The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), encouraging holidaymakers to take out adequate travel insurance before they go aboard for their summer holiday.
Mike Weatherley, MP for Hove & Portslade
Most at risk are younger travellers as almost half (48%) will have a holiday abroad without taking out travel insurance.
Recently released FCO research has found that 4 out of 5 (82%) young people admit to taking part in more adventurous behaviour on holiday – yet fewer than half (45%) check that their insurance covers risky pursuits.
For more facts about travel insurance, CLICK HERE:
Mike said:“I backed this campaign last year as nothing would spoil a well-earned summer holiday more than suddenly realising that you don’t have the right kind of insurance in an emergency. Unplanned medical treatment can be extremely expensive, costing tens of thousands of pounds. It’s simply not worth taking the risk.”
The Rainbow Fund’s Independent Grants Panel has agreed a proposal to fund a package of measures to support deaf people wanting to attend Brighton Pride events this year.
The bid, submitted by the LGBT Community Safety Forum ‘Accessibility Matters’ group, will make Brighton Pride fully accessible to LGBT people with hearing loss for the first time.
A £3,000 Rainbow Fund grant will help pay for the programme of signed performances and services around the park and parade with British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters forming part of a package of support co-ordinated by the LGBT Community Safety Forum ‘Accessibility Matters’ group.
The BSL interpreters are highly skilled (level 6) and are a vital part of the service the LGBT Community Safety Forum ‘Accessibility Matters’ will deliver on the day to older people, disabled people and deaf people.
Billie Lewis
Billie Lewis, Chair of the Brighton & Hove, LGBT Community Safety Forum, said:“We consulted with the deaf community in the city earlier this year and they were adamant that access for deaf people to Pride had been problematic or non-existent in the past.
“We listened and developed a plan to facilitate the delivery of a service that would empower the LGBT deaf community not only to access Pride but to feel connected to the wider community and the groups and services offered within it.
Through the Rainbow Fund, ‘Accessibility Matters’ and deaf community leaders are delighted that it is possible for the deaf members of our community to have proper access to participate in Brighton Pride 2014″.
Paul Elgood, Chairman of the Rainbow Fund, said:“The Rainbow Fund’s Independent Grants Panel unanimously supported this proposal to extend access at the Pride event. Pride themselves have a huge task in organising this national event and cannot be expected to do everything themselves. This kind of innovative project can help every single person access Pride and ensure that all are included regardless.
“This is a fantastic project for us to support.
“The bid, submitted by the LGBT Community Safety Forum ‘Accessibility Matters’ group, will make the event fully accessible to the LGBT deaf community for the first time.
“We are proud that the Rainbow Fund can help use the money donated to it by the community for such an exciting piece of work, which underlines our total commitment to equality for all.”
“All grant funding decisions are decided by the Rainbow Fund’s Independent Grants Panel, which has an open appointment process in terms of new members. The money for this grant was raised during the year by groups, venues and events put on in aid of the Rainbow Fund and we are grateful to all of our supporters who have helped to make grants such as this possible.”
Keith Tomlinson is a 29 year old gay man from Surrey living in Brighton who loves climbing mountains.
Keith Tomlinson
This year he decided to take on one of his biggest challenges yet and probably the scariest.
On August 9, Keith will fly out to the Caucasus mountain range in southern Russia to attempt to scale Europe’s highest peak, Mt Elbrus, standing at 5642m or 18510ft.
He is undertaking the challenge because he loves the thrill and freedom climbing brings him and he wants to raise as much money as he can for Stonewall.
Stonewall is renowned for its campaigning and lobbying for equality for LGBT people in the UK and worldwide. Keith strongly believes all people should be made to feel equal no matter what their sexuality, race or religion.
He started climbing mountains in 2011. His first one was Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa’s highest peak.
At this point in time Keith was still in the closet to a lot of people but as soon as he reached the summit of that beautiful mountain he realised it was time to come out.
Keith said:“I realised if I had the strength and determination to climb mountains, I could easily tell the world who I am and who I love, so on the day I got back to England I went and visited the guy I had been seeing and asked him out. He said yes. I then casually walked in to my house and told my family he was my boyfriend and 5 minutes later declared it on Facebook as you do these days.
“The reason it took me so long to come out was because I didn’t feel equal to my peers, because I believed being gay wasn’t normal because of the teasing of gay people I saw in school and the negative language used in a lot of places I worked.
“I felt too afraid to tell people I was gay and it took me doing something extreme to accept myself. So by fundraising for Stonewall, I hope that people like myself will not feel like they have to prove themselves in some way before the can accept themselves and that one day, with the right education and teaching, being gay will be as normal as being straight in everyone’s eyes, especially their own.”
To climb Russia and Europe’s highest mountain will take Keith six days acclimatisation and he will have three summit days depending on the weather which can be extremely variable on the mountains.
Keith learnt his trade on other mountains around the world where the temperatures can drop as low as -30 and feel even colder if it’s windy. Other risks include acute mountain sickness, falling and avalanche.
Keith joked:“The biggest problem on the mountain is my hair getting messed up and not being able shave so I turn from being a cute twink into a bear in matter of days!”
“Also not being able charge my phone either so I’ll probably have complete social media meltdown…”
Keith is taking the risks to raise as much money and awareness as he can for Stonewall and to show people no matter what your sexuality, you can fulfil your dreams whatever they are and never feel you are not as good as anyone else.
He concluded: “We are all different in our own brilliant way, Lesbian, Gay, Straight or Transgender !
To support Keith as he supports Stonewall, CLICK HERE: to donate.
You can follow Keiths training and progress on twitter @rainbowsummit1
Richard Denne is staging a solo exhibition of recent art works as part of the Brighton and Hove, Pride Arts and Film Festival at Redroaster Coffee House, St James Street Brighton.
The exhibition runs from June 30 2014 until August 31 2014. Richard has created two limited edition prints, limited to 30 of each to commemorate this exhibition, with all profits from sales being donated to the Rainbow Fund.
An avid fan of Pop Art, Richard uses this as a starting point to explore the idea of Collage in contemporary practice, resulting in exciting bold and graphic work. He integrates his knowledge of traditional print-making process with digital technology and fuses them into magnificent prints and mixed media originals.
Richard grew up outside of Portsmouth. Following a musical/creative childhood he moved to London in 1984 to study Music. It was there, on the edge of Soho, that he discovered a sub-culture of sexuality and life seemed to begin. 15 years later, tiring of London and the clubbing scene he moved to Brighton and found time and space to rediscover his interest in the Arts.
He completed his Master’s Degree in Fine Art/Printmaking in 2004 and currently works from his Brighton studio.
Private View: July 11 2014, 20:00, Redroaster Coffee House, St James Street, Brighton.
Christopher Biggins helps garden designers celebrate Gold Prize award.
Designers Amanda Miller and Emma Harvey were joined by Christopher Biggins this week to unveil their Pride themed garden at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.
The display has been created to support Stonewall’s work and raise awareness of equality for LGBT people.
The Stonewall Garden was unveiled to critical acclaim as Flower Show judges awarded the designers a gold prize for their vision of celebrating Pride and LGBT equality.
The Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, run by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), is the largest flower show in the world.
The show features spectacular gardens and displays from participants from all over the world. The Stonewall Garden features in the prominent ‘Inspire’ area of the Flower Show where more than 300,000 visitors are expected throughout the week.
Amanda Miller, Christopher Biggins and Emma Harvey
The garden has been inspired by the designers own experiences and the difficulties that she faced growing up as a lesbian in a small country town. The garden shows visitors how breaking down the wall of ignorance – in the form of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia – reveals a Pride we can all celebrate.
Catherine Bosworth
Stonewall’s Director of Fundraising Catherine Bosworth, said:“At Stonewall we’re always keen to get involved with new events and projects. This is definitely a first for Stonewall and it’s inspiring to see people wanting to support our work in different ways. The Stonewall Garden will be seen by thousands of people this week – many of whom won’t have been engaged with our work before. We hope it can be a great way to raise awareness of the need to stamp out prejudice and homophobia.”
Amanda Miller added:“We were so excited to be able to support Stonewall and their work. The fact that we received a Gold award for the garden is such an incredible honour. We’ve worked so hard to bring this concept to life and we hope that the thousands of visitors will enjoy the work and be inspired to get involved and support Stonewall.”
For full details of the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, CLICK HERE:
American Express®, the City’s largest private sector employer, has signed up as an Official Partner for Brighton Pride 2014.
Financial support provided by American Express and other partners contributes towards helping Brighton Pride meet their production budget and running costs.
Brighton Pride, a CIC company, donate £1 a head for each ticket sold for Pride to the Rainbow Fund to distribute through their independent grants programme to LGBT/HIV organisations who provide effective front line services to the LGBT Community in Brighton and Hove.
Last year’s Pride event raised over £43,000 for the Rainbow Fund.
Beneficiaries of those grants included: Allsorts Youth Project, Lunch Positive, Peer Action, LGBT Community Safety Forum, MindOut, Peer Action, Gay Elderley Men’s Project (GEMS), Older and Out, the Clare Project, Sussex Beacon and Brighton and Hove LGBT Switchboard.
As in previous years, American Express will be entering a float in the LGBT Community Pride Parade themed ‘The World’s A Disco’. American Express employees including members of Pride UK (American Express LGBT employee network) will be on board, to join in the celebrations.
As part of this new partnership agreement for 2014, American Express has been working with Brighton Pride CIC to introduce electronic payments at the Pride Festival for the first time. Participants will be now be able to pay for tickets on the day and food and drink with credit and debit cards.
Mike Whyte, Vice President, Merchant Services American Express said:“We are immensely proud to be supporting the invaluable work Pride does in raising awareness and funds for the LGBT community. At American Express we encourage people from all backgrounds, talents and perspectives to thrive. Our employees, including Pride UK members will be participating in the Parade and lining the route with family members and friends, alongside tens of thousands of people from across Sussex, to show support for equality and to celebrate diversity.”
Paul Kemp
Paul Kemp, Director of Brighton Pride CIC, added:“American Express has been involved in the Pride Parade for several years, but the increased backing we’re now receiving from partners will help us beat the fundraising target we achieved last year. With the introduction of electronic payments, we’re also going to be able to provide a more pleasurable experience to Festival goers as they’ll have a number of payment options rather than just cash.”
American Express® proudly supports the LGBT community. The financial services company is a Stonewall 2014 Workplace Equality Index Top 100 Employer and has been the City’s major supporter of Stonewall’s Brighton Equality Walk since 2007.
The American Express LGBT Pride employee network also operates a mentoring scheme with the University of Brighton Careers Service. The six month scheme pairs up students who identify as LGBT with professionals from American Express, to share their experience, build confidence and develop skills that can enhance future career prospects.
Brighton Pride takes place over the weekend of August 2-3, 2014.
For tickets to Pride 2014, to register for an e-newsletter or to make a donation visit, CLICK HERE:
A panel of inquiry set up to investigate if comments made on social media by Ben Duncan, a Green Councillor for Queens Park were appropriate, has ruled his comments brought himself and colleagues into disrepute.
Ben Duncan, Councillor for Queens Park Ward
On Armed Forces Day, Saturday June 28, Councillor Duncan tweeted:“Armed Forces Day has certainly brought the hired killers onto the streets of Brighton today. Hard to explain to my son!”
Following an angry backlash, Cllr Duncan apologised saying his comments had been taken out of context.
Lisa Murray, Chair of Brighton and Hove Green Party, said:“The panel of inquiry has concluded that Councillor Ben Duncan should no longer serve as a member of the Green Group of Councillors on Brighton and Hove City Council. This follows his recent statement on Twitter concerning the armed forces which understandably offended many both within and outside the party.
“The panel concluded that since this recent incident follows a history of making comments in social media that many would view as inappropriate for someone in such a position, taken as a whole, Councillor Duncan’s actions amount to a breach of standards and judgement expected of a Green councillor, bringing himself and colleagues into disrepute.
“Councillor Duncan’s removal from the Green Group is for the remaining council term.
“From this point Councillor Duncan will not participate in votes or discussions in the Green Group or be involved in any decisions of the Group and will sit as an independent councillor and not be counted as a part of the Group.
“Any further investigation is beyond the remit of this disciplinary panel. We thank Councillor Duncan for the contribution he has made while a member of the Group.”
Cllr Warren Morgan, Leader of Labour and cooperative, responded saying: “Ben Duncan was elected as a Green and they cannot just wash their hands of responsibility. The right thing for them to do would be to have him resign immediately. It is wrong that he continue to be paid as a councillor until next May.”
Caroline Lucas MP for Brighton Pavilion, said:“What he did was completely unacceptable and it made his position untenable.”
Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) of Brighton will celebrate Pride at a special service at the Brighthelm Centre at 6 p.m. on 27 July
Being a community celebration, the proceedings will be kept as secular as possible. At the beginning of the service there will be a procession of Gay flags (Gay, Lesbian, Trans, Bi, Pan, Bears, Leather etc) and Aneesa Chaudrey, musical director of the Rainbow Chorus, will be joining the celebration along with performances from The Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus and Actually Gay Women’s chorus.
Rev Michael Hydes, Pastor of the MCC Church, said:“There will be a communion right at the end of the service but folks are more than welcome to leave, or see the event as a community celebration rather than a religious sacrament – a community sharing and blessing rather than a Christian celebration of the Eucharist.”
Three non-religious homilies will be given, by Rev Michael Hydes from MCC and community leaders, in celebration of the LGBT community.
Lunch Positive and Vineyard Church will be supplying refreshments and sandwiches. The Terrence Higgins Trust will be staffing a table where they give out condom packs and advice on safer sex and HIV testing.
Any money raised from the event will be donated to the Rainbow Fund, which makes grants to LGBT/HIV organisations delivering front line services to the LGBT community in Brighton and Hove.
There is no cost to attend. The event will start at 6 p.m. and you’re welcome to arrive any time after 4 p.m. Proceedings will finish around 7 p.m. and will be followed with an hour when folks can get to know each other and do some networking.
What: A Service to celebrate Brighton Pride
Where: Brighthelm Centre, North Rd, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1YD
Highlights include a conversation with NBA player Jason Collins, a panel on Chicago-style politics and expert tips from Oprah producer Chris Gajilan on landing the interviewer’s Big Get and More.
The National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) will hold its National Convention and 10th LGBT Media Summit at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago from August 21 through to August 24.
This annual event marks the 22nd year the organization has brought together journalists, news executives and communications professionals to build skills, network and engage in a lively and engaging discussion on the topic of fair and accurate coverage of LGBT issues in the news media.
The four-day assembly will begin with the LGBT Media Summit on Thursday, August 21 and three boot camps, followed by two full days of programming with more than 30 workshops designed to address the needs of journalists and those in the communication industry.
The convention also will include Connect: the NLGJA Student Journalism Project, the Women’s Networking Dinner, NLGJA’s Excellence in Journalism Awards and numerous other learning and networking opportunities.
Jason Collins
NBA Brooklyn Nets player Jason Collins will be among the headliners at this year’s convention, sharing his experiences in dealing with the news media after coming out after the end of the 2012-2013 season.
Among this year’s speakers will be Chris Gajilan, National Emmy and Gracie Allen Individual Achievement Award-winning Oprah producer. She will discuss how to land the big get at The Art of the Interview.
Melissa Bell, founder of Vox Media, will address delegates at the Digging Deeper with Digital Media boot camp.
Craig Dellimore, political editor at WBBM Newsradio, will lead The Center of the Universe: Chicago and Politics and implications for election news coverage in a live airing of the station’s ‘At Issue’ program.
Jen Christensen, NLGJA president and a CNN producer, said: “We believe this year’s convention is going to be one of the best ever.”
“Chicago is a perfect location for staging the event given how central it is to issues driving the news both literally and figuratively. In addition, we are excited about innovative new programming we are introducing.”
There are two new additions to the convention this year; a slate of boot camps focused on marketing, communications and business skills and the Michael Triplett Speaker Series on the intersection between religion and the LGBT community. Both are open to the public.
The boot camps will be held August 21 and will focus on the following subjects:
• The Write Stuff: How to Write a Book Proposal that Sells Without Selling Out
• Digging Deeper with Digital Media and The Business of Me: Innovative Ways to Build Your Personal Brand or Business.
The convention will also feature StoryCorps, which will collect the various stories of NLGJA’s members through the years and the organisation’s impact and for possible inclusion in a StoryCorps OutLoud segment. StoryCorps is a national nonprofit organization that records the stories of everyday people and preserves them at the Library of Congress, with selected stories broadcast on NPR.
To register for the NLGJA National Convention and LGBT Media Summit, CLICK HERE:
NLGJA is an organization of journalists, media professionals, educators and students working from within the news industry to foster fair and accurate coverage of LGBT issues. NLGJA was founded in 1990 and opposes all forms of workplace bias and provides professional development to its members.
The Rainbow Fund will benefit once again this year from the annual Pride Sunday cabaret fundraiser at Legends on Sunday August 3.
Lola Lasagne
Nothing will tickle you quite like the monster cabaret line-up hostess’s Lola Lasagne and Tammy Twinkle have put together for this sensational Pride Sunday event.
Artistes confirmed to appear include Miss Jason, Myra Dubois, Mary Mac, Miss Penny, Rose Garden, Eva Iglesias, Connie Conway, Krissie DuCann, Jacque Bennett, Gabriella Parrish, Maisie Trollette, Cassidy Connors, Sally Vate, Lucinda Lashes, Jennie Castell, Davina Sparkle and Dave Lynn.
Lola Lasagne, said:“The annual Sunday Pride Fundraiser carries on where the Legends Cabaret Tent at the Brighton Pride Festival leaves off, with your favourite artistes giving superb performances and really helping Legends and Brighton to prove why cabaret is such a big part of our LGBT scene and the Pride’s celebrations. It also boosts the coffers and the profile of the Rainbow Fund who provide money for local groups and organisations to continue their already excellent work.”
Tammy Twinkle
Paul Elgood, Chair of the Rainbow Fund, said: “Once again Legends and Lola have chosen to make the beneficiary of this fundraising event, The Rainbow Fund
The cabaret starts at 3pm and continues until 10.30pm. Whilst there is no admission, donations to the Rainbow Fund will be encouraged (you don’t want to disappoint the cream of the cabaret scene now do you?). There will also be a raffle with lots of fabulous prizes.
What:Legends Sunday Pride Fundraiser
Where: Legends, 31-34 Marine Parade, Brighton, East Sussex BN2 1TR
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