Besi – Page 432 – Scene Magazine – From the heart of LGBTQ+ Life

REVIEW: BGMC: ‘Nautical but nice’

Posted on 07/05/201414/05/2014 by Besi

Michael Hydes spends an evening on the high seas with the Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus.

It’s got to be hard work creating an annual event that’s different every year, shows off the talents of choir and soloist alike, is funny and heartwarming, and able to raise hundreds of pounds for worthy causes; and yet the Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus seems to be able to do it every time.

This year’s fringe offering had a pirate theme Nautical but nice and introduced Brighton to its dubious salty past.

Paul Charlton, the GMC chairman and the infamous character Clint Flint in our escapade, was subject to a family history reveal that brought to light the likes of Little Willy, One Eyed Dick, and Raving Frederick Firecrotch; (very ably played by Ralph Corke, Charlie Bedson, and Andrew Farr).

The innnuendo flew, the pirates revealed, and the music hinted beautifully at the undertone of the story as it unfolded. The choir expressed the full range of their talents from a rendition of Cantique De Jean Racine, (which made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end), to the Adam Ant classic pop song Stand and Deliver, (proving that the choir had no shortage of testosterone!).

Ashley Pfeffer and Andy Williams brought us Beyond the sea as a lovely duet, and then Adam Betteridge, Nick Ford, Sadao Ueda, Ant Pay, Chris Baker, and Charlie Bedson all brought creditable solo’s.

The choir’s rendition of David Bowie’s Life on Mars was a stunning credit to the work of Marc Yarrow and Tim Nail (Musical Director and Assistant Musical Director) as it showcased the range of the choir whilst being true to the form of the song. Once again the Gay Men’s Chorus delivered a roaring success and I was pleased to be able to be present both evenings, cheering them on.

This year’s events raised funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Wolfram Wyndrome Uk Support Group.

Support and advice services for young people in Brighton & Hove now under one roof

Posted on 07/05/201407/05/2014 by Besi

YMCA Sussex Central will be launching a new one stop advice service for young people called YAC at Ovest on Thursday, May 8 at 12.30pm

The new service was created when the charity’s Youth Advice Centre (YAC), that was previously based in Hove, merged with their Housing Advice and moved to central Brighton.

The launch event this Thursday will be an opportunity to meet the staff, see the newly refurbished premises, find out more about the services and take part in a number of fun activities, including a raffle with great prizes.

YAC at Ovest will be the a single point of access for all young people for housing advice (16 – 25 year olds) and general advice (13 – 25 year olds), including sexual health & relationships, work & learning, emotional & listening support, benefits & money and much more.

Lisa Ottaway, a young person who accessed the Housing Advice Service at Ovest House, said: “I went to YAC at Ovest House because I was homeless. I saw someone about my housing first and I was placed in an emergency accommodation that day. I went back later on and got my birth certificate sorted and my benefits up and running. People were really nice and we got everything done. If Ovest House wasn’t there I would probably be on the street – with no money and no ID.”

YMCA Sussex Central will be working in partnership with other local organisations and services that will run from YAC at Ovest premises, such as MACS (Money Advice and Community Support), YES (Youth Employability Service), drugs services CRI & ru-ok?, TAPA (Mental health Teen to Adult Personal Advisor) RISE (domestic abuse charity) and many more to come.

YMCA Sussex Central is part of YMCA DownsLink Group offering services to over 10 000 young people across the three counties of Surrey, East Sussex and West Sussex.

To find out more information, CLICK HERE:

Green Party launch Euro campaign in South East England

Posted on 07/05/2014 by Besi

The Green Party launched its regional European Election campaign in Brighton today.

Pictured left to right: Cllr Alexandra Phillips, Keith Taylor MEP and Caroline Lucas MP Brighton Pavilion — Pictured left to right: Cllr Alexandra Phillips, Keith Taylor MEP and Caroline Lucas, MP Brighton Pavilion

At the launch, held beside a campaign bus run on used chip fat, the Green Party’s South East MEP Keith Taylor spoke of the importance of electing Greens to the European Parliament.

Keith said: “Greens in the European Parliament will always put people and our environment first. At these elections voters have a stark choice between the politics of hope offered by the Green Party or the business as usual approach favoured by others.”

The Green Party is hoping to win a second seat in South East England at the European Elections after recent opinion polls have shown the Green Party to be overtaking the Lib Dems across the UK.

Alexandra Phillips, Green MEP candidate and a councillor in Brighton & Hove, said: “Only the Greens are promising real change for the good. The other parties simply offer more of the same, with Labour and Conservatives fighting over which can cut welfare the most and which can privatise our schools and hospitals the quickest. Even Ukip, led by a former banker, is firmly locked into the old, failed ways of running the economy, even if it’s dangerously more extreme in other areas.

“We look forward to meeting as many people as we can and showing them just how important a Green vote on May 22 will be.”

The Green Party’s campaign bus will be touring the South East of England for the next two weeks ahead of the election.

Keith added: “For me, the choice is stark at this election. People can vote for one of the establishment parties, who offer different shades of business as usual. Or they can vote Green for the right kind of positive change. We believe that the EU can, and should, put people and the environment first.

Turner Prize 2014 shortlist announced

Posted on 07/05/2014 by Besi

The four artists shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2014 are Duncan Campbell, Ciara Phillips, James Richards and Tris Vonna-Michell.

This year marks the 30th year of the Turner Prize, founded in 1984 to promote discussion of new developments in contemporary British art. The variety of media used by the four shortlisted artists this year reflects the diversity of work being made in the UK today, often exhibited globally, from film and video to performance, collaborative working and installation.

The shortlist includes work that manipulates and appropriates found film footage and online imagery, as well as work that employs analogue technology, craft and design. These contrasting approaches suggest the impact of the internet, cinema, TV and mobile technologies on a new generation of artists.

Penelope Curtis, Director of Tate Britain and Chair of the Jury, said: “This year’s nominations illustrate the mobility of the contemporary art world, in which works are seen at global biennales and festivals over the course of the year. The four shortlisted artists share a strong international presence and an ability to adapt, restage and reinterpret their own and others’ works, very often working in a collaborative social contexts.”

The nominated artists are:

Duncan Campbell (born 1972) for his presentation It for Others in Scotland + Venice at the 55th Venice Biennale. Campbell’s engaging films often take provocative individuals as their subject, weaving together fact and fiction to create portraits that question the authority and means through which history is presented. Responding to Chris Marker and Alan Resnais’ 1953 film Statues Also Die, Campbell’s It for Others combines archive footage and new material, including a new dance work by choreographer Michael Clark.

Ciara Phillips (born 1976) for her solo exhibition at The Showroom, London. Phillips works with print in the broadest sense producing screenprints, textiles, photographs and wall paintings as site-specific installations. She often works collaboratively, transforming the gallery into a workshop and involving other artists, designers and local community groups. Phillips has taken inspiration from Corita Kent (1918-1986), a pioneering artist, educator and activist who reinterpreted the advertising slogans and imagery of 1960s consumer culture.

James Richards (born 1983) for his contribution to The Encyclopaedic Palace at the 55th Venice Biennale. In his videos and installations Richards brings together a disparate range of found and original material to create poetic meditations on the pleasure, sensuality and the voyeurism that is within the act of looking. Found VHS video and new imagery undergo varying levels of manipulation and repetition and, with an accompanying soundtrack, heighten the emotional and psychological range of the original.

Tris Vonna-Michell (born 1982) for his solo exhibition Postscript II (Berlin) at Jan Mot, Brussels. Through fast paced spoken word live performances and recordings, Vonna-Michell creates circuitous, multilayered narratives. Accompanied by installations providing a visual script in the form of slide projections, photocopies and other ephemera, Vonna-Michell’s works are characterised by fragments of information, detours and repetitions designed to confuse and enlighten in equal measure.

The Turner Prize award is £40,000 with £25,000 going to the winner and £5,000 each for the other shortlisted artists. The Prize, established in 1984, is awarded to a British artist under fifty for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work in the twelve months preceding 17 April 2014. It is intended to promote public discussion of new developments in contemporary British art and is widely recognised as one of the most important and prestigious awards for the visual arts in Europe.

The Turner Prize 2014 exhibition takes place at Tate Britain from September 30 2014 to January 4 2015. The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony, broadcast live on Channel 4 on Monday December 1 2014.

The members of the Turner Prize 2014 jury are:

Stefan Kalmár, Executive Director and Curator, Artists Space, New York

Helen Legg, Director, Spike Island, Bristol

Sarah McCrory, Director, Glasgow International

Dirk Snauwaert, Artistic Director, Wiels, Brussels

The jury is chaired by Penelope Curtis, Director of Tate Britain.

What: The Turner Prize 2014

Where: Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG

When: September 30, 2014 – 4 January 4, 2015

Times: Open daily 10.00 – 18.00

Cost: Adult £11 / Concession £9.50 (without Gift Aid donation £10 / £8.60)

For more information, CLICK HERE:

Sheltered housing communal spaces to be upgraded for the hard of hearing

Posted on 07/05/2014 by Besi

External security lights and hearing loops are to be installed in Brighton & Hove Council homes.

External lighting to individual homes and hearing loops in communal lounges in sheltered accommodation will be installed under an investment programme of work to improve council accommodation in Brighton & Hove.

This follows 100% of council homes in the city now reaching the Government’s Decent Homes standard, following an extensive four year programme installing items such as new bathrooms, kitchens and doors.

This will further improve the Brighton & Hove Property Standard which is designed to provide the best accommodation to council homes in Brighton & Hove.

Hearing loops will be installed to community meeting rooms and shared lounges in council sheltered housing schemes.and external lighting will also be fitted as part of an electrical rewire or upgrade to both occupied and empty homes.

In the future those residents who have fitted their own kitchen or bathroom themselves, if the other room fails the standard for age and condition, this will be modernised by the council.

Cllr Bill Randall, chair of the housing committee, said: “These proposals will improve the lives of our older residents living in sheltered accommodation, particularly having hearing loops installed in all 23 communal lounges will provide the best support to residents who have difficulty hearing.

“Some of our meeting rooms and shared lounges already have hearing loops installed, such as Leach Court, and this change in policy now means all our shared meeting rooms and lounges can benefit.

“The proposals will be a great addition to the 100% national decent homes standard and it will help us continue to provide the best facilities to council homes in Brighton & Hove.”

Pioneering Trans* speech therapy project funded by the Rainbow Fund and Brighton Pride

Posted on 07/05/2014 by Besi

A ground-breaking project to provide speech and language therapy assessment and intervention to people who are in the process of transitioning to their chosen gender role has been supported by the Rainbow Fund, thanks to last year’s funding from Brighton Pride.

Dr Sam Hall, from the Clare Project who co-ordinated the work reported: “The grant gave Individuals who are transitioning to their chosen gender the opportunity of attending sessions at the Clare Project.

“Nineteen separate sessions were provided, both individually and in a group format, for people who have decided to select Speech Therapy Treatment at the Clare Project as a place of safety.

“Participants have been able to calibrate their voice to their chosen gender pitch range in a clinical setting and increase their awareness of how their voice is produced through description and exploration.”

Paul Elgood, Chairman of the Rainbow Fund said: “This is exactly the kind of project we were established support. These sessions are making a positive impact to the lives of the individuals who are transitioning to their chosen gender, giving them support and building their confidence.

“The funding given to the Rainbow Fund by Pride has enabled this kind of work to take place. Every ticket sold at Pride gives the Rainbow Fund a pound to spend on projects such as this – that is an amazing outcome from last year’s event.”

For more information about the Rainbow Fund, CLICK HERE:

More diversity at Brighton Pride

Posted on 07/05/201407/05/2014 by Besi

The clock is ticking towards Pride 2014 and the line-up of stars appearing on the Main Stage looks very promising.

Since its return last year the Brighton Pride Main Stage has proved to be a spectacular addition to Preston Park with its celebratory atmosphere and great line-up of music, speakers and guest hosts.

Many more acts will be announced in the coming weeks, but those confirmed so far include the ever handsome boy band Blue, Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt, the poptastic Neon Jungle, disco legend Martha Wash and the divine singer songwriter Heather Peace.

The award-winning Pride Festival at Preston Park continues to enjoy local and national acclaim while the Pride Main Stage compliments the day’s celebrations perfectly. Attractions this year include The Wild Fruit Dance Tent, the all-new Queer Stage, Legends Cabaret Tent, Girls Big Dance Tent, Calabash Tent, Men’s Area/Bears Tent, Funfair and Community Village alongside the Lunch Positive Cafe, MindOut area and a new Access tent delivered and organised by the LGBT Community Safety Forum.

Pride 2014 promises to be the most diverse ever, like no other the city has ever seen with even more diversity areas being confirmed in the next few weeks.

Pride Director Dulcie Weaver, said: “Brighton Pride is so much more than a one-day pop festival It is so much more than headline acts and main stage line-ups. It is a proud celebration of everything that is wonderful in our diverse and delightful LGBTQ community. It’s about having fun with friends and loved ones. It’s about visibility, equality, campaigning and fundraising for The Rainbow Fund as we join together as a community.

“Brighton Pride’s campaign theme for 2014 Freedom To Live encapsulates the true ethos of the festival. This Pride we will be free to walk hand in hand with those we love, on the streets where we live. So many across the globe are not so lucky. Brighton Pride is our opportunity to stand beside them, to make the connection and say loudly and proudly we all deserve the Freedom To Live.”

What: Pride Brighton & Hove 2014: Freedom To Live

Where: Pride Festival Preston Park

When: Saturday, August 2

Time: 12noon – 10pm

Cost: £9 /£12.50 Early Bird tickets Sold out: Discounted £15 advance (first release) until end of May: Then £17.50 in June /£20 in July/ more on the day.

For more information about Brighton Pride, CLICK HERE:

Biggins to host monster Beacon fundraiser

Posted on 07/05/201407/05/2014 by Besi

Christopher Biggins will be hosting The Halloween Horror Show on behalf of The Sussex Beacon in November.

Actor and television presenter Christopher Biggins was announced as host of The Halloween Horror Show, at the launch party for the event at the Brighton Hilton Metropole last week.

The Ball, which will take place on Saturday, November 1, will be raising funds for The Sussex Beacon – a charity offering specialist care and support to men, women and families affected by HIV.

Christopher Biggins, is not a novice at making spooky appearances. His film roles include The Rocky Horror Picture Show in 1975 and he also appeared as a guest star narrator in The Rocky Horror Show on tour in 2010.

Biggins said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be hosting this event and remember it is just a jump to the left… and then a step to the right. It will be a night out to remember for a very, very long time”.

The Halloween Horror Show, which will also be taking place at the Brighton Hilton Metropole, will include a sumptuous Halloween feast followed by a spectacular live floor show with a live band and dancing until the early hours. Guests will be encouraged to dress up in glamorous Halloween style. There will be Halloween themed games as well as auctions and a raffle offering exclusive and ‘money can’t buy’ prizes.

The charity is working with leading entertainment agency the E3 Group to produce the fundraising Ball. The E3 Group were involved with the production of Brighton Pride in 2013. Together, The Sussex Beacon and E3 hope to create a Spooktacular event that guests can enjoy year on year.

The launch event for the Ball was attended by the Lord Lieutenant of Sussex and the Mayor of Brighton and Hove, Councillor Denise Cobb, as well as representatives from many local businesses from the city. Guests enjoyed a sneak preview of the Ball’s entertainment, plus drinks and canapés sponsored by the Brighton Hilton Metropole.

Simon Dowe, CEO at The Sussex Beacon, said: “At The Sussex Beacon we work together to support the whole person by addressing the physical, psychological and social impact of HIV. Every year, we have to raise 1.2 million pounds to keep our services running. This year, ‘The Halloween Horror Show’ will help us to achieve our fundraising target”.

To buy tickets for the Ball, CLICK HERE:

Or EMAIL: for more information about the event.

The Sussex Beacon charity offers specialist care and support for men, women and families affected by HIV. Open 365 days a year, we help people manage the everyday realities of living with this life-long condition that has no cure. Our Inpatient and Outpatient services help people living with HIV related illnesses, initiating new drug therapies, or supporting those struggling with extreme side effects of HIV medication. The Sussex Beacon supports the whole person by addressing the physical, psychological and social impact of HIV.

For more information about the Sussex Beacon, CLICK HERE:

For more information about E3 Group, CLICK HERE:

Local LGBT charity receives national recognition

Posted on 06/05/201406/05/2014 by Besi

MindOut the LGBT mental heath organisation is shortlisted for BBC award.

MindOut, Brighton’s LGB&T mental health charity has been shortlisted for BBC Radio 4’s All in the Mind 25th Anniversary Awards. One of over seven hundred projects to be nominated, MindOut is one of three on the shortlist for the prize. MindOut is a mental health service run by and for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender people based in Brighton and Hove. It provides a range of services including advice and information, advocacy, a peer support group programme, well being activities and events and a food and allotment project.

The winner will be announced at a glittering ceremony at the Wellcome Collection in London on June 19.

Helen Jones, Director of MindOut, said: “I am delighted and proud. To have our work recognised in this way is very humbling. Our staff and volunteers work tirelessly to provide services to LGB&T people in Brighton and across Sussex and I am thrilled that all their hard work has been recognised in this way. I hope this nomination will focus attention on the mental health needs of all LGB&T people.”

All in the Mind presenter, Claudia Hammond, added: “To mark our 25th anniversary we wanted to create an opportunity where people who’ve had mental health problems can thank any of these people or groups by nominating them for an award. We want to hear those stories of how people recovered or found a way of coping with their mental health problems. Perhaps there are lessons there. We want to recognise those who really go the extra mile to help others.”

All in the Mind is marking its 25th anniversary. The programme is the longest running programme on mental health and psychology in the world and covers mental health, psychology and neuroscience issues.

MindOut will feature on the programme on Tuesday, May 6 at 9pm.

For more information about MindOut, CLICK HERE:

Brighton Pride enables Rainbow funding for LGBT mental health project MindOut

Posted on 06/05/2014 by Besi

Thanks to last year’s funding from Brighton Pride, the Rainbow Fund has been able to continue its support to MindOut, the LGBT mental health project working in the city.

Following a Rainbow Fund grant provided to the group last year, Helen Jones, Director of MindOut has reported that: “The funding enabled us to provide peer support groups for LGBT people who are experiencing mental health problems a place to go which is supportive, safe, confidential and affirming. Many of the people who attend are socially isolated, some do not go anywhere else all week. This year 87 people came to our group work service.

“For some time MindOut has been aware of the mental health needs of older LGB&T people, some of whom are isolated, less likely to access commercial LGBT venues, less likely to be part of community initiatives. The Rainbow Fund grant enabled us to run an event aimed at bringing together older LGBT people. This event was excellent, very dynamic, well attended and has continued to run monthly.

“Funding for ‘Out of the Blue’, our suicide prevention group, has been essential to keep this very popular group running weekly. This year we have provided 243 places for LGBT people who experience suicidal distress.”

Helen concluded: “The Rainbow Fund has made a huge difference to us this year. We really value such a community focussed, flexible grant which has supported us to offer essential services as well as developing new community work.”

Paul Elgood, Chairman of the Rainbow Fund said: “We have been proud to support MindOut since it was established as an independent organisation. Their work tackling suicide prevention, social isolation and mental health is critical for our community. Thanks to the money donated by Brighton Pride we can see the difference our funding has made to the community. The positive outcomes of their work are astonishing and help show that every pound donated through the Pride ticket scheme is making a huge difference to our community.”

Call us now

Author: Besi

REVIEW: BGMC: ‘Nautical but nice’

Michael Hydes spends an evening on the high seas with the Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus.

Support and advice services for young people in Brighton & Hove now under one roof

YMCA Sussex Central will be launching a new one stop advice service for young people called YAC at Ovest on Thursday, May 8 at 12.30pm

Green Party launch Euro campaign in South East England

The Green Party launched its regional European Election campaign in Brighton today.

Turner Prize 2014 shortlist announced

The four artists shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2014 are Duncan Campbell, Ciara Phillips, James Richards and Tris Vonna-Michell.

Sheltered housing communal spaces to be upgraded for the hard of hearing

External security lights and hearing loops are to be installed in Brighton & Hove Council homes.

Pioneering Trans* speech therapy project funded by the Rainbow Fund and Brighton Pride

A ground-breaking project to provide speech and language therapy assessment and intervention to people who are in the process of transitioning to their chosen gender role has been supported by the Rainbow Fund, thanks to last year’s funding from Brighton Pride.

More diversity at Brighton Pride

The clock is ticking towards Pride 2014 and the line-up of stars appearing on the Main Stage looks very promising.

Biggins to host monster Beacon fundraiser

Christopher Biggins will be hosting The Halloween Horror Show on behalf of The Sussex Beacon in November.

Local LGBT charity receives national recognition

MindOut the LGBT mental heath organisation is shortlisted for BBC award.

Brighton Pride enables Rainbow funding for LGBT mental health project MindOut

Thanks to last year’s funding from Brighton Pride, the Rainbow Fund has been able to continue its support to MindOut, the LGBT mental health project working in the city.

Latest News

Call us now

Michael Hydes spends an evening on the high seas with the Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus.

Share this:

YMCA Sussex Central will be launching a new one stop advice service for young people called YAC at Ovest on Thursday, May 8 at 12.30pm

Share this:

The Green Party launched its regional European Election campaign in Brighton today.

Share this:

The four artists shortlisted for the Turner Prize 2014 are Duncan Campbell, Ciara Phillips, James Richards and Tris Vonna-Michell.

Share this:

External security lights and hearing loops are to be installed in Brighton & Hove Council homes.

Share this:

A ground-breaking project to provide speech and language therapy assessment and intervention to people who are in the process of transitioning to their chosen gender role has been supported by the Rainbow Fund, thanks to last year’s funding from Brighton Pride.

Share this:

The clock is ticking towards Pride 2014 and the line-up of stars appearing on the Main Stage looks very promising.

Share this:

Christopher Biggins will be hosting The Halloween Horror Show on behalf of The Sussex Beacon in November.

Share this:

MindOut the LGBT mental heath organisation is shortlisted for BBC award.

Share this:

Thanks to last year’s funding from Brighton Pride, the Rainbow Fund has been able to continue its support to MindOut, the LGBT mental health project working in the city.

Share this:

Latest News