Viva Brighton Issue #78 August 2019

Spirit of the Rainbow
Invites you to our meeting in Brighton
Exploring Oneness
Oneness means our first loyalty is to our humanity, above any country, religion or
ideology: humanity both in the sense of all human beings and also of human decency,
kindness, compassion. Oneness means we recognise we are part of nature and that we
treat our environment with reverence and respect. Oneness works too at a personal level
as we grow into a sense of wholeness. Oneness means we recognise that we are children
of our universe however we experience it.
OUR AIMS & ACTIVITIES:
Come and share your ideas so together we can:
• deepen our experience of oneness
• spread our message locally and globally
• build a world based on oneness
Our next meeting is on Saturday 27th July
From 2pm for 2.30pm start and ending c.3.30pm
@ Conference Room 2, Brighton Library, Jubilee St, Brighton BN1 1GE
ALL WELCOME!
Future meetings @ Conference Room 2, Brighton Library
2pm for 2.30pm start and ending c.3.30pm:
Sat 31st August
Sat 28th September
Sat 26th October
Sat 30th November
For further information contact spiritoftherainbow@yahoo.co.uk

VIVA
B R I G H T O N
#78 AUGUST 2019
EDITORIAL
...........................
.......................
Viva Magazines is based at:
Lewes House, 32 High St,
Lewes, BN7 2LX.
For all enquiries call:
01273 488882.
Every care has been taken to
ensure the accuracy of our content.
We cannot be held responsible for
any omissions, errors or alterations.
August means Pride, so we’ll see you at the
mother of all parades. But – once it’s all over, and
the streets are empty of roller-disco divas, barebottomed
boys and rainbow-festooned floats – we’ll
be taking a road trip to blow away the cobwebs.
We’ve done some homework and you might be
surprised what’s in store down the Sussex highways
and byways this month. It’s Artwave across the
Lewes district, so expect stone carvers in cow
sheds, makers in manor houses and illustrators on
clifftops. There’s some wonderfully eclectic festivals
nearby, too. Check your emotional baggage at
Byline’s ‘embodiment cloakroom’, visit the ‘human
library’ across the field at Curious Arts, or hear
world-class musicians playing at the Cuckmere
Coastguard Cottages in the Lapwing Festival. If
you prefer something a little rougher round the
edges, join the shanty singers at Newhaven, or take
up arms at the Loxwood Joust.
And you don’t even need a car of your own to take
to the open road. Treat yourself to afternoon tea
on the Brighton Regency Routemaster, breeze up
to Devil’s Dyke on the number 77 bus for a pint
with that view, or take the 13x to Eastbourne, for a
top deck tour of the iconic Cuckmere Haven, Belle
Tout lighthouse and Beachy Head. Glorious!
Got your sights set further afield? We meet some
campervanning couples who can get you on your
way. More of a homebody? Pick up a copy of
American Trails and let your imagination do the
travelling.
Whatever your destination and however you plan
to get there, remember to enjoy the ride.

VIVA
B R I G H T O N
THE TEAM
.....................
EDITOR: Lizzie Lower lizzie@vivamagazines.com
SUB EDITOR: David Jarman
PRODUCTION EDITOR: Joe Fuller joe@vivamagazines.com
ART DIRECTOR: Katie Moorman katie@vivamagazines.com
PHOTOGRAPHER AT LARGE: Adam Bronkhorst mail@adambronkhorst.com
ADVERTISING: Hilary Maguire hilary@vivamagazines.com,
Sarah Jane Lewis sarah-jane@vivamagazines.com
ADMINISTRATION & ACCOUNTS: Kelly Mechen kelly@vivamagazines.com
DISTRIBUTION: David Pardue distribution@vivamagazines.com
CONTRIBUTORS: Alex Leith, Alexandra Loske, Amy Holtz, Ben Bailey, Charlotte Gann,
Chris Riddell, Ellie Evans, JJ Waller, Jacqui Bealing, Jay Collins, Joda, Joe Decie, John Helmer,
John O'Donoghue, Lizzie Enfield, Lulah Ellender, Mark Greco, Martin Skelton,
Michael Blencowe, Nione Meakin, Paul Zara, Robin Houghton, Rose Dykins and Sally Elford.
PUBLISHER: Becky Ramsden becky@vivamagazines.com
Please recycle your Viva (or keep us forever).

A Brocante style Vintage Festival
“Step back in time, in style’’
Country living & brocante market | Hand painted & antique furniture
Vintage finds & decorative antiques | Gardenalia | Fashion & french haberdashery
Artisan food emporium | Cookery demonstration by Peter Bayless
The Chap Olympiad games hosted by The Chap Magazine
Words Pavillion hosted by Much Ado Books | Talks on bees | Makers workshops
Charleston & Lindy Hop shows | Jazz bands & music performance
Traditional fair rides | Classic & vintage car display
Tinkers steam town & miniature train | Bugs museum & mouse town
FIRLE PARK, NR. LEWES, BN8 6LP
Pre-booked discounted tickets on website | Entrance £15 on the door | 10.00am - 5.30pm
www.firlevintagefair.co.uk firlevintagefair firleandcountry firlevintage

CONTENTS
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Photo by Clive Boursnell
Bits & bobs.
8-27. Sally Elford goes off-road on
the cover, ‘kiddie coach’ builder Ernie
Johnstone is on the buses, and Alexandra
Loske is entranced by a concrete
kaleidoscope. Joe Decie provides the
in-car entertainment, Alex Leith takes
a trip to the Devil’s Dyke pub, and
JJ Waller captures Brighton Pride in
his latest photobook (and the Google
Trekker on his incessant survey). And
much more besides.
My Brighton.
28-29. We talk camper vans (and
where to go in them) with Jon Wood,
co-founder of Brighton Camper Vans.
Photography.
31-37. Toby Adamson shares his high
octane (and high fashion) Goodwood
images.
14
31
Columns.
39-43. John Helmer is in search of the
vibe, Lizzie Enfield is in search of her
Sat Nav, and Amy Holtz is (forever) in
search of summer.
On this month.
45-55.Ben Bailey’s pick of the gigs;
Roni Size brings some drum’n’bass
(and whatever else he feels like) to the
De La Warr Pavilion, and Traumfrau
celebrate Pride weekend with a
‘musical show and tell’. Summer is all
about festivals and we’ve sought out
a few eclectic line-ups: get ready to
change the world at Byline; Philippa
Perry talks ‘rupture and repair’ and the
inevitability of imperfect parenting at
Curious Arts; Lapwing offers intimate
concerts at the iconic Coastguard
Cottages; and Newhaven Festival
returns for its second year of culture on
the coast – with thrift fashion shows,
shanty singing workshops and a church
filled with birdsong.
Photo by Toby Adamson
....6 ....

CONTENTS
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Art & design.
56-65. We talk poetry and painting
with Michaela Ridgway; meet
prize-winning painter Charlie Schaffer;
a camper van converting couple; and
just some of what’s on in Artwave – and
elsewhere – this month.
The way we work.
67-71. Adam Bronkhorst climbs aboard
the Big Lemon buses to capture some
of the crew.
26
Photo by JJ Waller
Food.
73-77. We take a trip to Rathfinny; a
family recipe for Baba ganoush from
the mobile Cairovan; an indulgent
breakfast at GAIL’s Bakery and just a
taster of this month’s food news.
67
78
Features.
78-87. We’ve got all sorts of cars:
driverless, electric and racing. Perhaps
we’ll take them for a spin around the
extraordinary developments at Preston
Barracks. Plus, it’s all aboard the
Brighton Regency Routemaster for a
five-star afternoon tea. Don’t mind if
we do.
Photo by Adam Bronkhorst
Wildlife.
89. The embattled Horse Chestnut
Tree and a hitch-hiking Balkan moth.
Inside left.
90. August Bank Holiday: a wash out
since 1922.
....7 ....

THIS MONTH’S COVER ARTIST
.......................................................
“We don’t really want a petrol driven vehicle
going on there…” thought Seaford-based
illustrator Sally Elford when she first received
the ‘road trip’ brief for this month’s cover
design. “I thought we’d better have something
sustainable. But that meant drawing one of the
most difficult things: a bicycle.”
Sally, who graduated with a degree in
Illustration from Brighton University in 1998,
created the image on her iPad using Procreate
software. It’s technology which, she says, has
changed her life, freeing her from desk-bound
backaches and clunky vector points. “It has so
many realistic effects. It’s like working with
paper, pencil and ink, but with the option
of undoing your mistakes really easily. I’d
forgotten how much I enjoyed drawing.
I’ve given the cover design a bit of a coastal
theme, with a beautiful landscape and some
wildlife dotted in. It’s my favourite kind of
drawing – doodling leaves and bugs and
different elements of nature.”
The family on the cover could easily be on
their way to Seaford Head: the site of The
Green Show, which Sally has been organising
alongside Josie Swan, Alice Carter and Sophie
Peerless. Together they make up Seaford
Contemporary Illustrators and Printmakers
(SCIP). Billed as a ‘celebration of landscape and
nature’, The Green Show will be held at South
Hill Barn later this month – a building that has,
until now, only ever been used for farming. It’s
a spectacular place: sitting high on a clifftop,
with panoramic views out to sea and across the
county.
It’s SCIP’s most ambitious project to date
and they’ve put together an impressive lineup.
The main barn will house an exhibition
of works by 30 leading contemporary artists
and illustrators, including Sir Quentin Blake,
Graham Carter, Donna Wilson and Owen
Davey. Alongside there’s a pop-up cinema, free
....8 ....

SALLY ELFORD
......................................................
children’s workshops, a nature trail and a community
art installation. Plus, there’s a programme of adult
workshops featuring ghost net weaving with Kittie
Kipper, a (wild) life drawing session with live birds,
and a free evening lecture programme with talks from
South Downs National Park ranger Tim Squire, local
author Giles Paley-Phillips and Simon Armstrong from
Ticktockrobot animation studios.
Parking is available onsite, but – if the green theme
strikes a chord – you can walk up from the station. It will
take the best part of an hour but it’s a picturesque walk
along the beach and up Seaford Head. Alternatively, get
off the number 12 bus opposite Chyngton Lane (ask the
driver), and walk the final ten minutes. If the show leaves
you feeling inspired, continue on down to the iconic
Coastguard Cottages and on to the dozens of other
Artwave venues open across the district this month.
Or just take the moment to breathe in all that fabulous
scenery and thank your lucky stars that you live in such a
beautiful part of the world.
Lizzie Lower
The Green Show, South Hill Barn, Seaford Head, 10am-
5pm, 15-18 & 22-25 August. Visit wearescip.co.uk to see
the full programme and to book events.
sallyelford.co.uk
....9 ....

© Valter Bernardeschi
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery
18 May to 8 September 2019
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery
Royal Pavilion Gardens
Brighton BN1 1EE
03000 290900
Open Tue-Sun, 10am-5pm
Closed Mon (except bank holidays)
Admission payable
Members free
Book in advance
for 10% discount
brightonmuseums.org.uk

TRIPS AND BOBS
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ON THE BUSES #52: ERNIE JOHNSTONE ROUTE 7
Ernest Johnstone, better known as Ernie, created a range
of miniature, motorised ‘Kiddies’ Coaches’ between 1935
and 1958. Children would sit at the front of the popular
vehicles, while an adult would operate a two stroke
motorcycle engine in the rear. They could reach speeds
of up to 26 miles an hour, according to a delightful Pathé
news piece that ran in 1948 (search ‘Pathe Ernie Johnstone’
on YouTube).
The buses were manufactured at the Old Forge in Preston
Village, and could sell for as much as £300. In total, 63
were created, including one double decker and three fire
engines. They were often ridden around Peter Pan’s Playground
on Madeira Drive, although they also ventured
as far as Hove, Hastings and even some Scottish seaside
towns. The coaches didn’t have side doors, so children
would be lifted in and out of them by an attendant.
The miniatures were fully working petrol-based vehicles, and as such were licensed and had
numberplates attached for use on the road. Ernie himself drove one the 250 mile round trip from
London to Wolverhampton in fact, presumably for promotional purposes.
Ernie was born in 1904 and retired in 1958, although the Kiddies’ Coaches were popular attractions
well into the 1960s. He died in 1975. Joe Fuller
Illustration by Joda (@joda_art)
SPREAD THE WORD
Sam Reece and Jo Wren – organisers of the
natural women’s retreat, Gather – check
back in with the city they left behind after a
weekend of moonlit dinners, night walking
in the woods, roaring fires, wild cocktails,
yoga and creativity in the beautiful Sussex
countryside. Follow them @gatherinnature
– or visit gatherinnature.co.uk – to find out
more about these nurturing escapes to the
wilderness. Keep taking us with you and keep
spreading the word. Send your photos and a
few words about you and your trip to
hello@vivamagazines.com
....11....

BUSINESS@RATHFINNY
Inspiring Business
CORPORATE
ENTERTAINING
UNIQUE OFF-SITE
FACILITIES
DAY VISITS &
ACCOMMODATION
WINE TOURS
& TASTINGS
Rathfinny Wine Estate, Alfriston, Sussex, BN26 5TU
01323 874 030
rathfinnyestate.com
For our corporate brochure email us at
business@rathfinnyestate.com

JOE DECIE
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....13....

CURATOR’S CITY
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Exterior of the Meeting House at dusk. Photo by Alexandra Loske.
KALEIDOSCOPIC CONCRETE
BASIL SPENCE’S MEETING HOUSE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX
What happens if you take a road much travelled
but get off half-way between Brighton and
Lewes? If you stop at Falmer and have a closer
look at Sussex University’s original buildings you
may find yourself in a kaleidoscope of colour and
concrete. In the early 1960s Sir Basil Spence designed
the first unflinchingly modern buildings
for this brand-new campus university. The Grade
I listed Falmer House, its proud gateway, was
much lauded for its clean lines and underlying
ideas of transparency and accessibility. But for
me the real gem of Spence’s campus is the circular
Meeting House, a non-denominational place
for worship, quiet reflection and gatherings.
It was built slightly later, in 1966, funded by a
Sir Sydney Caffyn, a local supporter of the University.
As with all his campus buildings, Spence
wanted to emphasise the subtle interaction of
material, light and colour. The Meeting House
owes much to the high-profile project he had
finished just a few years earlier, the rebuilding
of Coventry Cathedral. By comparison, this was
a small project (the perfectly round building is
only 80 feet in diameter), but it is fascinating
....14....

CURATOR’S CITY
...............................
to see how Spence embraced the challenge of
creating a smaller and more intimate church
interior, while adhering to his guiding principle
of powerful simplicity.
The upstairs chapel boasts the most colourful
interior on the Sussex University campus: 460
panes of coloured glass are set into a honeycomb-pattern
of fourteen tiers of concrete
blocks, illuminating the space in a constantly
changing way throughout the day and indeed the
seasons. Spence daringly combined very different
building materials here: the worryingly thin
coloured glass panes, made in Germany, are set
directly into the recesses of the roughly-textured
concrete blocks. It is a surprising and uplifting
interior, which forms a contrast to the plainer
spaces on the ground floor, including a large
‘Quiet Room’ with curtain-wall glazing that
provides an uninterrupted view of the campus.
The layout of the coloured panes follows a
chromatic pattern from green shades in the east,
through yellow and white in the north above
the altar and in alignment with the meridian, to
deep reds and blues in the west. The symbolic
use of the circle is evident here, with allusions
to the circle of life, the Christian year, and the
unbroken circle as a manifestation of safety. Its
importance is further accentuated by a pattern of
overlapping circles on the chapel floor.
No area of coloured windows is separate, the
shades merge into each other, and each area
contains elements of the others. Crucially,
not one pane is identical to another, each one
forming a new aperture through which some
of Spence’s other buildings can be glimpsed. In
early meetings concerning the building he asked
for ‘a full spectrum of coloured glass panes, each
in a single colour’ for the chapel fenestration.
However, in some cases two different-coloured
panes are overlaid, to create a new tint, or in
the interests of variation. Spence did not make
specific comments on colour symbolism, but he
said the design should express the ‘variety of the
human race banded together in a circle of unity’.
Spence created an interior that is powerful in
both its simplicity and vibrancy. Lit at night, the
building appears like a kaleidoscopic beacon from
the outside; while in strong sunlight the interior
is flooded with pools of colour, an emphatic and
romantic expression of Spence’s fascination with
colour, light and concrete. Apart from the Royal
Pavilion, this is my favourite Brighton building.
Alexandra Loske, Art Historian and Curator
Part of the colour scheme of the glass panes. Drawing by Sam Allen.
Interior of the Meeting House Chapel late afternoon. Photo by Clive Boursnell.
....15....

Join us in celebrating the start of the
football season with our very own
street food bar menu, inspired by the
chefs of the Kashmir region of India.
We show all the sports, as well as
stocking a wide range of beers, wines
and spirits.
Or sip a cocktail on our newly
designed terrace showcasing our
summer flower display.
We pride ourselves on our friendliness
and our customer service ethic.
We are offering a free
bottle of wine with
every table of 2 people
booked in advance.
7-8 Montpelier Place | Brighton BN1 3BF | 01273 640195

BITS AND PUBS
...............................
PUB: THE DEVIL’S DYKE
It’s been a regular mini roadtrip
for Brighton & Hove
residents since the early nineteenth
century, and a breeze
up the Downs to Devil’s Dyke
for a pint in the pub at the top
is still one of Brighton’s great
pleasures. What a view over
the Weald: they say you can
see five counties.
There’s been a tavern on the
hilltop since 1817, but the first
hotel wasn’t built on the site
until 1831. A bigger, grander
establishment was rebuilt in
1871, and there are existing
pictures of what was called
‘Dyke Hotel’, an elegant twostorey
affair, with balustrades
on the roof.
In those days a horse-drawn
wagonette was the easiest way
up, but it wasn’t a pleasant
ride. The Brighton Gazette describes
‘comfortless vehicles…
peregrinating along a dusty
road through an almost desert
country under the command of
a driver who persists, without
consulting his passengers, in
making sundry, and almost
unnecessary stoppages.’
This all changed when, at the
cost of £90,000, a rail track
was built, cutting the journey
time to twenty minutes, and
allowing visitors more time to
enjoy at the top. The pub’s landlord
JH Hubbard cashed in:
he estimated that the railway
brought in a million visitors a
year, and he provided plenty of
facilities for them within the
enclosed estate of the hotel: a
camera obscura, an observatory,
two bandstands, a pavilion
bar, and, strangely, a wooden
model of a 110-ton Armstrong
cannon.
In 1928, long after its heyday,
the estate was bought by
Herbert Carden, who sold it
on to Brighton Corporation.
Since then it has enjoyed
chequered fortunes. It was
used as a bomb-testing site in
WW1, was taken over by the
MoD in WW2, and the hotel
building was destroyed by fire
in 1945.
The current establishment was
constructed in 1967, its owners
using local materials – hence
the flint walls – to make it
sympathetic to its environment.
They turned it into a
restaurant, and – now run by
pubco Archers – it still serves
food to punters who flock
up on summer evenings to
enjoy the sunset. In the ample
interior, or on wooden tables
on the terrace outside.
Nowadays you can get the 77
bus up there, and we manage
to find a terrace table which
overlooks the Weald, and not
the scratchy car park. We leave
it too late to have food – we’re
told there’s a half-hour wait,
and we’ve got an appointment
back down in town – but we do
enjoy several pints of Chieftain
IPA, trying to pick out those
five counties, through sunglasses.
Alex Leith
Illustration by Jay Collins
....17....

ADVERTORIAL
YOUR LIFE IN
YOUR HANDS
As Claire Carberry explains,
an accident or illness doesn’t
mean you have to lose
control of your life.
We all prefer to remain in control of our lives but
sometimes accidents or illness can have such a
profound impact that control is taken from you;
lose control, and you’re at risk of losing your
voice.
Making a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is one
way of retaining control; you can put LPAs in
place for your property and financial affairs, and
for your health and wellbeing.
An LPA lets you choose who makes decisions
for you (your attorney) when you can no longer
do it for yourself. It gives you the opportunity
to set out guidance for or to place restrictions
on your attorneys, to state who can do what
and when, and even to make provision for who
should step in if your first-named attorney can’t
act.
LPAs can only be made whilst you have the
capacity to do so, and can’t be used until they
are registered; registration can take many
weeks, so it makes sense to put one (or both) in
place sooner rather than later – just in case.
Without an LPA, no-one has authority to make
decisions on your behalf – not even your
spouse. If you lack capacity to make your own
decisions (e.g. as a result of an accident or
illness) the only option is for someone to make
an application to the Court of Protection to be
appointed as a Deputy. Would you have chosen
that person yourself?
If you don’t feel that there is anyone that you can
trust to act as your Attorney, discuss the matter
with your solicitor. Often they are willing to take
on the role so that you know someone will step
in if needed.
An LPA is a safety net for both you and your
loved ones. None of us knows what will happen
tomorrow so it’s incredibly important to have one
in place, whatever your age or circumstances.
Claire Carberry is a partner at
DMH Stallard’s Brighton office.
You can contact her on
03333 231 580.

JJ WALLER
...............................
“Sometimes things just fall into place,” says JJ Waller. “Exactly one hour after
Viva’s editor emailed me with this month’s assignment – ‘the theme is road
trip. Let it take you where it will’ – I encountered the Google Trekker leaving
Brighton after shooting here on their continual worldwide mapping marathon.
Why use one camera when you can shoot with seven simultaneously?”
....19....

BIG
SUMMER
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END OF SEASON
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Offers valid while stocks last.
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Images for illustration purposes only and may vary.
HURRY, SALE MUST END 31 AUGUST
SOUTH DOWNS
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Brighton Road, HASSOCKS
BN6 9LY 01273 845232
tatesofsussex.co.uk

BITS AND BOGS
...............................
MAGAZINE OF THE MONTH: AMERICAN TRAILS
We’ve had some brilliant road
trips in our time. Probably the
best of them was in Norway,
driving our hire car along the
Atlantic Highway, driving over
the sea across endless bridges
that connected strung-out
beautiful islands. There was
one hour where we must
have stopped the car seven or
eight times simply to shout in
amazement at the countryside
around us. America is the place
where we seem to have done most of these trips,
though. Durango to Telluride in Colorado, up a
long valley for mile after mile with only one stop
light in the whole 110 mile journey. Then there
was the trip in Oregon from the coast to Bend,
high up on the plain. Oh, the trip down Route
1 in California was pretty special, too, all for the
cost of a hire car and some cheap motels.
Which is why our recommendation this month
is a magazine called American Trails. Published
from Sweden and originally only in Swedish, the
English language version is now available here,
the US, France and Ireland.
It’s as near to a road trip as a
magazine can be. Each issue picks
up on interesting places across the
US, and then photographs them
and writes about them delightfully.
The current issue focuses on
13 different locations. There’s a
city guide to Washington DC, a
feature on the Marathon Motor
works in Nashville, an actual road
trip across four states over sixteen
days, a look at the Las Vegas arts
district, a photo feature on Seattle and the northwest
coast and much more.
American Trails is one of those magazines you
can read right through, pick up and put down or
use as a reference point. It looks great and, for
those of us in Brighton who talk secretly about
these things, smells good, too. With a little luck,
our holiday later this year will be staying with
friends in Colorado again. American Trails is
going to help us decide the route we’ll take to
get there.
Martin Skelton, Magazine Brighton
TOILET GRAFFITO #55
We’re not quite sure what type of movement this
sitter is referring to, but – if it’s a road trip – we
couldn’t agree more. Wherever the mood takes
you, remember to take your copy of VB along for
the ride. Life is better in motion.
But where is it?
Last month’s answer:
Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft
....21....

BITS AND BOBS
...............................
CHARITY BOX #40: OLDER AND OUT
Tell us a little about Older
and Out… Older and Out is
a social network organised by,
and for, members of Brighton
and Hove’s LGBTQ+
community aged 50+. The
group meets on the second
Friday of every month at the
Somerset Centre in Kemp
Town for lunch and networking, usually followed
by a talk or some entertainment. Recently, one
of our members gave a presentation on the work
of lesbian activist Jackie Forster; while member
and trustee Val Brown read from her biography
of Toupie Lowther [the tennis player and leader
of an all-female ambulance unit that assisted the
French army in WWI]. We’ve had brilliantly
informative talks on dental health; advice for anyone
worried about dementia; how to recognise
online and telephone banking scams; and more.
Alongside the monthly social event, we also provide
a Monday to Thursday telephone support
service, offering practical advice and signposting
to other relevant groups and statutory services.
We also run day trips a few times a year, from
short walks on the Downs to trips to the Bluebell
Railway, Portsmouth Docks and more.
When and why was it founded? The group
was set up in 2014 by Jules Dienes, who runs
the Somerset Centre, in response to the lack of
LGBTQ+ people attending the centre. Over the
last five years, it has grown a loyal membership;
around 60 members usually come along to the
monthly event. The group aims to encourage
social engagement among LGBTQ+ people,
ultimately leading to the greater wellbeing of its
members; we call them members, but anyone
aged 50+ who identifies as
LGBTQ+ can come along.
There’s no fee to join or attend.
Older and Out also aims
to ensure the voices and needs
of older LGBTQ+ people
are heard by policy makers,
and we invite representatives
from the council and other
statutory bodies to attend and hear the views of
our members.
How is it funded? It’s funded by an annual
grant from the Rainbow Fund and donations
from its members, with support from the Somerset
Centre. This month’s Brighton Pride is especially
important for us because of the money the
event raises for the Rainbow Fund, whose annual
grants support not just Older and Out, but dozens
of other essential LGBTQ+ / HIV voluntary
groups and projects throughout the city.
We always encourage our members to take part
in Pride – we can be found in the Community
Village – and in other annual events such as
Kemp Town Carnival.
How can people help? We’re always looking
for more volunteers, in particular those with
fundraising experience. I’ve been volunteering at
Older and Out for nearly three years. It’s a small
commitment on my part – just a few hours each
month – but it’s very rewarding. There’s a lovely
atmosphere at events and I’ve got to know so
many interesting people in my neighbourhood.
I’d definitely encourage more working age people
like myself to volunteer.
As told to Nione Meakin by volunteer Rasheed
Rahman.
olderandoutbrighton.org.uk
....23....

Images by Andrew Gale
The all-new Pelham House is now open
Lewes Bonfire
Bed and breakfast with 29 en-suite rooms available
Meetings, events, banqueting, private celebrations from 15 to 150 people
Bonfire Night package for Lewes’ famous celebrations
Christmas Parties
Public bar and magnificent gardens in the heart of the town
Contact our Events Team for more details on 01273 030205 or visit pelhamhouse.co.uk
Image © Hanan Edwards

BITS AND BOOKS
...............................
BOOK REVIEW: ARGEMOURT
BY CORINNA EDWARDS COLLEDGE
Have I caught you at a tricky
moment? Are you packing
your togs, your flip-flops,
your bucket and spade? For
it’s that time again, the time
we all love: holiday time. And
whether you’re off to Club
Tropicana or having a staycation,
one item you’ll also need
to pack is a good holiday read.
Holiday reads have a few
essential features: they have
to be light enough to dip in
and out of as we lounge by
the pool or stretch out on
the beach, yet have the kind
of compelling narrative that
means we don’t forget what the story is all about,
or get fuzzy when it comes to remembering the
characters. A book you can read between meals,
in other words, or at least cocktails.
Argemourt, the latest novel by local author
Corinna Edwards Colledge, has a lightness
of style allied to a compelling narrative that
both exemplifies the holiday read, and departs
from it. The book tells the story of Michelle
Harvey, a young army widow, and her daughter,
Adele. Michelle’s husband, Chris, was killed in
Afghanistan, and now, two years, later it’s time
for Michelle and her daughter to move off the
army base that’s been home. After some initial
panic, Michelle gets a call informing her that her
great aunt, Michèle Leroy, has left her house to
her. One snag: the house is in France Profonde,
and Michelle has to leave England and strike out
on her own. She travels with Adele to her greataunt’s
village, Argemourt, only for a handsome
young French man to come knocking at her
door on the very afternoon of
their arrival.
At this point, we switch to
the story of Paul. He is a
PhD student researching
Martyred Villages, the French
hamlets destroyed by the
German army as reprisals
against the Resistance. These
atrocities came in the wake of
the D-Day landings, and we
gradually discover that Paul’s
researches have led him to
Argemourt, itself a Martyred
Village. The Martyred Villages
are a dark chapter in the
history of France, a history I
was only vaguely aware of until I read Edwards
Colledge’s novel.
Something of a romance develops between
Michelle and Paul, aided and abetted by a
supporting cast including Alan, Michelle’s expat
neighbour, Paul’s friends in Paris, his parents
and sister, and his beloved grandfather, Armand.
Agremourt, then, is both a gripping novel, perfect
reading for the sunlounger and the beach café,
and an examination of all too recent history.
I was rooting for Michelle and Paul as I finished
the book. I wanted Michelle to find happiness
in a place haunted by horror and sadness, to be
able to start afresh, to make a life for herself and
Adele. And I wanted Paul to uncover the dark
truths hinted at in his researches, the trail of
clues that had led him to Michelle’s door. Would
I pack this as my holiday read? It’s done. My
wife wants it. John O’Donoghue
Argemourt, Corinna Edwards Colledge, Authors
Reach Limited, £9.99
....25....

BITS AND BOOKS
JJ WALLER’S BRIGHTON PRIDE
JJ Waller’s Brighton Pride highlights all the different colours
of the Brighton Pride rainbow, ranging from riotous
costumes to cashpoint branding exercises, mixed with a
smattering of exposed buttocks. JJ has been photographing
Pride “on and off over 12 years”, giving him a wealth
of images to draw upon for this book.
Brief quotes are peppered throughout to reflect a range
of opinions on the festivities. I ask JJ himself how it has
changed over time. “In a few central ways hardly at all,
still the same party atmosphere and still hugely popular
with locals. It has also become more ‘formally’ organised
to accept its obligations to public safety.”
The pages are brimming with people of every stripe,
dancing or marching, celebrating, being unfiltered,
colourful and gregarious. Enjoy this year’s Pride, however
you choose to celebrate. Joe Fuller
JJ Waller’s Brighton Pride, £12.99 is available from Waterstones.
Find an exhibition of his Pride images in the Dog
and Bone Gallery’s telephone boxes in Powis Square, 1-31
Aug. Open 24 hours.
....26....

....27....
BITS AND BOOKS

INTERVIEW
..........................................
Photo by Tracey Robinson
....28....

INTERVIEW
..........................................
MYbrighton: Jon Wood
Co-founder of Brighton Camper Vans
Are you local? Yes, I am indeed. I moved to
Brighton 16 or 17 years ago. I moved down
here to go to the University of Sussex and
never left. I studied English Literature and
Linguistics.
What do you do now? Whilst I was at uni I
worked as a sound engineer in various venues,
and from that picked up tour work. And from
that I grew Ooosh! Tours, which is a hire
company: we have rehearsal studios and hire
vans and musical equipment for bands on
tour. Off the back of that, a few years ago, my
wife and I got quite into campervanning and
general outdoor adventures stuff. Through
the rental infrastructure I had in place
already, we decided to get a couple of camper
vans. So Brighton Camper Vans was born.
How does campervanning work exactly?
Most people will tend to park up on a
campsite, there’s loads around Sussex and all
over the UK and Europe. They’re often in
really interesting places, like a lot of farms
will often have a field that they allow people
to park up in or pitch tents in. There’s all
this crazy stuff going on around you and
interesting things that you never knew
existed for you to go and find. A lot of these
campsites are £10 or £15 a night. It’s a very
economical way to get out and see the world.
It’s really fun meeting all these people when
they’re about to go away on some sort of
adventure.
Are there any good areas in Sussex that
people should know about? Blackberry
Wood in Streat is very wild and open, lots of
woods and rivers to discover by wandering
around. Southdown Way Caravan and
Camping Park in Hassocks is in a great
location, near the Jack & Jill windmills, which
make for a great day trip out.
What do you like about Brighton? I’ve
lived here a longish time and I’ve never had a
good reason to move away. There’s so much
here for everyone. Throughout the various
stages of my life, it had plenty to offer me
when I was a student who wanted to go
out all the time and plenty to offer me as I
became a father, with all the cool things you
can do with your kids. I just like how much
there is going on in such a small amount of
space. You can walk everywhere, it’s easy to
get around.
Is there anything you’d like to change
about Brighton? I wish all pubs didn’t look
the same nowadays. I remember there being a
real diversity of places ten years ago. And now
everywhere has got a bit of neon and exposed
brick wall. I guess that’s gentrification really,
and that has plus points but also negative
points that go with it. It certainly feels more
expensive than it ever has done before.
Do you have a favourite place to eat?
There’s a really good café called The Almond
Tree on Seven Dials: it’s a veggie place and
it’s good value, nice tasting food.
Interview by Joe Fuller
brightoncampervans.com
01273 911382
....29....

PHOTOGRAPHY
....................................
Toby Adamson
Goodwood Revival photographer
The Goodwood Revival is
every photographer’s dream.
The fashion, the cars, the people,
the hairstyles. The passion.
But that doesn’t come without
its problems. Everywhere you
look there’s a good shot, so
unless you’re organised and
focused, there’s a danger you
won’t be able to see the wood
for the trees.
I’ve been doing a lot of work for Goodwood
over the last three or four years covering
most of their big events, and it’s been great for
my career. I originally trained as an Oceanographer,
but I’ve been shooting professionally
alongside that since 1994. I started out mainly
as a documentary photographer working
with NGOs and charities often in remote
and inaccessible places – to date I’ve worked
in over 100 countries worldwide. But the
downside was that I had very little UK work in
my portfolio. Goodwood’s certainly helped to
change that.
Everybody’s dressed to the nines, in period
costume [from the circuit’s original period,
1948-66]. No one has ever said ‘no’ to being
photographed at Revival. Often it’s difficult
to do fly-on-the-wall documentary-style
photography because everybody wants to pose
and show off!
It’s not just about the visuals, of course. It’s
about the noise, and the smells, as well. I’m
privileged to have very good access, so I try to
capture this side of things too: oil on the cars,
flames bursting out of exhaust pipes, people
putting their fingers in their ears – things that
give you a real sense of what it’s like to be
there.
There are so many professional
photographers out there,
it sometimes feels like a highly
competitive job. Everyone’s ducking
and weaving to try and get
an original shot. But it’s a good
thing – if you’re not continually
learning, you’re probably doing
something wrong.
And, of course, everyone’s a
photographer nowadays, even if it’s just with
their smartphone. My tip? Get in as close as
you can (and Goodwood is great for that), and
always make sure that there’s a point of focus
to any picture you take. Also think of doing a
series of photos – whether that’s of 40s hairstyles,
or hats, or carburettors, or exhaust pipes
– whatever it is that sparks your interest. The
whole is often greater than the sum of its parts.
I’ve shot digitally for 15 years now (first on
Canon and now also with Sony) and over the
three days of the event I’ll probably take somewhere
in the region of 5,000 photos. So, when
the event’s finished my job as a photographer
is only half done – I then get to spend three or
four days, head-down at my computer, editing
pictures.
And then there’s the preparation beforehand.
Needless to say this also includes what
I’m going to be wearing, because if you’re
not in costume, you look out of place, and it’s
important to blend in. I usually wear a set of
period mechanic’s overalls, but I’m beginning
to feel that’s something of a cop-out. This year
I’m looking for something a little bit different…
Any ideas? As told to Alex Leith
Goodwood Revival, 13th-15th September. See
more of Toby’s work at adamsonvisuals.com
Instagram @tobyadamson
....31....

PHOTOGRAPHY
....................................
Photos by Toby Adamson
....32....

PHOTOGRAPHY
....................................
Photos by Toby Adamson
....33....

PHOTOGRAPHY
....................................
....34....

PHOTOGRAPHY
....................................
Photos by David Plummer
....35....

Haydn Gwynne
HEDDA
TESMAN
Playwright Cordelia Lynn breathes
new life into Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler.
A co-production with
Headlong and The Lowry
WORLD PREMIERE
30 August – 28 September
cft.org.uk 01243 781312
#HeddaTesman

PHOTOGRAPHY
....................................
Photos by Toby Adamson
....37....

Focusing
on you
Counselling, Psychotherapy
and Psychological services
in central Hove
01273 921355
www.brightonandhovepsychotherapy.com
admin@brightonandhovepsychotherapy.com

COLUMN
...........................................
John Helmer
Vibe
Illustration by Chris Riddell
“I don’t like this airport,” says Poppy.
We’ve come through security and are up on a
balcony looking down over the concourse. From
where we are you can see the airport’s ragged
edges; the unfinished tops of plasterboard walls,
the mess of wiring that powers the perfumed
Aladdin’s cave that is Duty Free. “Why not?” I ask.
“It’s the way they’ve mixed up people getting off
flights with people getting on flights. It’s killed
the vibe.”
“The vibe.”
“Yes.”
“So if you don’t like Helsinki, what airports do
you like? What about Gatwick?”
“Yes, Gatwick.”
“Gatwick’s got the vibe?”
“Yeah, they’ve got it right. Gatwick’s got the vibe.”
I’m not sure I fully get what she’s talking about,
but I know better than to question a sixteen yearold
when it comes to matters of vibe.
We’ve been in Helsinki for a week soaking up
the vibe, and now we’re going home to tell our
Brighton friends about it. At a wedding, two days
after touching down, I find people only too glad to
share the vibe of their holidays, road trips, walking
tours, cruises and staycations. “How was Finland?”
they say to me—and if they’re particularly old
and close friends, will voice the question that
hangs over all these other conversations, “Why
Finland?”
“It was Poppy’s idea,” I say. That seems to satisfy
them.
I talk to a nurse from out of town whose walking
tour of Scottish peaks included three Munros.
“Wasn’t that a bit exhausting?,” I ask.
“Totally exhausting. I was crying with exhaustion
some days.”
“Bad vibes. I bet you were glad to get back to
work, weren’t you?”
“But that’s totally exhausting as well…”
I am expecting a tale of staff and bed shortages,
unachievable targets, overflowing waiting lists
and chronic underfunding. Instead she says this:
“Some of the people I work with, they’re just so…
conscientious.”
“Isn’t that what nurses are supposed to be though,
conscientious?”
“It’s not like I’m going to let the patients just
die or anything… but here’s an example: I was
supposed to be at this conference the other day.
By about three o’clock I’d had enough really; I
told them I had a big caseload of patients and had
to go. And I went shopping.”
At this point I notice that Chris Riddell, whose
excellent illustrations garland this column and
who is also a guest at the wedding, has whipped
his sketchbook out and is capturing my expression
of mild shock.
“Is he drawing you?” says the nurse.
“Yes, and it’s just reminded me that we have a
column to get in on Monday.” I take out my own
little black notebook and pen and start scribbling
away.
“No, wait,” says the nurse,
“are you writing down
what I just said?”
“Just capturing
the vibe of
the caring
professions.”
“You’re
never going
to put me
in your
column?
STOP…!”
....39....

“Every time you spend money,
you’re casting a vote for the kind
of world you want.”
Anna Lappé
www.lewesfc.com/owners
BRIGHTON
PHOTOGRAPHY
You won’t find the best views of Brighton
and the Downs at the top of the i360.
You’ll find them at the
gallery next door.
Prints | Books | Cards
brightonphotography.com | 52-53 Kings Road Arches | 01273 227 523

COLUMN
.........................
Lizzie Enfield
Notes from North Village
Illustration by Joda (@joda_art)
We’re about to set off, but the car window’s been
broken and nothing appears to have been taken.
“Not even the Neil Diamond CD,” I say to the
children who tell me there should be no ‘even’
in that sentence, that my including it suggests
the CD was worth taking and it most definitely
was not.
So our journey is delayed, while we call out a
glass repairer. Eventually we set off. Girl, You’ll
be a Woman Soon, is playing. The kids are saying
the lyrics are deeply dodgy and I am wondering
why anyone would break the window of a car for
absolutely no reason.
But then we reach the roundabout, known in the
family as ‘the roundabout where we always take
the wrong exit’, and husband, who has poor recall
for names of people and places – and objects –
says “Oh they’ve taken the thing.”
“What thing?” everyone asks.
“You know the thing on the window.”
“The National Trust car park sticker?” I venture,
thinking we clearly have a different class of thief
in Fiveways.
They might not appreciate Neil Diamond but
they love a bit of Capability Brown.
“No not that.”
It’s like twenty questions but we’ve got plenty
left.
“Well it’s not the tax disc,” I say, staring at the
window wondering what could have been taken.
And then one of the children pipes up.
“It’s Dorothy!” And I realize it is, indeed,
Dorothy who has been taken from her home on
the windscreen.
Dorothy was our Sat Nav, named by the children
on account of her propensity to tell us to “follow
the road.”
She did that more often than other Sat Navs
because we never loaded the maps properly. It
took too long and we don’t drive north that often
but when we did she would think we’d entered
some sort of vortex and start yelling at us to “get
back to the road!”
Generally, though, she was quite calm and
conversational and we were quite fond of her.
Now she’s been taken, everyone seems a bit
subdued – and lost, because there is no one to tell
us to perform a legal U-turn and go back to the
roundabout we exited wrongly.
“Poor old Dorothy,” says my son, who, when
he was younger, thought she was an actual very
small person who lived inside the black plastic
unit we suckered to the windscreen – a bit
like our Dutch neighbour who does the safety
announcements in Dutch for Easyjet who he
wanted to say hello to on a flight to Amsterdam.
“What do you think they’ve done with her?” one
of the girls asks.
I suspect they’ve taken her to the nearest
pawnshop and converted her to cash, which is
probably in turn being converted into drugs, but
I don’t tell them this.
To be honest, we’re not great drivers and
Dorothy’s time with us was a bit dull for her. So
I tell them:
“She’s probably been taken by someone more
adventurous than us and is embarking on the
road trip of her life…”
....41....

Newly opened shop and gallery on Portland road showcasing a collection of original works including
cards, jewellery, ceramics, textiles, paintings, decorative plant displays, home decor and clothing.
Relaxed and informal in style, we offer something for everyone.
10% off your next purchase in store with this advert.
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COLUMN
...........................
Amy Holtz
The truth is, I’m a Minnesotan
The sun is... out. Is it summer?
Has it finally found us – the
forsaken, ye long-suffering
Brightonians?
We’re journeying the South
Downs Link up north to
something called a ‘country
park’ (genuine question: what
exactly is a country park?).
We’re a caravan of cyclists –
some of us suited up for the
first stage of the Tour, others
sporting uncertainty and bikes
with batteries. But there’s so much glorious
flesh on show; I’m so happy to be in shorts that I
don’t even notice the stinging nettles whipping
my ankles on the overgrown trail. Or the sweat
or grit or the family of bugs that end up in my
mouth or the pollen-saturated air. My legs are
free! We are free!
My first summer in England was hot. Skinmeltingly
so. And thus, mine has become a lifelong
quest – searching, wishing, hoping for the
return of heat. It’s a bit like waiting for a comet,
though. You’re never sure when it’s coming and
you’ll probably miss it while you’re sorting out
your telescope.
Anyhow, today could, after years of hope, see its
return. The sun beams down, birds sing, the air
fills with laughter and gravel dust flying from
our wheels. Two beers in, we arrive to live out
all our summer hopes in one day.
“What is this place?” I say, turning in a circle,
trying to see behind the café, disbelief the only
cloud crossing my face. “You call this a lake?”
My partner, as he often does, apologises for me.
Minnesotans are sniffy about bodies of water
and have approximately 1693 words to describe
‘lying liquid’. Basically, if
you can reach both shores by
spreading out your arms, the
technical Minnesota term is a
‘puddle’. Or ‘spill’.
Of course, we are not the only
folk enticed into the open for
this yearly event. All of Sussex
(and part of Surrey) greets
us down the path, with their
BBQs, inflatable swans and
crummy techno.
“Kid soup.” My partner
pronounces, nodding at the swimming area. I
apologise to our friends with kids for him. But
kid soup, of course, breeds interesting wildlife.
“When I was young, they were always closing
the beach on Robbins Island for too much
bacteria.”
“Is that where you used to get lake fleas?”
I give him a dirty look. “‘Chiggers’. And yes,” I
concede, “once or twice.” My immune system
now is a fortress of resilience. Those bugs I
ate earlier will help too. But just in case, we
leave other people to cool off in their own little
teaspoon of tepid pond water and sprawl out on
the grass.
Later, miles from Southwater – miles, now,
from warmth, we return to the seafront. The
sweat drying as we sit outside the pub, I can hear
the chattering of teeth and shaking of bones
through all the lycra. I’ve been dreaming about
this cider, shot through with mini icebergs, for
20 miles. It’s a foolhardy endeavour now – a
recipe for frostbite.
Alas, how sweet you were, summer, how
glorious; hope to catch you when you pass by
again.
....43....

MUSIC
..........................
Ben Bailey rounds up the local music scene
EXTINCTION REBELLION
FUNDRAISER GIG
Fri 2nd, Haunt, 7pm, £5
Extinction Rebellion groups around the country
are gearing up for another big push in October,
and for that they need funds. Headliners Kudu
Blue have had a busy year so far – they released
their second EP (further expanding their hybrid
of synth and soul music) and played their first
Glastonbury show. Also playing is Boudicca, a
young firebrand rapper who we last saw sticking
it to the man in a heated political showdown at
the final Poets Vs MCs slam in January. Adriana
Lord from Cuban group Son Guarachando
rounds off the bill alongside Nina Dallyn, EL-
LiSD and DJ JuJu – plus a samba band, choir and
circus performers.
HI MOM GUESS WHAT!
Sat 3rd, Idle Hands, 4pm, Free
A slightly random name
for a carefully curated
line-up of notable
oddities from the local
indie rock, garage punk
and psych scenes – all
squeezed into a small bar on Queens Road. Guitar-and-drums
duo Frank & Beans will probably
finish off the day, but what a day. Ham Legion
(pictured) offer a beguiling mash-up of power
pop, grunge and prog to complement Oh Mama’s
fuzzed-up psychedelia and Hesh’s raucous garage
thrash. The Hidden bring driving indie rock with
an Italian twist and ELLiSD sees the drummer
from Strange Cages take to the mic for some lo-fi
indie. You’ll also hear Ensemble 1’s experiments
in rock minimalism, while Young Francis strips
it down further with a “no pedals, no tricks”
approach to punk songwriting.
GREENNESS
Wed 7th, Prince Albert, 8pm, £4
Brighton folk band
Greenness have
appeared on stage
at the Royal Albert
Hall, but they’re just
as happy playing
local community events like Patchfest or various
eco-friendly gatherings on the Level. In June
they won the Brighton Song Contest for their
lilting track Dance With The Light, which was
taken from last year’s Cyclicity EP. That release
was an assured step up for the Anglo-French duo,
who introduced some interesting psych touches
to their searching and oblique music. Recently
they’ve started playing more with a full band,
recruiting musicians from local prog-rock outfit
The Case Of Us for shows like this. Support on
the night comes from singer-songwriters Matt
Finucane and Lucy Feliz.
DOG OF MAN + TOWN OF CATS
Fri 16th, Hope & Ruin, 7pm, £10/8/6
This double headline show is the launch party
for Dog of Man’s long-awaited debut album
as well as Town of Cats’ new single and video.
These might seem like two very different bands
(psych punk versus festival funk), but whenever
they’ve played together before it has been a blast.
While the cats serve up a stew of ska, Afrobeat
and hip-hop, the dogs mash together big grunge
riffs, breakcore drums and the sound of a heavily
distorted accordion. What the bands have in
common is their ability to get people going
through sheer energy. Gypsy punk mentalists
Buffo’s Wake will also be on hand to get things
nicely warmed up. There’s no doubt that this will
be the sweatiest gig of the month.
....45....

Artists & makers trails across
Lewes, Newhaven, Seaford
and the surrounding villages
Pick up a free guide,
or plan your visit online
17 August - 1 September
artwavefestival.org
@artwavefestival

FESTIVAL
.............................
Photo by Raphael Moran
Byline Festival
Think, and have fun
‘Dance, Discuss, Laugh and Change the World’
is Byline’s byline. This month sees the festival’s
third year. Last year 4,000 people came – to
the site in Pippingford Park, Nutley; this year
they expect 5,000. “We started it just after the
Referendum and Trump’s Election”, Stephen
Colegrave, who founded the festival alongside
writer Peter Jukes, tells me. “We wanted to do
something a bit different – not just a music festival
– though also that. But something that inspired
people, and made them think, as well as laugh and
have fun.
“So, we do have a great music line-up – this year
includes Lowkey, The Feeling, Pussy Riot (again)
and 80s legends like Suggs from Madness – and
comedy too, but also three talk tents. We’ve got
Extinction Rebellion coming – because we think
the climate crisis is the biggest issue today. This
year, we hope to encourage people to actually go
out and change the world.”
It’s all about hope and change, he tells me. “And
getting a lot of people together. We never meant
it to be a political festival with a capital P, but
politics are important. “We’ve also always been
massively exercised by ‘fake news’ – and pro
rigorous, investigative journalism. We’ve recently
launched our own newspaper, Byline News. And we
always run a Bad Press Awards – bit like the Bad
Sex Award – though the winners never turn up to
collect their gongs!
“What we’re really interested in is inspiring
people to think about the future. At the same
time as having fun.”
This year Byline is partnering with the Curious
Arts Festival (see page 53), which will run on
the same site – a ticket to either will get you into
both – and the Frontline Club. “Lewes Women’s
FC will also be there,” says Stephen, “running a
chanting workshop, and 5-a-side football.”
There are loads of workshops to choose from
– “learn how to write a punk song; or make a
podcast in your bedroom” – as well as “immersive
experiences”: a human library, where you can
borrow a ‘book’ – ie person – and hear their story
for fifteen minutes; or the empathy museum,
where you literally walk in someone else’s shoes –
through the forest, listening to their story through
headphones.
Or what about the embodiment cloakroom?
“Leave your emotional baggage to one side for
the weekend, by writing it on a paper jacket, and
hanging it in the cloakroom.” Then, why not (re-)
visit the Wag Club? The iconic Soho club will be
recreated onsite for the weekend by its original
co-founder, Chris Sullivan – plus, a vintage 80s
clothing store for any who wish to dress the part.
“The opening event this year is a big Samba
party, with five bands, no less. Plus, the Refugee
Choir, which had me in tears last year. Also there
are lots of family activities.
“What I love about festivals is how people arrive
on Friday, in their weekend gear – that’s actually
quite grown-up – and leave on Sunday looking
completely crazy – face painted, and dressed in
togs they’ve picked up on site. Job done, from our
perspective.” Charlotte Gann
23-26 Aug. bylinefestival.com. Byline News at
bylinetimes.com
....47....

PRIDE
.............................
Riots Mixtape
‘Musical show and tell’
Photo © Kaleido Shoots
When Roni Guetta came to Brighton, seven
years ago, she was somewhat underwhelmed
by the city’s gay scene. “It was very ‘white
gay man’,” she says, “very mainstream, very
commodified. There was Revenge, there was
Legends… there wasn’t much else for the rest
of the LGBTQ spectrum.” So she and a friend
set up Traumfrau, a ‘queer dance floor for the
unusual crowd’, which has become a regular
and much-loved multi-venue party night.
I meet Roni, now a full-time freelance events
organiser, in Kemp Town’s Café Rust, to find
out more about the latest Traumfrau event.
Riots Mixtape is a ‘musical show and tell’ which
looks like it’ll be one of the offbeat highlights
of the Pride weekend.
“The idea came from Craig White, the director
of the Queer Songbook band,” she says. “When
he asked me if I’d help him put it on, I jumped at
the chance. I told him: ‘I already want to have a
cry, just thinking about it’.”
His plan was to ask a selection of six prominent
members of the LGBTQ community to choose
a song that was meaningful to their queer
experience, and then to sing it, backed by his
own professional orchestra, comprising three
violins, a viola, a harp, drums and a bass.
“Craig arranges an original score for the song,
which is performed by the orchestra,” Roni
explains. “The performers are sent a recording
of it, so they can practise singing it, before the
big night. It’s like a glorified karaoke, on stage.”
Crucially, there’s another element, which
lends the evening even more poignancy.
“Beforehand, there is a Q&A about why the
song is so special for them, with our compere,
Rubyyy Jones, a Canadian performer/teacher/
mentor, who is big and loud and outrageous…
and very, very earnest.”
The idea was piloted on March 8th,
International Women’s Day, and it was a big
success. “There was a great reaction: the
audience were giving standing ovations halfway
through songs.” Performers included radio
presenter Kathy Caton, who sang Creep, the
jazz singer Aneesa Chaudhary, who did a Joni
Mitchell number, and Roni herself. She smiles at
the memory: “I sang Shameless by Ani DiFranco.
“It was a beautiful, unforgettable experience for
me. Almost like getting to come out again, but
this time in front of my chosen family.”
The show, followed by a disco, takes place
at The Spire, a deconsecrated Kemp Town
church, one of the few arts venues left in Kemp
Town. “I’ve put on club nights there before, and
seeing people from the LGBTQ community
dancing in a church was just amazing: it was life
affirming, and really beautiful.”
To add an extra twist of the unexpected, the
songs chosen by the line-up, which includes
Kate Shields, David Sheppeard, Ebony Rose
Dark, Stuart Warwick and Fen Rose, will
remain a secret until each performer steps
onto the stage. “Prepare yourselves,” concludes
Roni, “for a magical night of laughter, tears…
and goosebumps.”
Alex Leith
The Spire, 2 Aug, 6.30pm-midnight
....48....

MUSIC
.............................
Roni Size
at De la Warr Pavilion
Roni Size recently travelled the world on an
anniversary tour for his classic New Forms
album, twenty years after it was the surprise
winner of the Mercury Music Prize. This month
he comes to Bexhill for an all-dayer at the De
La Warr Pavilion. On the Sunday of the August
bank holiday weekend, the drum’n’bass legend
is playing an ‘exclusive influences’ DJ set, with
support from Scratch Perverts and Dat Brass.
“They’ve asked me not just to play drum’n’bass,”
explains Roni. “I get a golden ticket to be able
to play records that inspired me, which is really
cool. It ain’t necessarily 174 bpms. I’ve got a
rich heritage of music, being from Bristol, being
brought up in the 80s, right the way through to
the modern day, I’m lucky to have a bird’s eye
view of some of the best DJs in the world.”
The De La Warr event is billed as a beachside
party, taking place on the terrace and inside the
building’s impressive auditorium. It’s probably
not the usual place you’d go looking for a rave.
“I think it gives me an opportunity to add
something to this art deco venue,” says Roni,
who admits it’ll be his first time in Bexhill. “I
know Brighton inside out, I’ve put on some
memorable shows there, but this sounds like it’s
going to be something very different and I’m
ready for it.”
When we ask him if he’s done with the New
Forms anniversary, the answer is a definite yes.
“It was the third time that I’ve gone back to
that record, and it’s the last time. I was always
going to do the anniversary, and it was great
fun, but I don’t feel the need to go back again.
That’s it now. I’ve been there three times. It’s a
bit excessive to be honest with you! I believe I’m
a child of the future, and I always want to make
music like it’s for the future.”
That’s not to say that he doesn’t relish the
chance to revisit some of the classics that have
influenced him over his 30-year career in music.
“When I’m at home I hardly listen to
drum’n’bass,” he confesses. “I listen to the music
of my influences, that’s what inspires me. If
I ever get disillusioned with modern music, I
just take a step back in time and listen to some
Earth, Wind & Fire or some old funk, some
George Benson, some Bob James. If I need
inspiration, I just go into my record collection.
And I’ve always got a USB key with me. In case I
go to a wedding or something, I’m always ready.
You want me to play a 1986 disco set? I’m your
guy! I’ll be there in a flash.”
So Roni Size is now available for weddings?
“Haha, maybe for the right party! To be fair,
I’ve only actually ever been to two weddings.
But I’d be ready if I was invited! You never know.
And I might just catch the bouquet of flowers
as well.”
Ben Bailey
Roni Size, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, 25 Aug,
2pm, £26/22
....49....

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RE-ENACTMENT
.............................
Loxwood Joust
Linkes of hogge and green worts anyone?
In a land lost in time,
far, far away from our
shining, pebbly shores,
lies the fair Kingdom of
Loxwood. Seven verdant
meadows, surrounded by
four and a half acres of
magical woodland, hide
the heart of the village –
a bustling 15th century
hamlet that comes to life
for a few magical weekends each year.
“There are no houses, no burger vans, no
telephone poles. It’s amazing. It feels like
another world – and it’s beautiful,” says Maurice
Bacon, organiser of the Loxwood Joust.
It’s probably hard to imagine being totally
immersed in a land devoid of modern amenities,
but it’s also this attention to detail that makes
the Joust an unmissable event for so many.
“We want people to get lost in the experience –
and it’s become really popular. (Game of Thrones
has helped!) There are around 250 costumed
people who you’ll find in the village. From the
Faerie Woodland to the Witches Hovel, they’re
very precise in their costume. They get a kick
out of being at Loxwood, just like the visitors.
You won’t see any mobiles or sunglasses.”
The yearly Joust offers revellers a unique
opportunity to interact with history, lovingly
shared by people who work hard to preserve the
medieval way of life. And that’s why, Maurice
says, “everything is about education; the
‘villagers’ love talking about their weapons, how
they cook their food, and how their clothing is
made. Gilbert, our Executioner who works in
our Torture Zone, describes in great detail what
they did to people in medieval times – with a
replica of the rack from the Tower of London.
We were concerned about
the kids around all the
severed heads (people have
actually fainted during
Gilbert’s talks!), but the
first thing they usually do
is go and grab them.”
There’s bound to be even
more severed heads this
year, given Loxwood’s
own turbulent regime
change (not unlike our own): “we have a new
queen, Kathryn. The Joust is a celebration
of her ascension as well as our independence,
which we’ve declared because, well, the
country’s in such a mess! Traditionally, the
Joust allows knights to learn their craft and
practise for battle. This year, we’re expecting
an invasion, so there will be a big battle – 200
armoured knights, cannons and longbows.”
And with warfare comes the necessary
rearmament of supplies and, of course, of
knights, taking up new swords. “There’s
blacksmithing lessons and chainmail
workshops from metalsmith Anna Rennie and
our new Knight School, where you can learn
the art of sword swashing. And, after, you can
get body painting and show everyone your
‘mortal wound’.”
After a long day of sword swinging and
smithing, you can take a seat at Loxwood’s
lavish banquet (linkes of hogge and green
worts anyone?) – finishing in the mead
marquee. But, Maurice cautions, “It’s hard to
do everything in one day. Come early and stay
as long as you can!” Amy Holtz
Pledge your fealty to Queen Kathryn at this
year’s Loxwood Joust, 3 – 4 & 10 – 11 Aug.
loxwoodjoust.co.uk
....51....

MUSIC
.............................
Lapwing
Music in the Coastguard Cottages
Iconic though they are, the
picturesque Coastguard
Cottages at Cuckmere Haven
seem an unlikely venue for a
music festival. But five years
ago the site captured the heart
of an Australian cellist who
immediately saw its potential as
being ‘the most beautiful music
venue in the world’.
“My partner was playing at
Glyndebourne,” explains
Anthony Albrecht, director
of the Lapwing Festival, “and
with a new baby in tow we were
looking for places to visit, so
I googled ‘best views in Sussex’. This photo
came up, of the cottages on the cliff edge and
the Seven Sisters in the background and it was
impossible not to be swept away by the beauty
of the place.”
After contacting the owners of the cottages,
and the Cuckmere Haven SOS group who, he
says, embraced him warmly, Anthony offered
to play a recital in one of the cottage’s living
rooms. The next year he fixed a weekend of
music, and the Lapwing Festival was born.
The events now take place in an open marquee
next to the cottages, but with a maximum
audience size of sixty the emphasis is still on
creating an “incredibly intimate” setting in
which to hear world-class music and celebrate
the landscape. “The sounds of the ocean in the
background, the whirling of birds, beautiful
meditative music and a gorgeous view as the
sun goes down. It’s magical.”
The Festival presents an eclectic mix of music,
defying categorisation: classical music from
the Consone String Quartet; a vibraphone
recital by world-renowned
Masayoshi Fujita; and
an evening with top folk
singer and naturalist Sam
Lee are just three of the
concerts on offer. Anthony’s
vision is to bring together
predominantly young
performers recently emerged
on the world stage, to give
audiences a taste of different
musical genres and cultural
backgrounds.
At the heart of it all is a
desire not just to help save
the cottages, but to secure
access and enjoyment of this landscape for
the next generation. “Coastal erosion is a big
issue, and the official policy for the valley is
‘managed retreat’,” Anthony explains. “There
are currently no government resources for
further sea defences, so the Cuckmere Haven
SOS campaign was set up to gain planning
permission and crowdfund the necessary
works. This small festival is trying to help
raise awareness and hopefully more funds for
the campaign. We run Lapwing on a voluntary
basis and offers of help are very welcome.”
It’s all a long way from New South Wales.
But for Anthony, “the connection with the
community in Cuckmere Haven is one of the
most valuable parts of my experience in the
UK.” This might be the last festival however,
as he is relocating with his family to Canada in
the autumn. Catch it while you can.
Robin Houghton
Friday 30 Aug – 1 Sept, tickets from £30 (under
16 £5). lapwingfestival.com
cuckmerehavensos.org
Photo by Katie Eynon
....52....

FESTIVAL
.............................
Curious Arts
Philippa Perry
While the prevailing attitude of most parenting
manuals seems to be the necessity of getting
things ‘right’ when bringing up children,
Philippa Perry’s new book takes the opposite
tack; that, in fact, it’s okay to get things wrong.
What matters is how you handle those mistakes.
In The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read
(And Your Children Will be Glad That You Did)
the pragmatic psychotherapist, author and
agony aunt describes the process as ‘rupture
and repair’: recognising where things might
be going awry and then putting them right,
without any need for hand-wringing.
‘WE NEED TO DROP THIS IDEA OF
GUILT AND REGRET!’ she writes over email
(she has replied to all my questions in capital
letters). ‘Parental guilt does not help parents nor
their children. It is much more useful to notice
when a way we have been going about things
is not working and then to change it, than to
continue to do it and think it is somehow okay
because you are punishing yourself by feeling
guilty about it.’
Instead of the rigid rules championed by certain
parenting experts, Perry’s book emphasises
the value of trying to relate to our children
as people rather than seeing them as projects.
Obvious, perhaps. But she points to the popular
use of words such as ‘training’ in parenting
advice, which brings with it connotations of
manipulating children to do things the way
adults want. ‘Babies are born with an innate
capacity for turn taking – the foundation for
dialogue – but when we just do things to babies,
we interfere with the natural process of relating.’
As a therapist, Perry has seen first-hand the way
clients value ‘being listened to and understood’,
as well as ‘how validating it is when someone
can see things from your point of view as well
as their own; how important it is to matter to
other people; how frustrating it can be when you
cannot impact upon, or make a difference to,
someone you care about… All this knowledge
from therapy can be relevant to the parent-child
relationship too.’
Just as the aim of therapy isn’t to ‘fix’ someone,
the goal of parenting shouldn’t be to raise a
perfectly happy child. Instead, she says, we
should aim to raise someone who feels that
all of their emotions are valid. Perry’s own
parents were ‘well-meaning’ but unable to
understand how their daughter could see the
world differently. ‘In order to facilitate a child’s
capacity for happiness, they need all of their
feelings seen; if we were only to see them when
they were acting happy, we wouldn’t know them,
or be available’.
Her one piece of advice? ‘If you think you have
a problem with a child, don’t solely concentrate
on the child; look at your relationship with
that child… that’s where you will find your
answer. I’d also say [here, again, the caps seem
intentional] READ THE BOOK!’
Philippa Perry joins a line up of award-winning
authors, comedians and singer songwriters at
the Curious Arts Festival. Nione Meakin
23 – 26 Aug, Pippingford Park.
curiousartsfestival.com
....53....

Creative courses
Our popular creative courses for adults
provide a lively and diverse mix of high
quality workshops for beginners and art
lovers as well as aspiring and practicing
artists. Skills are taught by professional artists
in a creative and supportive environment.
phoenixbrighton.org
Award-winning independent
3 screen cinema
Next to Lewes station
Pinwell Road, Lewes BN7 2JS
01273 525354
lewesdepot.org

ARTS
.............................
Newhaven Festival
Small but aiming high
Now in its second year, Newhaven Festival is
part of a growing movement in coastal towns
to nurture a ‘Creative Cluster’. Supported
by Artwave in 2018, Susie Mullins, Head of
Strategic Development at Newhaven Town
Council started a festival to run alongside the
Open Houses. Newhaven Festival’s Creative
Director, Rhoda Funnell, tells us how the
festival has grown for the 2019 edition.
This year offers a range of free and ticketed
events, inviting locals and visitors to get
together, have fun and explore this unique
industrial town surrounded by the Downs.
A Newhaven map, by local illustrator Olivia
Waller, offers a way to travel through the town,
visiting some unusual venues such as the new
Bandstand, where the Festival launches. Or the
RNLI where you can learn to sing shanties (£5
for 4 hours tuition and optional performance),
or the Hillcrest Centre to see the Thrift
Fashion Show (£3).
Any creative event taking place in Newhaven
during the festival can be included in the
schedule. The aim is gradually to grow the
festival in town, as well as joining forces
with bigger organisations to provide bespoke
opportunities at discounted rates. The
Charleston Farmhouse Secret Downland Walk,
for example, is an all-day walk from Denton
over the Downs, ending with tea, cake and
access to the gardens and galleries at Charleston.
Free transport back included, £20/£10 for
BN9 residents. Glyndebourne, meanwhile, are
presenting a Make Your Own Opera workshop
at Newhaven’s Hillcrest Centre, where 9-19 year
olds can learn about group singing, instrumental
performance, acting and design.
Pictured: Glyndebourne Youth Opera. Photo by Sam Stephenson
Many of the tickets offer 50% discount to
local people and almost all those working
on the festival or running events live and/or
work in Newhaven. Creative businesses such
as Prismaflex, King & McGaw, Vantablack and
Boutique Modern are all based in Newhaven.
Locate East Sussex is showing a documentary
they commissioned about creative Newhaven
along with a networking opportunity, and
Newhaven Enterprise Zone is a part sponsor of
the Open Call taking place at The Ship Hotel.
We want to show a wider audience all that
Newhaven has to offer, as well as creating
opportunities locally. The first port of call for
anyone we need help from is Newhaven, because
lots of professional people are working here. We
are small but aiming high, and interest from
outside funders and organisations is already
showing we are on track.
We are a mix of people with diverse creative
ideas. The festival is a way of drawing all this
together over time, offering support, building
Newhaven’s profile and delivering a range of
high quality events that attract attention. All
this brings opportunities for our future. We’d
like to see new work spaces, a gallery. Plus
loads of chances just to have fun and enjoy this
amazing town. As told to Joe Fuller
17 Aug – 1 Sep, newhavenfestival.co.uk
....55....

ART
.............................
Charlie Schaffer
Portrait of an artist
“The worst thing was that I was unable to
paint. That’s ironic, isn’t it? It’s a competition
about painting, and it stopped me from
painting.”
So says Charlie Schaffer, 29, the latest winner
of the BP Portrait Award, which, as well as
pushing the winner into the national limelight,
earns them £35,000, plus a £7,000 commission
for the National Portrait Gallery.
But the stress of the whole experience sent
Charlie, who suffers from depression, into a
downward spiral.
I’m sitting on a wooden chair in his bare
studio, on the first floor of a terraced house in
North Laine. The space is dominated by his
easel. I can see the back of a canvas.
“I knew I was shortlisted for the award three
months before I won it,” he tells me. “All
the pressure took its toll. I suffered from
deep exhaustion, then reached a new point
of lowness. After I’d won the prize, people
were saying ‘you must be so happy’, but I was
actually the saddest I’ve ever been.”
A young woman called Imara sat for the
painting, spending three hours a session on the
chair I’m sitting on, three times a week, for
four months. “My sitters like this quiet room,
separate from the world” says Charlie. “They
feel safe. They open up. They fill the silences
with conversation. It’s intense: I don’t like
small talk. Every mark I make on the canvas is
influenced by that entire experience.”
....56....

ART
.............................
He doesn’t like to be called a ‘portrait painter’.
“That implies that it’s all about trying to catch the
essence of the person who’s sitting for you. And
that’s not what it’s about for me. It doesn’t matter
if it looks like the person. It’s about the experience
we have together… I steal their life and put it in a
picture.”
He never lets his sitters see the painting until
it’s finished, if it’s ever finished. He often throws
uncompleted works away, and starts again: “there
are already enough images in the world”. But having
earmarked the Imara painting for the BP prize, he
worked doggedly to complete it before the deadline.
“Imara didn’t really want to see the painting,” he
says. “She had a fear of seeing it, because that would
mean the process was over. We had both come to
rely on those sessions quite heavily.”
The painting was “loosely based on a portrait by
Titian”. Charlie’s avoiding London at the moment,
but he usually visits the National Gallery once or
twice a week to study – and draw – works by the Old
Masters: their techniques filter ‘unconsciously’ back
into his own work.
Charlie’s now painting again, I’m glad to hear:
I cross paths with a sitter at the front door, and
he shows me a work in progress of Imara, who’s
started visiting his studio again. “It’s taken me three
months, but I’m getting there,” he says. “I’ll start
enjoying winning the prize when it’s on my own
terms.” Alex Leith
charlieschaffer.com
Head of Thandi, 2016. Oil on canvas.
After Veronese’s The Family of Darius before Alexander, 2017.
Imara in her winter coat, 2019. Oil on canvas.
....57....

Summer 2019 Towner Art Gallery
TEN
Towner curates
the collection
Phoebe Unwin
Iris
Lothar Götz
Dance Diagonal
Image: courtesy Lothar Götz
Dineo Seshee Bopape
Sedibeng, it comes with the rain
www.townereastbourne.org.uk @ townergallery
Devonshire Park, College Road, Eastbourne, BN21 4JJ

ART
.............................
Focus on: Shadow
by Michaela Ridgway
Who is casting
the shadow? I
don’t know. It’s
a person in a
photograph that
I came across.
I usually work
from photographs
that I’ve taken
on my phone or
sometimes on a
Holga camera:
a cheap Chinese
camera designed
for the massmarket
that you
can get for about
£16 on the internet.
They are badly made and let light in, so you get
a pleasingly unpredictable result.
How do you choose the subjects for your
paintings? Photographs are always the jumping
off point, but there’s no theme. What informs
the choice is the composition of the image and
the way I’m feeling that day. I work with black
and white images because I don’t want to be
influenced by naturalistic colours. I’ll print
out the photograph and turn it upside down
to disrupt my sense of how things should be. I
don’t want to copy. It’s a bit like writing a poem
when you have a prompt of some sort, you might
take a line from page 67 of a random book. My
way of composing a painting is a bit like that.
Tell me about your use of colour. It’s a
function of what’s happening, in the moment,
on the palette. If I were asked to mix a flesh
tone or a cactus green, I would probably get
there, but I wouldn’t find it interesting. What
I love is to mix colour and the surprises that
result. I have no
plan other than
that. I use a lot
of paint and will
cover a table with
cellophane for
a palette, which
allows me to
develop a large
range of colours
over the course
of a session. I’ll
work on two or
three paintings
at once and like
to see how the
colour relationships
develop and differ
over the three canvases.
You’re a painter and a poet. How do those
things work together? I’m very verbal most of
the time but, when I’m painting, the thinking
process sinks to a non-verbal level. I find writing
agonising – poetry is particularly agonising, but
I do really enjoy it. If I start a poem, it will have
me in its grip for days. Painting, on the other
hand, is much less painful, and much faster.
It’s very gratifying, very visceral. And it’s more
about the process than the finished painting.
If I like the end product, that’s a bonus. That
said, I usually do like the end product. In fact,
I’m probably the biggest fan of my own work!
I love looking at my work when I’ve finished a
piece. This feeling wears off though. Quite soon
all I want to be doing is discovering the next
painting… Interview by Lizzie Lower
See more of Michaela’s work at Gallery
40, Gloucester Road, from 20-31 August.
michaelaridgway.com
....59....

Strohacker
Contemporary
British Painting and
Sculpture
We look forward to welcoming
you to our gallery in Hove.
OPENING TIMES
Mon—Sat 10.30am—5pm
Sunday/bank holidays 12pm—5pm
Closed Tuesday
For more details visit
CAMERONCONTEMPORARY.COM
CCA_VivaLewes_Advert_66x94_June2018_v1.indd 1 17/06/2018 09:08

ART
....................................
ART & ABOUT
In town this month...
Artist, architect and gallerist John Whiting never travels anywhere
without a pen and a sketch-book (and a hat). Over the years he has filled
many pages with quick sketches and observations, often forming the
inspiration for paintings back in the studio. Vignettes – an exhibition
of pen line and ink wash drawings taken from the pages of these
sketchbooks – is at 35 North from the 10th of August, until Saturday
14th September.
Fabrica opens its doors this summer with Putting Ourselves in the Picture – an
accessible studio and temporary gallery for artists of all ages, levels and abilities
to access. The exhibition is a co-commission with Project Art Works as part of
the EXPLORERS project: an ambitious, creative and collaborative programme
of work with neurodiverse people across the UK, which asks questions about the
politics of who gets to make art and whose artwork is worthy of public view. Work
created in the studio space will be exhibited in the gallery until 26 Aug.
Patsy McArthur
The Colour of Summer – Cameron
Contemporary’s group summer exhibition
– features several artists new to the gallery
alongside gallery favourites. See paintings,
sculpture, ceramics and jewellery by
artists including Luke Hannam, Solange
Leon Iriarte, Luella Martin, and Patsy
McArthur. Until 30 August.
As part of the Royal Sussex County Hospital’s major
redevelopment, Sussex-based artists The Nimbus
Group are creating The Crucible: a three-part artwork
that will include an augmented reality app and a
website exploring the heritage and people’s personal
memories of the hospital. If you’d like to share your
memories, join a series of events with project artist
and illustrator, Daniel Locke, on 28 August (1-4pm
at The Hop 50+, Palmeira Square) and 6 September
(6-8pm, Sussex House Lecture Theatre, Abbey Road.)
[thecrucible.org.uk]
....61....

ART
....................................
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition
continues at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery.
The world-renowned exhibition is developed and
produced by the Natural History Museum, London,
and has been running for more than 50 years. This
year’s edition features 100 extraordinary images
of the natural world selected from around 50,000
international entries. Until 8 September.
Photo © Wayne Jones - Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Out of town
From 17 August until 1 September Artwave returns, with 140 venues
opening their doors across the Lewes district. It’s the perfect excuse for
an arty adventure, with many of the venues accessible by public transport,
so pick up a brochure and plan your route. Here’s just a few of our
suggestions, with venue numbers shown in brackets. Opening times vary, so
see artwavefestval.org for full details.
Pauline Devaney
John Hudson
In Lewes there’s an exhibition of work by
the late Theyre Lee-Elliott (136) in
St Anne’s Crescent. Born in
Lewes in 1903, his designs and
paintings captured the spirit
of the 1930s, particularly his
railway posters and his Imperial
Airways ‘Speedbird’ emblem.
Located in the spectacularly
refurbished old Post Office,
The Blue Room (109) is
home to an exhibition of
paintings by Adele Gibson
and Ruthie Martin and ceramics by Ray Maw,
and, just down the road at Lewes House of Friendship,
Pauline Devaney (114) exhibits her abstract and figurative
oil paintings. Chalk Gallery (88) have a Summer Selfie
themed exhibition including works by all the artists in the
collective. Join them for a party on the 17th (5-8pm). You’ll
find abstract geometric oil paintings by John Hudson (120)
in the beautifully crafted showroom of Alistair Fleming, and
Will Nash (123) opens his sculpture studio in Brooks Road,
showing prints from his archive and recent steel sculptures.
Theyre Lee-Elliott
....62....

ART
....................................
Out of town continued...
New this year, the Egrets Way Art Trail follows
the Ouse valley from Lewes to Newhaven, with
ten Artwave venues within easy distance from the
riverside path. Join organised cycle rides as well as
an art walk and print workshop. (See pg 24 of the
Artwave brochure.) Across the river you’ll find The
Old Forge at South Heighton: a carefully curated
open house in a beautiful setting. Continue on down the road to the Newhaven Festival (Aug 17-
Sept 1, see pg 55), now in its second year, with a programme of events including the Newhaven Open
Call art exhibition at the Ship Hotel, a shanty singing workshop at the RNLI and Holding the Fort –
an exhibition of site-specific work in the 19th Century Fort. [newhavenfestival.co.uk]
The Old Forge
Sam Chivers
Seaford has more Artwave shows than ever before, with
the most ambitious of all – The Green Show – taking place
at South Hill Barn on Seaford Head (see pg 8). Venture as
far as the picturesque Keepers Cottage, in Bopeep Lane,
Alciston (41), and you’ll find the ceramic sculptures and
birdbaths of Sarah Walton set throughout her woodland
garden, with an exhibition of paintings by Nick Bush
alongside. Over in Wellingham Lane, near Barcombe, the
artists of The Cowshed
Collective (4) show a wide range of work, including Float
Glass, who have just completed a large glass installation – based
on one of the first geologic maps of the UK – for the Natural
History Museum. At the picturesque Coach House at Glynde
Place (16), you’ll find paintings, sculpture, stone carving, film,
installation, poetry and collage by twelve contemporary artists,
including Chiara Bianchi, Jacky Misson, Tara Gould, Will
Nash, Mark Stonestreet and Helen Mary-Skelton.
Sarah Walton
Colourscape
Colourscape comes to Charleston for the weekend of the 17-18 August,
offering the chance to explore an extraordinary labyrinth of colour,
light and music-filled chambers. Fun for all ages. The 10th anniversary
programme continues at Towner with exhibitions by Dineo Seshee
Bopape and Phoebe Unwin, alongside the striking outdoor work
by Lothar Götz. Joining them is local artist, Helen Turner, whose
newly commissioned sculptural work – Head – ‘a wrapped ball of
feelings’, will be on display in the front window of the gallery until
the end of September. From 11 Aug at Farley’s House and Gallery
see Bodyworks: A Surrealist Anatomy – an exhibition of images by the
celebrated artist and zoologist, Desmond Morris.
....63....

DESIGN
....................................
Love Campers
A bespoke home on the road
Love Campers is true to its name – the business
began with a Brighton love story. Clara Usiskin
used to walk her dogs past Darren Munday’s
live-in van. They got chatting, and Darren
prepared pet treats for their arrival each day,
giving them both an excuse to keep talking.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
After getting hitched, the duo decided to
combine Darren’s talents as an industrial tool
maker and Clara’s transferable skills from
her legal background to begin a bespoke
camper van design business – fitting out vans’
interiors to build people’s dream homes away
from home. “Darren had always loved camper
vans and I’d always liked the idea of them but
never actually had one,” says Clara. “He’s
really talented at building things and has this
amazing spatial ability for design.”
From their workspace in Barcombe Mills,
Love Campers began by focusing on small
campers – such as the Mitsubishi Delica and
the VW Caddy – where every inch of space
counts. “We’re particularly attractive to people
living in towns,” says Clara. “We do a lot of
small vans that people are increasingly using
as everyday cars. So you’re not going to have
a problem parking and the vehicles are quite
fuel-efficient.
Love Campers is not just for van owners – the
team can help customers source vehicles for
....64....

DESIGN
....................................
a refit. They’ve come up with a blueprint design
that can be adapted to different van types, which
includes a large fold-out bed (just under four feet
wide). The kitchen can have a gas hob, sink and a
fridge. Other features include a toilet, a pop top
roof that can hold another bed, and the option to
fit solar panels for powering charge points.
And if you have a specific requirement, they’ll
do their very best to build it for you. “A couple
recently wanted somewhere to put their wetsuits,
so we added a cupboard they could access from the
back of the van,” says Clara. “And we’ve also built a
wheelchair-accessible van.”
What’s next for Love Campers? “We’re going to
start working on Japanese Hybrid electric vans,
which are slightly less polluting,” says Clara.
They’re also working hard to use more sustainable
materials in their designs, and their Conscious
Camper blog addresses any questions about
improving the carbon footprint of camper van
holidays.
Love Campers is also passionate about accessibility.
“For anyone who thinks having a camper van isn’t
for them – be it because they feel that there are
physical barriers, or that they couldn’t drive such
a big vehicle – we would love for them to speak to
us,” says Clara.
She herself is a convert to camper vans – and not
just for family holidays. “My van is like a travelling
office,” she says. “My set-up lets me solar power
my laptop when the vehicle isn’t plugged into the
mains. So I can drive to Stanmer Park for the day
and work from there!” Rose Dykins
lovecampers.co.uk
Photos by Eleanor Gassman
....65....

To book:
brightonregencyroutemaster.co.uk
01273 720067
15% off for Viva readers
Enter VIVA15 in the promo box during
the booking process.

THE WAY WE WORK
This month Adam Bronkhorst photographed some of the folk at
The Big Lemon Bus and Coach Company’s depot.
He asked them: Where’s your favourite road trip destination?
adambronkhorst.com | 07879 401333
Kendal Saunders
‘Edinburgh.’

THE WAY WE WORK
Charlotte Hautot
‘Bournemouth.’

THE WAY WE WORK
Chris Addison-Jones
‘Hever Castle.’

THE WAY WE WORK
Jim Chatfield
‘Poynings.’

THE WAY WE WORK
James Wood
‘Windsor Castle.’

POP IN & SAY HELLO
93 North Road, Brighton, BN1 1YE
157 Church Road, Hove, BN3 2AD
gailsbread.co.uk/order
Family-run restaurant with a focus on
locality and seasonality.
Freshly baked cakes, light breakfast,
lunch and dinner served from
Wednesday to Saturday.
Brunch served from 11am Saturdays only.
Private dining available for
groups up to 20 people.
Events space hire for workshops
and meetings.
Café | Restaurant | Events
31a Western Road, Hove, BN3 1AF
chardbrighton.co.uk | 01273 027 147 | chardbrightonhove@gmail.com

FOOD
.............................
Rathfinny
Lunch in the Tasting Room
Ye gods, THAT gazpacho!
Lizzie and I had just walked an
hour from Bo-peep carpark to
our table in Rathfinny’s Tasting
Room booked for 2pm. The
walk was beautiful, along the
top, then left and down through
the vineyard valley: Eric
Ravilious meets Umbria. We
were talking a lot, short on time
and short of breath, and the day
warm. Inevitably, the starter we
could neither resist, when we
settled in our window table, was
the ‘Iced English tomato gazpacho
with Manchego croquettes’.
My, was it good.
Everything about the dish
made us smile – including
the Instagramable “watermelon
red”, as Lizzie put it,
of the soup, against the small
perfectly (ill-)formed white bowl, against the
grey brushed-metal tabletop. The fresh tomato
flavour, and the island of cucumber submerged
at its centre, with other chopped flavourings
– mint, garlic?, further cucumber? It was
deelish. A perfect dish. Such a delicate blend of
refreshing flavour, punctuated immaculately by
intermittent mouthfuls of the lovely, rather more
decadent, crispy, cheese croquette served on the
side. Oh, yes.
But… I’m getting ahead of myself. First we
enjoyed drinks and bread. Lizzie ordered the
incredibly rhubarby, light and refreshing Rhubarb
Crush (£3) – “bright”, she called it – while
I sampled the very fine house white: Rathfinny
Cradle Valley 2017 (£6.50/ glass). We ate bread
– I especially enjoyed the grape and rosemary
Photos by Lizzie Lower
focaccia with butter (served
on a stone and studded with
salt): yum.
For mains, Lizzie went for the
‘Risotto of courgette & mint,
courgette flower tempura,
buffalo ricotta’ which she
described as “unusually good,
perfect rice texture, lemony”.
She enjoyed the young courgette
with flower still attached
in a crispy batter.
I, meanwhile, plumped for the
‘Short rib of Belted Galloway
cooked over coals, cep
ketchup, beetroot, fennel’. The
beef, with a beef jus with soya
and mirin was full of flavour
and texture, complemented
beautifully by the sides of
delicate pink and golden
beetroot (my fav), fennel and
sauces. The small green salad on the side also
went excellently.
We opted not to try the puddings this time
– tempting though Lemon posset and Brillat-Savarin
cheesecake sounded. But we were
sated.
While we sat eating and chatting – about far
away adventures, train travel, and India – a
kestrel hovered overhead. The tables are all set
along a gallery-shaped space with floor to ceiling
windows onto the beautiful sweeping view.
Eating with a view, a bit like living with a view,
brings its own special flavours. You cannot forget
you’ve escaped town for the duration. CG
Rathfinny Wine Estate, Alfriston, BN26 5TU
Lunch Menu 12-3.00 £30 for two courses; £35 for
three. rathfinnyestate.com
....73....

RECIPE
.............................
Photo by Lulah Ellender
....74....

RECIPE
.............................
Baba ganoush
Monem Mansour, Cairovan
Cairovan is a proper family business. It was
inspired by the Egyptian side of the family –
in particular my dad, who loved cooking for
gatherings. Aunties and my grandma passed on
recipes that go back generations, and I spent
months in Egypt practising and perfecting
different dishes. My English kin pitch in
too: our lamb comes from one nephew who
works the family farm in Ditchling, and other
nephews and nieces help with serving food,
fixing the van and sorting out my website.
I sell contemporary Egyptian street food
from my custom-built orange van (called
Habiba, which means ‘My darling’). I love
the variety of being mobile, and it means I
can try new venues as well as establishing a
loyal customer base at my regular pitches. On
Tuesday evenings you’ll find me in Barcombe;
on Wednesdays I’m in Portslade; Thursday is
Horsham market day; Friday evenings I’m at
Stonywish Farm with my family, campers and
lots of villagers; and on Saturdays we do events
like weddings or festivals.
My food is locally sourced wherever possible
and we try to be zero-waste – even the unused
lettuce goes to a friend who keeps reptiles.
I prepare the food at home and then cook
on the hob and oven in the van. We serve
breakfasts of fava beans, lamb chipolatas,
ful medames and fried eggs. Our special
falafels are made with fava beans, so they’re
really light and moist, and we serve amazing
halloumi fries, and slow-roasted garlic lamb.
We also make our own pickled cabbage, chilli
sauce, tahini sauce and coriander verdi. Our
dishes are vibrant and fresh, full of colour and
made with real care.
The recipe I’ve chosen is my dad’s baba
ganoush. I spent so much time watching
him cook, learning how to get a true feel for
flavours and textures. He often made this
when we had guests, serving it with bread as
a dip as people arrived. It’s a lovely starter or
nibble for a summer garden party or BBQ
and is simple to make. The name means
‘spoilt father’ – it’s something you’d make to
treat your dad and it connects me to mine,
who is no longer around.
Here’s how to make it: On a high heat, grill
(or BBQ) four aubergines until evenly charred.
You want them black and shrivelled on the
outside and soft and gooey on the inside.
Leave to cool in a bowl, then scoop out the
flesh into another bowl, reserving the liquid.
To the flesh add the juice of two lemons, two
teaspoons salt, two teaspoons ground cumin,
one teaspoon ground black pepper, three
tablespoons tahini, two tablespoons olive oil,
two cloves crushed garlic, three tablespoons
of the reserved aubergine juices and mash
well with a fork. Garnish with fresh parsley,
pomegranate seeds and olive oil. Cut khobez
bread or pittas into triangles, place on a baking
tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with
za’atar, then bake for ten minutes. Serve with
the baba ganoush.
As told to Lulah Ellender
cairovan.com; Instagram @cairo_van
....75....

ADVERTORIAL
“I ate myself healthy
again with CNM.
And wrote a book.”
Terry McIlroy, CNM
Nutritional Therapy
Graduate, Author and Chef,
talks about his inspiration
upon the release of his new
book ‘Super Nutrition’.
My new book Super Nutrition is my life’s work; it
outlines the ways I’ve used nutrition and my passion
for food to heal my body and mind, improving my
physical and emotional wellbeing.
I started in the world of professional chefs at 12yrs
old, but as I got older I became more interested in
health and nutrition. All my life, I had been plagued
with severe acne and constant mouth ulcers.
Conventional treatments did not work and my health
deteriorated. This is when I started to investigate
what was causing my health problems. My thought
process shifted to cause and effect and I wondered
if what I was eating – or more importantly not eating
– was the cause, and the presenting symptoms were
the effect?
I bought a juicer and a smoothie machine and
increased my veg and fruit intake and also saw
a nutritionist. One of the dietary changes the
nutritionist suggested was reducing or eliminating
pasteurised dairy. I made this and other small
adjustments, like cutting out fizzy drinks and drinking
more water, and my presenting symptoms all but
disappeared within 3-4 weeks. I had no mouth
ulcers or acne for the first time in my life. It was
transformational!
“The course inspired me to combine my
chef skills with my newfound passion for
nutrition and create my own recipe book.”
I enrolled on a three-year, part-time diploma
in Nutrition with the College of Naturopathic
Medicine. Going back to school was daunting,
however, I was hungry for the knowledge. The
course inspired me to combine my chef skills
with my newfound passion for nutrition and
create my own recipe book with recipes and
lifestyle tips fuelled by the correct nutritional
protocols.
I learned just how vital proper nutrition is
for premium health. Incorporating a broad
spectrum of nutrients in my diet and following
the lifestyle protocols myself has helped me
ensure I am not deficient in any one particular
nutrient or mineral. Whilst my diet is not
perfect, I can turn to my nutritional knowledge
and experience to support my health and
wellbeing.
CNM has a 20-year track record training successful
practitioners in natural therapies, in class and online.
Colleges across the UK and Ireland.
Visit naturopathy-uk.com or call 01342 410 505

FOOD
.............................
GAIL’s Bakery
Tempting treats
GAIL’s Bakery is a spacious mixture of warm wood and “industrial
utilitarian chic”, as my guest Alice describes it. The place feels
communal (long neighbourly tables), and light (floor-to-ceiling
windows and the kitchen visible to all). Happily, a lot of space is set
aside for a bewildering array of tempting treats at the counter.
I enjoy the cheerily indulgent brioche French toast with maple bacon (£8.50): the bacon is crispy
and rich, accompanied by sinful, soft eggy bread. Alice has blueberry & buttermilk pancakes with
blueberry compote, crème fraîche and maple syrup (£7.50), and similarly enjoys the complementary
textures of the tart berry and the sugary syrup. The staff helpfully print out a receipt with ingredients
on it: a quick, private approach much appreciated by those with allergies.
For dessert number one, I love my almond croissant, not too sugary or buttery, allowing the sprinkled
almond topping and delicious filling to shine (£3.20). Alice’s blueberry muffin (£3) is also surprisingly
savoury, with some delicate crumb topping and lots of berries throughout.
For our second dessert, we can heartily recommend the distinct tang of the lemon & Earl Grey
marmalade jam (£5.50) on a fluffy, moreish brioche loaf (£4). The chocolate sablés (£3.80) are
fantastic too: crumbly, with a light touch of salt hitting the spot in the melt-in-the-mouth bites. JF
93 North Road, gailsbread.co.uk
Photo by Joe Fuller
A-news bouche
It’s Chilli Fiesta time, in West
Dean Gardens, Chichester.
There will be live Latin music,
cookery demos, outdoor
cinema, fireworks and more,
with day tickets or familyfriendly
camping tickets
available. 9-11 Aug, chillifiesta.
co.uk. Beloved BeFries are
running a crowdfunding
campaign to launch their
house-made sauces nationally,
Google ‘BeSaucy
Kickstarter’ to
find out more
about the rewards
on offer for
pledges.
Congratulations to Douglas
McMaster of Silo, who was
one of the top finalists for the
Basque Culinary World Prize
2019. An award for trailblazing
chefs whose work has had an
impact “beyond the kitchen”,
Silo was the first restaurant
to be 100% zero-waste in
the UK. The College of
Naturopathic Medicine has a
free open morning on inspiring
careers in natural therapies. 7
Aug, 10.30am-12.30pm, BACA,
naturopathyuk.com
Brighton Coffee Festival
makes its debut at the Open
Market, including Latte Art
competitions, free tasters,
live shows and informative
talks. 11 Aug, brightoncoffeefest.com.
Magic of Thailand Festival
in Preston Park, meanwhile,
is a great chance to sample
a range of Thai food, beer,
music and dancing in between
live cooking
demonstrations.
17
Aug, magicofthailand.
co.uk.
....77....

MY SPACE
.............................
Brighton Regency Routemaster
Owner Colin Beaddie
I went on a dinner tram in Melbourne
about 15 years ago and thought, ‘how could
I replicate this at home?’. I tried to set it up in
London, but I couldn’t get the various boroughs
to agree. I was working at Virgin Atlantic at
the time, looking after food safety and quality
all over the world, but I’d always wanted my
own coffee shop. About five years ago, the one
on the corner of Wilbury and Church Road
came up, so I opened Baked. But the bus was
always at the back of my mind. One night,
after a few gin and tonics, I looked online and
saw this Routemaster bus for sale. I woke up
in the morning and saw ‘your order has been
confirmed’.
The bus had been off the road for 15 years
and was then a mobile beauty salon and a sales
office for a used car garage. Someone put me in
touch with Southern Transit, who specialise in
Routemasters, and they looked it over for me.
There was a bit of to-ing and fro-ing getting
the funds together, then I had it towed down to
Brighton.
We stripped the inside and took it right
back to the metal. It took about 16 months
to rebuild and fit out. I wanted it to feature
typically Brighton colours, so we’ve used teal,
blue and gold in the interior, but it’s an original
London bus so we went with the traditional red
livery outside.
There were a lot of regulations to get
through. I had to get a change of usage
certificate, register as a bus operator, and become
a transport manager. Everything from drivers’
hours and bus maintenance, to the carriage of
passengers is regulated. Brighton Council were
....78....

MY SPACE
.............................
brilliant. I didn’t have to become a driver, but I wanted
to, so I went from driving a smart car to driving a bus!
I’ve become a real bus geek.
There are eight tables on the upper deck and
four downstairs. We can seat 42. In the summer
we run two tours a day from Thursday to Sunday,
picking up the passengers at Pool Valley and taking
them on a 90-minute tour of Brighton, out to
Saltdean and back. Along the way we serve afternoon
tea with a choice of four sandwiches, five cakes on
a cake stand, and scones with cream and jam. We
also do Brighton Gin and Prosecco afternoon teas,
and, once a month, we do a tour out to Albourne
Vineyard and another up through West Sussex
villages to Horsham.
Now I run the coffee shop and the bus, my
airline background has really come into its own.
I used to be responsible for everything from the
teaspoons to toilet rolls on an aircraft – so I was used
to a lot of planning. It’s also helped me with serving
on the move: you have to walk a bit like a penguin
for balance.
As told to Lizzie Lower
£38 for the classic and £48 for the Brighton Gin and
Prosecco tours. The bus is also available for private
hire. brightonregencyroutemaster.co.uk
....79....

FEATURE
.............................
Electric Vehicles
Feel the power
There should be a
disclosure at the start of
this article: since getting
an electric car two years
ago, I’ve become an EV
evangelist.
And I’m not the only one:
the last four years have
seen a remarkable surge
in demand for electric
vehicles in the UK, with new registrations of
plug-in cars rising from 3,500 in 2013 to more
than 214,000 by the end of May 2019.
Figures from the Department of Transport show
there were 400 plug-in vehicles in Brighton and
Hove at the end of 2018, and we could soon
see more drivers making the switch with the
installation of more than 200 charging points
across the city.
The city council was awarded a £300,000
grant in May last year from the Office of
Low Emission Vehicles, news which has been
welcomed by campaigners from Electric
Brighton, a community initiative that seeks to
encourage Electric and Low Emissions vehicle
ownership in the city.
The group has been steadily building up a map
of demand in the city with at least 100 people
pledging to swap their polluting cars for an
electric model if there were more charging
points available.
Tom Kiss from Electric Brighton believes
the move to more sustainable transport is
“inevitable”, adding: “I think that most people
don’t want to drive around polluting the air if
they can avoid it.”
He explains: “it is a chicken-and-egg scenario
whereby there needs to be a demonstrable level
of demand to justify installing chargers, but
Photo by Thomas Kelley
where people will not buy an
electric vehicle unless they
have reassurance there is
somewhere to charge.
“So really, the chargers have
to come first to provide
that reassurance to people.
Having a presence on the
streets and seeing people
charging their vehicles also
acts as an advertisement to people that it is a
viable option and it is possible to move away
from oil.”
Brighton & Hove City Council is soon to
announce the successful bidder to install the
charging points. Most should be in place by the
end of October and – if more funding is found –
more points can be installed.
With the problem of convenient charging
points on the road set to be solved, what are the
advantages of owning an electric vehicle?
New cars now boast a range of 200 miles or
more, explains Tom, and, when it comes to
running costs, electric vehicles can cost far less
than petrol or diesel alternatives. “Most obvious
is fuel cost, where there can be a 70% saving
over petrol or diesel and 2.5p a mile can be
achieved relatively easily with an electric vehicle.
“But there are other less obvious savings too.
Regenerative braking in electric vehicles means
that costly brake pads are used very little: the
first Nissan Leaf added to the fleet of electric
taxi company C&C taxis in Newquay clocked up
over 100,000 miles still on its first set of brake
pads.”
There are far fewer mechanical parts to break as
well, so you really can make big savings. All the
more reason to join our friends electric.
Ellie Evans
....81....

FEATURE
.............................
Photos by Joe Fuller
Driverless cars
Blind Veterans Centre trial
One of the many benefits of driverless cars
is the opportunity they could bring to those
unable to drive, including people with visual
impairments. An autonomous vehicle (AV)
company, Aurrigo, are currently trialling their
‘driverless pods’ at the Blind Veterans Centre
in Ovingdean, with feedback helping to make
them more user-friendly for the disabled
community.
I take a ride in ‘Arthur’ – named after Blind
Veterans UK founder Sir Arthur Pearson –
with the first blind veteran to take part in
the trial, Mark Threadgold, and Aurrigo Test
Engineer, Tom Sheridan. The ride is very
smooth: we potter around a small circuit at a
walking pace, past designated ‘pod stops’ in the
grounds. Internal cameras record passengers’
reactions and thoughts, while another camera
picks up on guide dogs’ experiences in the car.
Tom explains that they have installed a ‘base
station’ to improve the accuracy of the GPS
system. “Take your phone, that communicates
just with the satellite… that’s about five metre
accuracy, whereas this is three centimetres.
The base station has a fixed position, so this
pod talks to the base station, not the satellite,
making it much more accurate.” Like most AV
companies, Arthur uses LiDAR technology
(light detection and ranging), with small
lasers creating a 3D image of surroundings in
a similar, but more accurate way than radar
technology.
Aurrigo’s vehicles are exploring the importance
of voice-activated controls, and Mark shares his
....82....

FEATURE
.............................
thoughts on audio information for passengers too.
“It’s all right it going from A to B, but all it does is
get there and stop. Are you at traffic lights? They’re
looking at some audio feedback that tells you where
you are, what you’re passing. I’m totally blind, for
someone like me you’re just sat in a box with very
little sensory information otherwise.
“You lose your sight, your independence goes like
that [clicks fingers]. We all take it for granted and
it’s very quickly, very easily lost. For many of the
members, driving is the biggest loss of independence
you’ve got. I had a little sports car that I used to race
years ago. I went to car shows, I did thousands and
thousands of miles. And how I missed that. More
than anything else. Being able to have your own
transport, where you can go where you want to go.
“It interests me: how are they going to run these
things in the future? Are you going to be able to
have one of your own? Is it going to be run like a big
taxi firm effectively, where the thing turns up and off
you go? Or can you keep one on your drive and just
tell it where you want to go? What’s it gonna cost?”
It might be some time before these questions
are answered, but Mark’s clear enthusiasm about
the prospects for driverless cars, our comfortable
journey, and the warm responses to Arthur that I see
on the day certainly bodes well for the future.
Joe Fuller
blindveterans.org.uk
aurrigo.com
Photo courtesy of Blind Veterans UK
....83....

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BUILT BRIGHTON
.............................
Preston
Barracks
Lewes Road revived
Image courtesy of U+I plc
Lewes Road is, apparently, the
longest road in the city, if you
go by continuity of name. It’s
just under 3.5 miles from just
past The Level to Falmer.
It’s not, in my opinion,
currently the most joyous of
roads: slow-moving traffic,
mainly occupied by takeaway
pizza places and funeral
parlours. But get past that and
things are changing.
Preston Barracks was built
in 1793 as part of a plan to
protect us from Napoleon
invading, assuming he’d
choose the shortest route
to London. (Don’t forget
he wouldn’t have had to use
Thameslink).
There’s now only one
surviving building from the
original 1793 barracks; the
former canteen in the north
western corner. This building
was used by Lord Cardigan
(he of ‘Charge of the Light
Brigade’ fame) for courts
martial. Maybe we should have
demolished that too…
The Preston Barracks
development is a pretty
stunning design and will,
for the first time, give the
University of Brighton a
proper campus. It’s where the
architecture students train
(in the rather less impressive
Mithras House), so it’s
exciting that they will be part
of the new ‘Big Build’, as the
university calls it.
Developers U+I, Optivo
Housing Association, Brighton
& Hove City Council and the
University of Brighton, are
together creating one of the
city’s biggest ever regeneration
projects.
The development will deliver
hundreds of new homes,
including affordable housing,
and lots of student rooms,
which means fewer students
living in damp and dingy
private accommodation.
There will also be new space
for Brighton University’s
Business School and start-up
companies. And – my favourite
bit – a new pedestrian bridge.
This will really change the feel
of the area; the busy main road
splits the campus in two at the
moment.
What I really like about it
is that U+I tend to use very
good architects, and while
their schemes, such as Circus
Street in Brighton, are often a
....85....
bit controversial (because they
tend to be very high density),
they are always top quality.
But I think it’s what we need
in this city. Great architecture
can make significant change
to an area. Estate agents have
been telling me for years that
around Lewes Road is a good
bet if you want to make some
money in property (don’t tell
anyone).
I really think people will be
shocked, surprised and, I hope,
delighted by the architecture,
and that’s a good thing. So
many changes to our city have
been less than we expect and
deserve.
London developers like U+I
are working here because they
see the opportunities we have
to do better. U+I are certainly
raising the stakes at Circus
Street and Preston Barracks.
Here’s to more of that.
The best outcome for this
project is that Brighton
University has a stunning
new campus and Lewes
Road benefits from the new
additions. Cities change,
and this could be a really
interesting modern addition:
our future heritage. Paul Zara

FEATURE
.............................
Racing Green
Battery-powered performance
It might not have the loud, characteristic growl
of a petrol engine, but it’s definitely not short
on style.
For the first time University of Sussex engineering
Masters students have built their own
electric-powered racing car.
Working as SAR Electric in partnership with
students at Aim Shams University in Egypt, they
created their vehicle for the annual Formula
Student competition, which sees university teams
across the world designing, building and then
racing their vehicles for a week at Silverstone.
While the already established Mobil 1 Sussex
Racing team has been creating a petrol engine
car, drawing on the knowledge and experience
of previous students who have taken part in the
competition run by the Institution of Mechanical
Engineers, the SAR Electric team had to start
from scratch.
“We began this last September with barely any
knowledge of electric cars,” says Sussex Team
Leader Serdar Çiçek, a fourth-year MEng student.
“The project is as much about learning how
to work together as it is about winning a race.”
The single-seater car is equipped with a handmade
DC brushed motor from Lynch, rated
at just 48 volts and powered by a lithium-ion
battery pack, which gives the car enough oomph
to reach speeds up to 40 mph.
“The competition allows you to use up to 600
volts, but we wanted to put safety first,” says
Serdar. “We have to make sure we are complying
with all the rules and regulations. There’s a huge
amount of scrutineering of our car before we can
even get to drive it.”
The green credentials of electric cars were what
attracted the team members to the project,
although they acknowledge that the battery has
to be charged up, and unless you have access to
renewable energy, you could still be relying on
fossil fuels.
Elizabeth Olisa, the Commercial & Communications
Director and the only female member of
the SAR Electric team, points out that technology
exists to incorporate solar panels into
future designs, and that the motor they use has
the capability of regenerative braking (when you
brake, it charges the battery).
Even though the project has given them the
thrill of competing at Silverstone at the end
of July against more than 130 teams from 25
countries, their ambition lies in designing cars
for domestic use.
Elizabeth says: “We’re all obviously concerned
about the future of the planet. I am really interested
in working with renewable energy or the
electric side of automotive.”
Serdar agrees. “Electric cars use lithium-ion
batteries, which when assembled are pretty large
and heavy. The research into the development of
them is still in the growth stage. There’s still a lot
more refining to do to get them smaller and even
more energy-dense.”
He adds: “It’s great to be able to race the car.
The experience has been tremendous, especially
since the competition includes sponsors such as
Dyson, who are developing their own electric
car. It’s an exciting time for those of us who want
to go into this side of the industry.”
Jacqui Bealing
....87....

my vet
listens
“I told my vet, that Queenie
my cat was very anxious in the
surgery. Now she’s given plenty of
time to investigate the room and
settle before they examine her.”
Lara Havord, Brighton
coastwayvets.co.uk

WILDLIFE
.............................
Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner
Charging into battle on a Fiat Punto
Collage by Michael Blencowe
Far, far away in the south-east corner of Europe
the Balkan Mountains tower over the landscape.
Their valleys were once home to the fearsome
Thracian tribes who made empires tremble when
they rode screaming into battle on their wild
horses. But even more ancient battles were being
fought deep in these majestic mountains.
Here in the Balkans there grew a strange and
mighty tree. Its huge seeds were encased in spiky
armour and its leaves were like giant hands which
cast shade all around. But this tree had been cursed.
Each year a plague of tiny, tiny moths would attack
the tree, their caterpillars would burrow inside
every leaf. Green turned to brown, leaving the tree
apparently lifeless and defeated. Yet each year the
tree would return with renewed green vigour and
each year the moths would attack with the same
resolve. And so for centuries the tree and the moth
remained trapped in the Balkan Mountains, locked
in their epic, age-old battle.
Then one day men came from the west, discovered
this magnificent tree, gathered its seeds and
planted them in their world. The branches and
the empire of the Horse Chestnut spread across
Europe’s parks and gardens. People admired it
and reclined in the shade of its broad palmate
leaves. Schoolboys used its seeds to fight their
own playground battles. The conker tree had
conquered the continent. Here in this new
world the curse of the moth had been lifted and
the Horse Chestnut flourished. Meanwhile the
tree’s nemesis, not a particularly strong flyer,
remained imprisoned in the remote valleys of the
Balkan Mountains for centuries, more myth than
moth. Then, one day, the modern world arrived.
Construction workers building roads through the
mountains were unwittingly building the perfect
means for the moth to escape and spread. An
ancient evil had been loosed on the world. Now
all it needed was a lift. So the moth stuck out its
six thumbs and hitched a ride.
Incredibly the moth, just 5mm long, was able to
disperse by grabbing on to passing vehicles. And
so, like the ferocious Thracian tribes, the moth
rode into battle. Screaming along highways, motorways,
and autobahns on Volvos, Citroens, Fiats
and Fords. The ancient battle spilled out from the
Balkans as the moth was chauffeur-driven to every
Horse Chestnut tree in Europe.
The Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner moth was first
discovered, identified and named in Greece in
1984. Twenty years later, in 2004, an innocent
motorist pulled off the A27 in to the University
of Sussex car park unaware they held a sinister
stowaway. In the following few years every Horse
Chestnut in Sussex was moth-eaten. Look to the
leaves this summer and you’ll see the great Balkan
battle raging right on your doorstep.
Michael Blencowe, Senior Learning & Engagement
Officer, Sussex Wildlife Trust
....89....

INSIDE LEFT: BRIGHTON AQUARIUM, 1922
..........................................................................................
‘To sally forth on this day’, reported the Pall Mall
Gazette, on August 7th, 1922, aka August Bank
Holiday Monday, ‘is something of a religion to a
vast body of Londoners’.
The holiday, originally designed to enable bank
employees time off to attend cricket matches,
had been introduced in 1871, and had become a
hugely popular and long-awaited occasion, in an
era when workers otherwise had precious little
free time.
Unfortunately, the article this quote is taken
from is headlined ‘HOLIDAYS IN A DEL-
UGE’: that August was the coldest on record,
the weather that summer being described – by
Historical Weather – as ‘diabolical’. And it was
particularly bad over the holiday weekend, the
wettest ever recorded. You can practically hear
the moaning and grumbling.
Not that it had stopped the tourists from travelling
down to the south coast. 140,000 passengers
used South Coast Railways that weekend, with
58 extra trains being laid on for those optimistic
enough to brave the rain. Many more had come
down in coaches and charabancs. As James Gray
says in the caption to this image: ‘Note the long
line of motor coaches stretching [down Madeira
Drive] into the distance’. Brighton – already the
most population-dense urban area in the country,
bar London’s East End, must have been mighty
crowded.
Look closely, and you can see that a crowd has
developed outside the Aquarium. There wasn’t
much to do there, unfortunately: the establishment
had been taken over by the Council, and
had become something of an empty shell. They
were planning to turn it into a ‘motor charabanc
garage’, a project which, thankfully, was abandoned
after a public outcry and a debate in the
House of Commons, that very month.
The ornate Italianate clock tower, added to the
building in 1872, wasn’t to last much longer, lost
to a redesign in 1927, after which the Aquarium’s
fortunes revived somewhat. You can see that the
picture was taken at ten past one: lunchtime. It
must have been nigh-on impossible to get a table
at a restaurant or café that day: I imagine that
the pubs, too must have done a roaring trade, as
punters tried to make the most of the occasion
before having to head home again. A road trip to
forget, perhaps: still, there was always next year.
Alex Leith
Many thanks to the Regency Society for letting us
use this image from the James Gray Collection.
regencysociety.org
....90....

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you can easily join them online
for a very small fee."
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Senior Editor, Bloomberg, June 2019
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