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ueens Park Living December 2015 Edition I 01273 551021 I www.queensparkliving.co.uk
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Sales and Lettings
FREE PROPERTY VALUATIONS Ask the Experts 01273 677365 Bonetts.co.uk
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Welcome...
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Merry Christmas and Happy Contents Page 4/5 Old Photo New Year Queen’s Park! Page 7
Queen’s Park Person
Page 9
Carer-Van Ball
Page 11
Affordable Property
Page 12
St Luke’s Church Music and Wine
Page 15
Burning of the Clocks
The Queens Park Living Team
Page 17
A Christmas Carol
Page 18
List of Advertisers
Cover Picture: This month’s front cover picture is by Lisa Holdcroft. Lisa will have a stall at the Open Market every Saturday from now until Christmas, selling prints, cards and Christmas cards of local scenes.
If you have an item you would like to see featured in Queens Park Living please email us at info@queensparkliving.co.uk
Blimey, Christmas is here again! Where did that sneak up from? It was only Summer a few weeks ago and here we are once again in a panic about turkeys, sprouts and shopping! I am afraid I am a bit last minute every Christmas and find the whole thing a bit of a strain often scratching around for presents in the shops on Christmas Eve before the shops close. Still all things considered it is a magical time of the year and we wish you all the very best for a restful and enjoyable yuletide! info@queensparkliving.co.uk www.queensparkliving.co.uk
Publisher: Sussex Magazines 10 Hollingbury Road, Brighton BN1 7JA info@queensparkliving.co.uk Printer: Gemini printers Distributors: Mandy Distribution
The views expressed by individuals in any letter or article included at the discretion of the publishers are not necessarily the views of the Editor. Whilst every care has been taken in compiling this magazine and the statements contained herein are believed to be correct, the publishers of this publication will not hold themselves responsible for any inaccuracies. Inclusion of advertisers in this magazine is not necessarily a recommendation but we do hope they give a good quality service. No part of the publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the publishers and contributors We take complaints you make about our advertisers seriously. We have the following policy on this: First complaint about an advertiser is logged here in our offices, if we receive another complaint we write to the advertiser concerned and notify them we have had two complaints and if we receive another complaint we will no longer accept their adverts. If and when a third complaint arrives we will verify that all complaints received were genuine and inform the advertiser that we will no longer be promoting their business and inform them why.
Renu Your Bath Baths restored to NEW without removal. One day service. Any colour
THE LOGMAN Delivers dry well seasoned logs sourced from the local area Any quantity from 1/4 cubic metres upwards Any size logs from 4 to 15 inches
Get a FREE online quote at www.renubath.co.uk or call 01273 956290 for a quote
Impeccable Environmental Credentials Call Mark for further details
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Old Photo...
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Tarner Community Project
Happy Christmas from everyone at Tarner Community Project.
Edward Street Woods furniture shop, 75 Edward Street at the corner of Egremont Place, in 1916. The whole area was later cleared as part of the Edward Street widening.
We look forward to seeing you at our After School Club or one of our Holiday Play Schemes in 2016. The Holiday Play Schemes run during every school holiday, apart from Christmas. Youth projects for young people age 8-19 also run throughout the year and include, clubs, trips & outings, girls groups, sports. Visit our lovely new website for dates, booking forms etc and to see all the great things we have planned ahead. After school collections from: • • •
Carlton Hill Queens Park St Lukes
Telephone: 01273 679900 www.tarnerland.org.uk office@tarnerland.org.uk Registered charity: 1152321
“OUTSTANDING”...OFSTED
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Q Q Thanks to the Regency Society for this image from their photographic archives, The James Gray Collection. You can see thousands of more historic pictures of Brighton and Hove at www.regencysociety-jamesgray.com
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Seasons greetings from Howlett Clarke As 2016 draws closer, often we take the time to reflect on the year just passed, and this year has been great for Howlett Clarke. Our expansion along the west coast into the Shoreham and Southwick area has been a huge success and we’ve loved getting to know the local area and the residents these past few months. We are also continuing to develop our roots in the heart of Brighton and Hove. As the area’s oldest legal practice we pride ourselves in being able to offer the best legal services for both you and your business. 2016 is going to be a very exciting year for us and we can’t wait to share it with you!
On behalf of everyone here at Howlett Clarke we’d like to wish you a very merry Christmas! We provide a range of different services for both you and your business which include; Conveyancing Wills & Probate Divorce & Separation Consumer Credit Dispute Resolution
Corporate & Commercial Employment Intellectual Property Mediation
QualitySolicitors Howlett Clarke Your Local Legal Experts. 01273 327 272 info@howlettclarke.co.uk www.qualitysolicitors.com/howlettclarke To advertise e-mail info@queensparkliving.co.uk or call 01273 551021
Local Person...
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Kirsty lives in Egremont Place and teaches yoga in her spare time.
Queen’s Park Person: Kirsty Forrester How long have you lived in Queen’s Park?
I moved from Scotland to Queen’s Park Road on the 1st of March 2012 and moved to Egremont Place in January 2015. What do you most like about the area?
I love the park itself – the trees and the colourful leaves are beautiful just now. I also love using the non-dog area of the park to teach yoga outdoors in the warmer months. Moreover, I’ve heard it said many times that the Scots are the friendliest people in the UK but I disagree. I never knew my neighbours’ names back home. My neighbours from Queen’s Park Road and Egremont Place are lovely and friendly, I know their names and have their numbers and they often come to my yoga classes or walk my dogs for me. The whole community has such a warm peaceful energy. How did you get into yoga?
I have been trying different classes on and off since I was a teenager but never consistently. I trained as a
Personal Trainer and was using the gym or running frequently, but when I turned 30 I was getting quite a few injuries and niggling pains so it was at this point I started doing daily yoga. My body loved the transition and started to heal itself over time. When I moved here I was overwhelmed by the amount of yoga studios and teachers and it inspired me to go deeper into my own practice, and so I completed my teacher training with Sun Power Yoga. I have recently completed training in Thai Yoga Massage so can offer one-to-one sessions that incorporate yoga and Thai massage – bliss! How can people find out more about your classes?
I have a Sun Power Yoga meet-up group here in Brighton. It is free to join and you can sign up to classes. http://www.meetup.com/Sun-Power-YogaBrighton/ Beginners are always welcome and you only need a flexible mind not a flexible body to do yoga - if you can breathe you can do yoga. I teach at St Luke’s Church and at Anahata during the week and at the weekend, and I do one-to-ones in students’ homes or outdoors, weather permitting. Anyone interested can also contact me on a2b@live.co.uk or 07936 925040. How will you be celebrating Christmas?
For the past few years I have worked over the festive period as I also work for Carelink Plus just near Queen’s Park. This year my Auntie Carol turns 70 on Christmas Day, so I will be getting the train home to Scotland on Christmas Eve and we are having a huge family dinner and party for her.
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‘Tis the season of Good Will to all men (and women!) So This Festive Season we are offering A FREE WILL to everyone buying a registered or unregistered Lasting Power of Attorney Grant from us during the promotional period for just £99 + vat (£118.80 inc.) OR A FREE (unregistered) Lasting Power of Attorney Grant to everyone who buys a Will from us during the promotional period for just £99 + vat (£118.80 inc.) OR A FREE WILL, a FREE (unregistered) Lasting Power of Attorney Grant AND £50 M&S vouchers to everyone organising a pre-paid funeral plan (from just £7 a week) through us during the promotional period
Call us now on:
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Charity Fundraising..
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Here is a good cause to support....
Carer-Van Ball 2016
The Carers Centre will be holding a Charity Fundraiser Ball on Friday 12th February 2016. This will be for the purpose of raising funds to go towards a caravan that we plan to purchase. This caravan will allow carers to take cheap holidays. Often carers have to quit their job in order to carry out their caring role, and therefore many don’t have the money to get away for a few days, which can be essential in allowing them to maintain a healthy balance between their life and their caring role. He A caravan available in East Sussex at subsidised rates will allow carers to take holidays more affordably. The 2011 Census data shows that Brighton & Hove has 23,967 people who identify themselves as carers, which represents 9% of the population. According to the Census, the economic value of the contribution made by carers in Brighton & Hove is £388.7 million a year. Without the amazing work of carers we would all be worse off, but it is vital that they too get the help they need to ensure they can live healthy, balanced lives. The ball will take place at the Hilton Brighton Metropole, Kings Road, Brighton, BN1 2FU. It will start
The Hilton Brighton Metropole
at 19:00 with welcoming drinks, and will include a delicious three-course meal provided by the Metropole Hilton Hotel, music courtesy of the Hucksters, a charity auction, and other entertainment besides. The dress code will be evening wear. If you are interested in attending this ball, please visit www.thecarerscentre.org for more information and to book tickets. Tickets cost £70, and a table of 10 can be bought for £700. If you have any questions, please contact Daniel Eichner at Daniel.eichner@thecarerscentre.org or you can call him on 01273 746222. We do hope you will be able to join us for this special evening of food, music, dancing and fundraising!
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All work is guaranteed and fully insured
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Property...
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Here is an article prepared especially for Queen’s Park Living...
Property – An Investment Or A Home? We live in an age where property is often thought of first as an investment and only second as a roof over our heads.
Earlier in the year, listening to the radio, I was not surprised to hear an agent say that a buyer, acting for a foreign investor, turned up at a new flat development in London, and bought something like 10 flats in one go! How do ordinary mortals compete with that? They can’t. But what could be done to level the playing field? Unfortunately, nearly all the solutions put forward by the property industry rely on keeping prices high, at the same time ‘helping’ buyers to buy with different kinds of offset finance. The latest suggestion is to sell off the last of the local authority housing/council houses and flats, currently mainly rented through housing associations at affordable rents, to their tenants at a big discount. This will lead to many of these joining the buy-to-let market, further reducing the number of properties in the ‘property churn’. The ‘property churn’ explained: In any one year, ‘x’
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number of properties come onto the market for sale. If a whole chunk of these are bought over the years by a variety of investors - eg the multi-flat foreign investor; the ‘Right to Buy’-ers who buy the property they have been renting at a discount, then sell it on to a private sector landlord and take the profit; the buyto-let investor who sees property as a pension fund – all these over time massively deplete the volume of properties in the property churn and prices inevitably rise. It’s not rocket science that prices become out of reach for first time buyers. Are the suggestions on offer - shared ownership and so on - a solution? In the end, you have to pay a loan off. Much like student loans, cheap at first but soon the repayments go up and it can be hard to pay it off. As we are not building enough, rental prices will continue to rise, especially if housing association affordable rents become a thing of the past. This could in the end be a ‘perfect storm’. The long term solution would be some kind of re-balancing of the property market at a level where there was some relationship between average wages and cost of rental or purchase. With the freedom of the mortgage market to allow lending at the levels seen now, this is never going to happen. First time buyers are currently caught in a ‘bind’. But what could we do to change this in a way which would not destroy pension aspirations and so on? Any suggestions? Paul Bonett FNAEA MARLA www.bonetts.co.uk
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Cycle, Keep Active and Save Money New to cycling? Keen to cycle again? Want to know how to fix your bike?
FREE cycle training and cycle maintenance courses are now available. To book and find out more visit: www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/cycletraining or call 01273 296753 This initiative is delivered by Brighton & Hove City Council and funded by the Department for Transport.
ORCHARD DAY NURSERY established 1990 Orchard Day Nursery has vacancies for babies from 6 months to children of 5 years. We are situated on Queens Park Road. We are proud to have been educating and caring for children from the Queens Park and Hanover area for over 24 years. We are Ofsted registered and offer EYFE grant for 3 year olds and also some 2 year old funding places. Our After School Club: we collect children from Queens Park and St Luke's Schools. We have vacancies available.
To arrange a visit to discuss your needs please call us on 01273 622883 or email orchardday@yahoo.co.uk To advertise e-mail info@queensparkliving.co.uk or call 01273 551021
New Book...
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News of a lovely new local book....
News of Decembers concerts at St Luke’s....
Faith, Flint & Footstep
Music and Wine at St Luke’s Winter Series
St Luke’s Church, Queen’s Park : Community arts and heritage
This much acclaimed book, edited by Julie Newson and Evlynn Sharp, is a fantastic Christmas present idea.
It contains beautiful pictures from the church and a chapter on the heritage and history of the parish, including the General Hospital and St Luke’s School. It also comes with a CD of poems and music from the choir. Copies are available at £10 each from the church, or from the Vicarage, and are also available in Waterstones and on Amazon.
We have two concerts on this month. If you haven’t received our recent brochure and would like one, please contact us. On Friday 4th December pianist Ben Socrates presents Visions & Dances – a recital featuring music inspired by the rhythm, movement and energy of dance, and music that is deeply evocative, visionary and imaginative. This repertoire spans over 400 years, from Scarlatti’s kinetic sonatas to the atmospheric In the Quiet of the Night, by the acclaimed Brighton-based composer Lee Westwood. Ben Socrates has been acclaimed in recent years for his compelling and incisive interpretations of classical and contemporary piano repertoire, and his work exploring music for four hands, with singers, classical improvisation and collaboration with dance. And on Saturday 12th December (please note day), the award-winning Brighton Youth Orchestra String Ensemble (BYOSE) will perform works by Purcell, Dvořák and Robin Milford. The ensemble, led by conductor Andy Sherwood, brings together the finest young string players in the city and further afield and has worked with world class young soloists such as Laura van der Heijden and Daniel Shao. The concert takes place at St Luke’s Church, Queen’s Park Road, Brighton BN2 9ZB at 7.30pm. Tickets are £7 / £5 concessions / £3 under-12s, available on the door. Disabled access. Wine and refreshments served. For more information, visit www.stlukesconcerts.webeden.co.uk , or to donate, volunteer, get involved or be added to our mailing list, please email musicandwineatstlukes@gmail.com or phone 01273 510595.
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ORCHARD DAY NURSERY & AFTER SCHOOL CLUB est.1990 Orchard Day Nursery has vacancies for our after-school club We collect children from Queens Park and St Luke’s and Carlton Hill Schools. We are situated on Queens Park Road. We are proud to have been educating and caring for children from the Queens Park and Hanover area for over 24 years. We are Ofsted registered and offer EYFE grant for 3 year olds and also some 2 year old funding places.
To arrange a visit to discuss your needs please call us on 01273 622883 or email orchardday@yahoo.co.uk To advertise e-mail info@queensparkliving.co.uk or call 01273 551021
Local Event...
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Synonymous with the start of Christmas in Brighton & Hove...
Burning the Clocks... Monday 21st December Burning the Clocks is a lantern parade and fire show which takes place on 21st December each year in Brighton.
It is an event that brings the whole city together to mark the shortest day. People make their own paper and willow lanterns – filled symbolically with hopes and dreams - and, after processing through the city, pass them into a blazing bonfire on Brighton beach, as a token of the year’s end. The coming year is then ushered in with a dazzling fire show with live music and fireworks. The theme for 2015 is the cosmos. Burning the Clocks is a free spectator event. The parade leaves from New Road at 6.30pm and arrives at Madeira Drive at approximately 7.15pm. The fire show will take place on the beach, with viewing from Madeira Drive and the Upper Terrace on Marine Parade. To take part in the parade, you need to purchase a lantern kit. Participants should arrive at the Corn Exchange at 4.30pm to have their lanterns lit. Same Sky ask you NOT to bring homemade lanterns to the event.
Photo by Ray Gibson
Rewards are offered for crowdfunding participants. See: https://www.kickstarter.com/ projects/605730440/burning-the-clocks-2015 For more information, visit: www.samesky.co.uk
Artist/Illustrator
Cycle Prints from £40.00 Excellent gifts for all cycle enthusiasts!
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U N L I M I T E D
To advertise e-mail info@queensparkliving.co.uk or call 01273 551021
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Christmas event...
Queen’s Park resident and critically acclaimed actor/director Gary Sefton brings us A Christmas Carol...
Scrooge inSPIREd!
A new venue in East Brighton hosts a classic tale for all the family this Christmas. You can join tightfisted, money-grabbing Scrooge as he journeys through Dickens’ masterpiece, A Christmas Carol, with carols, candles, mince pies, mulled wine and, of course, some ghostly goings-on.
Adapted and staged by Queen’s Park resident (and critically acclaimed actor/director) Gary Sefton, the production takes place at The Spire - Brighton’s newest venue managed by the team behind the Marlborough Theatre. “When I first saw the Spire I thought it would be a perfect venue for A Christmas Carol; with most theatre you rely on big sets to transport you to the world of the play, but here the church does it for you.” Sefton, who also plays the mean-spirited lead role, Scrooge, has just finished a lead role in ‘The 39 Steps’ in the West End and has worked extensively in theatre for over 20 years (including many major establishments such as The RSC, National Theatre and Northampton Royal). Some readers might also remember his Argus Angel winning ‘Diva In Me’ for the 2010 Brighton Festival. We asked Gary why he decided to stage the show here. “Standing in the school playground and chatting with frustrated families I realised that there wasn’t really a decent family option for audiences in Brighton. So I’ve decided to do something about it.” At £30 for a family ticket, it is less than half the price of many of the city’s offerings. “I didn’t want to exclude anyone from coming –£30 for a family treat seems the right amount to charge.” Quite the opposite of his money-pinching character, Scrooge. A Christmas Carol at The Spire runs from 16 December right up to Christmas Eve, with performances
Videostar • • • • •
Magazines Pay zone facility Groceries National lottery Confectionery
every night at 6pm and 8.15pm (not Sunday 20th). Full details and tickets via scroogeinspired.co.uk.
COMPETITION:
Win a family ticket (for 4 people, max 2 adults) by answering the following question:
How many ghosts are there in Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”? Email your answer to info@queensparkliving.co.uk or post your answer, name, address and phone number to: A Christmas Carol competition, Sussex Magazines, 10 Hollingbury Road, Brighton BN1 7JA. The winner will be selected at random after the closing date – 10th December 2015. Competition Terms and Conditions: * Prize has no cash value alternative * Winner will be notified via email to claim prize.
Queens Park Rd Brighton
Your friends!ly t n e g a s w e n l a c lo
01273 623 464
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Index...
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After School Club Tarnerland...............................................................................................4 Orchard Day after school.................................................................14 Artists Lisa Holdcroft.......................................................................................18 Peter Spells............................................................................................15 Bath Reconditioning Renubath 1 ..............................................................................................3 Blacksmiths Anvil Ironworks...................................................................................10 Building Services Hanover Building Solutions...........................................................10 Drapers...................................................................................................13 Cleaning Services JP Cleaning ............................................................................................21 Computer Services The Macman..........................................................................................11 Council Services Council Cycling.....................................................................................12 Electrition Caulfield Electrical............................................................................10 Estate Agent Bonett’s...........................................................................................Cover Paul Bott...........................................................................................Back Brand Vaughan......................................................................................2 Firewood The Logman............................................................................................3
Florists Flowers Unlimited............................................................................16 Franchise Opportunity Renubath 2............................................................................................11 Locksmiths Lee’s Locks...............................................................................................4 Local Attraction The Royal Pavilion..............................................................................18 Loft Ladders Loft Ladders.........................................................................................14 Newsagents Videostar..............................................................................................17 Nursery Orchard Day Nursery.......................................................................12 Osteopath Brighton Osteopath.....................................................................Cover Oven Cleaner Dirty Ovens..........................................................................................13 Pet Services TOTO Dog Walking..............................................................................9 Taylors Pet Services............................................................................9 Public House The Round Georges.........................................................................15 Solicitors Howlett Clarke....................................................................................6 Transport Breeze Up To The Downs..............................................................19 Will Writing Thy Will be Done ...............................................................................8
Please send your local articles to editorial@queensparkliving.co.uk or call 01273 551021
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p u e z e bre . . . s n w o D e h t to
kids go free! See ‘Breeze’ leaflets for details
These buses run on Boxing Day & New Year’s Day too!
5713 Breeze up advert Sussex Magazines v2.indd 1
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For times, fares, leaflets and walk ideas, go to www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/breezebuses or call 01273 292480 Or visit www.traveline.info/se to plan all your journeys.
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You can now breeze up to Stanmer Park and Devil’s Dyke by bus seven days a week, and up to Ditchling Beacon at weekends.
11/11/2015 10:27