WEST HOVE May 2020 ISSUE 105
DIRECTORY
SPECIAL ON-LINE EDITION
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WELCOME TO THE WEST HOVE DIRECTORY!
Page 5...Local Artist Page 6/7...Proposals for Beach Bar Page 8/9...Old Photo
So much has changed in the last month. Unfortunately we aren’t able to distribute a printed copy of The West Hove Directory this month due to the lockdown, but if you’re reading this thank you for finding us online and please let other local residents know where they can find our May issue.
Page 10...Local History
Many thanks also to all our contributors – amongst other things, we have some great local history articles for you this month.
Page 14/15...The Keep
We hope you find some useful information and do contact us if you have any suggestions or contributions for our June issue, which is likely to again be online-only.
Page 17...Scuffles in Scott Road
We hope you are all staying safe and keeping well. The West Hove Directory Team info@westhovedirectory.co.uk www.westhovedirectory.co.uk
Page 11...VE Day 75 Page 13...Councillor details Page 13...Church on-line Page 16...Health TIP Page 18/19... Self Isolation Page 20...Open windows Page 21...Mural in Wish Park Page 22...Children’s Parade Page 23...Useful information
Cover picture: Jane Galvin
Page 24/25...Essential services
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WEST HOVE Meet an artist whose work can be seen in churches around the area (written before the lockdown!)…
LOCAL ARTIST…JOHN ARMSTRONG John Armstrong is an artist working in St Luke’s Studio in Station Road. He has painted many pictorial signboards for churches in the area, including St Peter’s Church in Portland Road and St Barnabas Church in Sackville Road. His painting “Hove Beach” was commissioned as Hove’s wedding present to Prince Charles and Lady Diana. How long have you lived in West Hove? My wife Helen, who is also an artist, and I moved to Hove 58 years ago, when I became an assistant curator at Hove Museum. A career in museum and education work continued until I retired from Brighton University in 2000. Tell us about your art… As well as painting pictorial signs for churches in Sussex, I concentrated first on landscapes. I work from site sketches, and use photographs. My Christian work, figural and abstract, is based on passages from the Gospels. At present I am painting a series called “The Way”. Some of the Christian subjects have been commissioned by churches; I paint figures in the traditional manner of the early Renaissance painters, often using gold leaf. I paint in oil colours and often use collages and impasto, especially in my spiritual abstracts. I am able to meet commissions.
Parish Church Brighton, and a cycle of twenty paintings at St George’s West Blatchington. There is an illustrated book showing all the paintings and woodcarvings in that church. I show at Brighton and Hove Arts Council Spring exhibitions at the Friends Meeting House, and annually with the Society of Sussex Painters in local venues between Shoreham and Seaford. You can see my abstract and landscape paintings in the Naked Eye Gallery in Western Road, Brighton. What do you like to do when you are not painting? Thinking about the next painting, framing my own paintings, planning group exhibitions, and spending time with Helen and our family. For more information, visit johnarmstrongartist.wordpress.com or email johnarmstrong5@virginmedia.com
Who are your favourite artists? In landscape I have been influenced by Turner, Cezanne and De Stael, and in portraiture Modigliani. In religious work I refer to Ravenna mosaics or Duccio, the Sienese painter of the 13th century. Where can we see your work? In Hove my signs can also be seen at St Helen’s, St Peter’s and St George’s, both at West Blatchington. In Brighton at the Chapel Royal, St Paul’s, St Michael’s and the Annunciation church. I painted the Great Crucifix in St Peter’s Please send local articles about local events and items of interest to info@westhovedirectory.co.uk
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WEST HOVE Local news…
PLANNING PROPOSALS FOR BEACH BAR Plans have been submitted to Brighton & Hove City Council for alterations to The Venue Beach Bar on the Western Esplanade, which will be known as Rockwater when it reopens. The building’s lease has been bought by businessman Luke Davis of Langdale Road. It sits on the south side of the sunken garden that once contained a bandstand.
Proposed alterations include a lightweight, see-through, partially covered roof terrace overlooking the sea, seating up to 80 people. There will also be a single-storey lower ground floor extension, re-cladding and new entrances. The materials chosen will be appropriate for the seafront setting, including pebble cladding to reflect the beach. The planning statement says that the proposed refurbishment and improvement of the building would be a positive improvement to an existing visitor facility and would bring substantial benefits to the seafront in terms of visitor and tourist draw and year-round use. “The improvement of the building and its re-opening in due course would reawaken its communal value and the vitality of the area.” Comments submitted to the council have been largely very positive, although a few neighbours object to any increase in the height of the building. One neighbour says: “I fully support this new development. The building was an eyesore in a perfect spot so it is commendable that a local resident
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saw its potential and is willing to put money into a project that will be a meeting point for the local community at the same time improving the overall appearance of the area.” Another comments: “Fully support this and looking forward to a meal on that roof terrace! Would be such a lovely view from there what with no obstructions around it. So rare in Brighton and Hove, would be a real gem.” The application is also fully supported by Hove MP Peter Kyle. He wrote to the council: “The proposal creates a quality, family-friendly venue and changes the focus from late-night clubbing to all-day dining. I view this as a positive development for the area and for the local residents in Hove.” You can find the planning application at planningapps.brighton-hove.gov. uk/online-applications/ Search for application BH2020/00612. There is also a separate planning application for illuminated signs on all four sides of the building – search for BH2020/00958.
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A drawing of the proposed south elevation
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HOVE LAGOON An early photograph of model yacht racing at Hove Lagoon in 1930, a year or so after the Lagoon had replaced the marshy, swampy overflow from Aldrington Basin. Thanks to the Regency Society for this image from their photographic archives, The James Gray Collection. You can see thousands more historic pictures of Brighton and Hove at: www.regencysociety-jamesgray.com
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WEST HOVE Rachel Bridgeman looks back at VE Day in Brighton in May 1945…
“MY DEAR FRIENDS, THIS IS YOUR HOUR” (Winston Churchill, 8 May 1945)
On 8th May 1945, Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that Germany had surrendered. After six years of horror and bloodshed, the Second World War in Europe was over. Due to Covid 19, we are likely to be celebrating the peace and paying tribute to those who defeated fascism whilst isolated in our homes rather than rejoicing collectively as the people of our city did 75 years ago. Sallie will now be unable to share her memories with her community at St Leonard’s Church in West Hove as planned. These are her memories.
the streets of our fabulous city, why not learn more about their fascinating history? Hove Actually Walking Tours are fun, informative and best suited to the incurably curious. Whether it’s your first visit or you have lived here your whole life, the tours are a great way to discover, uncover and experience the area. To receive the programme of walks: email hoveactuallywalks@gmail.com.
Across Brighton and Hove, people flooded into the streets to share in the collective euphoria. “We Brits went a bit mad for a day or two.” Thirteen-year-old Sallie and her friend, Mary, walked into Brighton and joined in the jubilation at the Clock Tower. “People were drunk with happiness. Men and women were hugging and kissing each other. Glad to be alive. No more air raids. No more rocket attacks. Mary and I were swept away in a Conga line which took us down West Street. We walked home through the crowds along the seafront, past the smoking remains of a deck-chair bonfire (made by some high-spirited South African troops) and around which crowds had a grand sing-song – a bit like a scout camp. Back at home, we celebrated with Spam fritters and toasted each other with tea. I remember going to bed that night with the curtains drawn back. No black-out needed now. I was happy knowing that there would be no more air-raids. No nasty Nazi bombers.”
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Although VE Day marked victory in Europe, it did not mark the end of the war. That would not come until 15th August 1945 with the surrender of Japan. Today, Sallie reflects: “We had yet to discover how devastated the countries in Europe were and how many thousands of people were dead in horror camps. We knew nothing of the horrors that were to come and the use of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” When we can once more freely and safely roam 10
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A VE Day party in Lynton Street. Photo courtesy of Marion Wilson, who is at the front wearing a blazer. Many of the children are holding porcelain cups containing the first ice cream they had ever had.
An update on this year’s VE Day anniversary celebrations…
VE DAY 75... Many community celebrations had been planned across the country for the 75th anniversary of VE Day over the bank holiday weekend of 8th to 10th May. Unfortunately, the majority of these have had to be postponed due to the Coronavirus lockdown. However, some solo pipers and town criers may mark the occasion from safe and suitable locations. The VE Day 75 Pageantmaster, Bruno Peek, is hoping that postponed events can be moved to the weekend of 15th to 16th August, when we will be able to celebrate both VE Day and VJ Day. For the latest information, visit: https://www.veday75.org/ Some people will be marking the anniversary with a “Stay at Home Street Party” on Friday 8th May by decorating their houses in red, white and blue and having a picnic in the front garden, whilst still practising safe social distancing. For more information, visit Facebook: Stay at home street party Please send local articles about local events and items of interest to info@westhovedirectory.co.uk
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Your local representatives...
COUNCILLORS FOR WISH AND WESTBOURNE Garry Peltzer Dunn and Robert Nemeth are Conservative councillors for Wish ward. You can contact them at: Robert.Nemeth@brighton-hove.gov.uk / 01273 291819 Garry.Peltzerdunn@brighton-hove.gov.uk / 01273 291186
You can contact the Labour councillors for Westbourne, Carmen Appich and Chris Henry, at: Carmen.Appich@brighton-hove.gov.uk / 07562 437632 Christopher.Henry@brighton-hove.gov.uk / 07395 282745
Some advice from the churchwardens at St Leonard’s Church…
THE CHURCH ONLINE We may not be able to worship in church, but the church is still with us. It’s just changing - and going digital. You can find short video messages of hope and encouragement from Bishop Martin of Chichester and his colleagues on: chichester. anglican.org/videos You can listen to or read the Prayer for the Day and join in with thousands of others saying these words each day on: https://www.churchofengland.org/prayerand-worship/join-us-service-daily-prayer/ todays-prayer If you scroll down there is the link to a free app, Time to Pray, which gives you everything you need for Prayer During the Day, with variations according to the day of the week and the season of the Church’s year. There is also a smart speaker app for Alexa.
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WEST HOVE Lindsey Tydeman from The Keep archive centre looks back at an important local employer from the past…
FROM THE KEEP… PORTSLADE GAS WORKS It may have been smelly, but the gas works in Portslade provided jobs and a community identity for nearly all the local families... The long spit of land which runs from Aldrington promenade to the west alongside Shoreham Harbour has been home to the manufacture of gas and electricity for over 150 years. Today it’s the tall chimney of Shoreham Power Station which is the familiar sight but 80 years ago, it was the chimney attached to the huge brick-built complex which made up the Brighton, Hove and Worthing Gas Company. This photograph shows the excavation and rebuilding of No 3 Gas Retort in August 1931. Unlike many utility buildings today, the arched windows and decorative glass panels are designed for both ornament and to let in light, and they give the building almost a cathedral-like atmosphere. Everyone has stopped for the photograph, and it’s touching – and a little incongruous – to see the horses waiting patiently by their carts in the centre of this massive, state-of-the-art undertaking. The Portslade Gas Works employed hundreds of local men. They would cross to the site in one of the ferries - ‘gassies’ - which operated from the southern end of Trafalgar Road. Engineers, carpenters, stokers, fitters, engine drivers, blacksmiths, general labourers, firemen – twenty at a time would squeeze into the small boats as the sound of the steam ‘hooters’ rang out four times a day to signal the beginning and ending of shifts. Jobs passed down the generations and whole families belonged to the gas works community. They joined the cricket, football and cycling clubs and enjoyed the annual sports day on the purpose-built grassed recreation ground at the works (there was free ferry passage for wives and children on these occasions!). The horses were much-loved and often shown with pride at local events. This photograph is in an album kept by the Brighton, Hove and Worthing Gas Company, which is held at The Keep (ref BRG 1/6/2). The Keep is currently closed but will welcome visitors as soon as restrictions are lifted. For more details visit the website www.thekeep.info.
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WEST HOVE Health advice from Nathalie…
FEAR VERSUS IMMUNITY The author Maya Angelou once wrote: “Hope and fear cannot occupy the same space – invite one to stay.” In light of the uncertain times we live in right now, I wanted to share some of the tips I give my clients who frequently face a wide range of fears. From fear of food to fear of illness, symptoms, losing jobs etc. Why is fear to be avoided? While a modicum of fear is normal, healthy and ensures our survival, when felt chronically, fear will harm your immune system. Constant fear will trigger a fight or flight response in your body, and increase the production of stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline). This will then suppress some essential functions: digestive, cardio-vascular and immune systems among others. These will be put on hold until the perception of fear and other stresses are eliminated.
Go into nature. Every day. Hug your loved ones more (furry and human) to boost feel-good hormones. Do more of what you love. Now is the perfect time for reading that book, gardening, having baths, or whatever makes you feel nourished. Communicate with friends, family and community any way you can – don’t stay isolated.
Here are some practical tips to help you lower your fear and stress levels:
My thoughts are with you all.
Keep the news to a minimum – on any media.
Nathalie x
Breathe more deeply, little and often, particularly before eating. You can find a very helpful 1-minute breathing exercise here.
Nathalie Sansonetti,
Meditation can instantly stop the stress response. There isn’t a right or wrong way to meditate, but free apps are widely available to get you started.
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Roy Moffatt reminisces about Scott Road and Portland Motors in the 1950s…
WEST HOVE
SCUFFLES AND MORE IN SCOTT ROAD! In 1950, when I was three, my family moved down from London to Hove. My dad bought a car showroom, flats and workshop on Portland Road next to the then Aldrington Primary School (now Young Sussex Nursery). The 1930s building is still there with flats above the former showroom, which is now used as a shop (Ackerman Music). The sale also included a workshop in Scott Road which backed onto the Portland Road premises. The Scott Road workshop is still there (now Wickenden’s garage) but in those days there was also a two storey flat built above it, and that was where my family lived. I lived there for eight years and remember a very different world to today. Traffic in Portland Road was light and Dad’s Portland Motors garage sold petrol. Cars just parked by the kerb in Portland Road and petrol was pumped from a tank under an alleyway which used to run between the garage and the school. The petrol then ran along a hose which ran through the building and swung out over the pavement on a metal arm so that an attendant could put the nozzle in the car’s filler. We also sold paraffin in large quantities because most people then had paraffin stoves to heat their homes.
Roy in his pedal car outside the car showroom
Opposite our flat, on the corner of Scott Road and Portland Road, was The Portland pub (now The Stoneham). The entrance to the smart Saloon Bar was on Portland Road, however the working man’s Public Bar entrance was at the side in Scott Road. This was opposite our flat and I often looked out from the security of our first floor window to watch men come out of the Public Bar, roll up their sleeves and fight in the middle of Scott Road. We knew that during World War Two the Scott Road workshop had been used by the Canadian Army for repairing tanks. In the workshop there was still a huge beam with a chain and hook labelled 25 tons lifting weight that had been used to lift the tank engines. However that was not all the Canadians had left behind. One day, when I was about five, I decided to explore the building. I crawled through a hole into the roof and poked around and found a wooden box, divided into partitions and filled with straw. I returned to the kitchen and proudly held out a round metal object. My mum froze, told me not to pull out the pin, and yelled down to my dad in the garage below, “Frank, come here – Roy’s found a box of hand grenades in the roof!”
Portland Motors (now Ackerman Music)
There were many hand grenades in the box. I guess that when the Canadian soldiers left the country they must have been so keen to go home that they hadn’t done a thorough search of the building. No-one ever told me what my dad did with the grenades, but my parents never let me forget the day I nearly blew up Scott Road! Roy Moffatt
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WEST HOVE Mike Dicks of Shelley Road has been very busy during self-isolation…
SELF-ISOLATION IN SHELLEY ROAD Illustrator and writer Mike Dicks is currently self-isolating in his flat at the bottom of Shelley Road, opposite St Peter’s Church. He has leukaemia. During the lockdown, he has been projecting images onto the wall of the church to help get across social distancing and other community messages. How did you get the idea to project images onto the church?
me a lovely message thanking me and offering her help with my shopping.
When I moved in, looked out of my bedroom window and saw that beautiful curved wall with no windows right opposite, I made a mental note that my old projector would probably be able to project onto that. When I started shielding, i.e. self-imprisonment in my flat, I decided to do a new creative project every day, and the mental note popped up and reminded me to try the projector.
It genuinely feels like I can make a connection locally and globally by pointing a projector out the window.
Tell us more about the images you have been showing… I run a couple of satirical social media accounts and a comic, and I’d been creating simple posters and cartoons to try and get the message about the importance of social distancing and not hoarding loo rolls - I thought they’d play well on the wall and might remind a few locals to keep their distance. I also wanted to highlight keyworkers and vulnerable people - so we all recognised why we’re doing this. On Thursdays I show videos of people clapping - I asked online for films, and it’s so lovely to see the wall and hear my street, Shelley Road, share a moment of community and respect. I’m working on some new ideas for the wall this week, including planning to show local artists’ work during what should have been Artists Open Houses. Were you surprised by how much reaction the pictures have produced? I was. I thought they’d be noticed by a few shoppers and locals, but once I put them online (I post them on Facebook Live occasionally) they started to get noticed more widely. In the end a press photographer came over and took some photos that have since been on the BBC, CNN and in newspapers around the world - making the corner of my street a bit of an icon along with the Matterhorn and the Eiffel Tower My favourite reaction though, was when Bex, a shop assistant at Sainsbury’s, saw one of my slides telling people to thank Sainsbury’s staff. She wrote 18
How are you getting your food supplies? I have a good friend who offered to be my primary shopper and carer - she lives just down the road and shops once a week. We chat across the corridor (it’s 4m wide) when she drops supplies off and I look forward to that immensely. Other friends have made cakes, dinners and bread and popped them round and strangers have offered, because of the wall. I use Deliveroo and Runner if I need something that day. I’m lucky to live where I do; I think other people shielding in less urban areas must struggle more. Although I’m on the shielding list, because of my leukaemia and chemotherapy, I’m actually quite healthy and active with my work, so although I’m registered with the NHS Volunteer system and the council as vulnerable I’m not using the help they offer because I think there are others more in need of it. What is the hardest aspect of self-isolation? Hugs, the lack of them. I work from home and have done for nine years, so I’m very used to my own company and the discipline of working, but I miss human contact, the company of friends and strangers in local pubs, walking to the sea - which I’m reliably informed is still at the end of the road opposite me. I’m lucky to have a social media platform and a community around that to chat with or try to entertain each day. I can express myself through that medium, talk about the things I find funny, sad or angry about. But in the end, it’s hugs. Has the lockdown affected your leukaemia treatment? A little; I’m lucky that I’m halfway through chemotherapy and I had just finished the first six months
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One of Mike’s messages on St Peter’s Church
Mike (with himself!) in lockdown
of having to visit the hospital three times a month. Now I take half a dozen tablets a day. The only problem is the blood test I have to give in order to get my next month’s drugs. In shielding I can’t leave the flat to give blood and to be honest I’m glad of that because I’ve become quite agoraphobic about the sky and streets. I have to arrange for a phlebotomist to visit me and take the blood here; last time she turned up in PPE gear and it was a little like one of those movies where aliens come to ‘probe’ you. It felt odd to have a visitor inside the flat. However, my doctor is aiming to send me two months of drugs this time, which will take some of the stress out of that process. The main thing to stress is that I’m shielding for good
reasons. I have a faulty immune system and at the moment they have no idea how Covid-19 would affect me or what the right treatments might be; also, if I did contract it, it would mean the team in the Haematology ward potentially being exposed as they’d have to be involved in my care, so it’s better to avoid it until the NHS can better cope with more complicated patients. What are you most looking forward to once you are able to safely go out again? A hug. To see Mike’s artwork, visit descience.co.uk or Facebook: Mike Dicks Art.
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WEST HOVE A great idea by Brighton artist Denise Harrison to brighten up our daily exercise‌
OPEN WINDOWS 2020 Openwindows2020 came about as an idea after the open houses were postponed. I was due to show my work at Phoenix Open Studios where my practice is based. I thought it would be great if artwork could be displayed in windows throughout May instead so that people who were on their usual walk would have that walk brightened up by seeing art. It is also about getting everyone involved in creating art, an inclusive project that gives a creative purpose; we are all at home, so everyone in the household can partake. Phoenix Artspace will also be taking part. As we have a dedicated Instagram page, people can follow @openwindows2020 and tag their work #openwindows2020 to be featured; we also have a Facebook page openwindows2020. This means that even those in isolation can still see the artwork and if you live in a top floor flat, you can still show your work, making the project accessible to all. It has become so popular that open house groups from across the country are joining in; we also have three groups in Australia getting involved as well as France, Spain, Scotland and Hong Kong. This means that it has also become a great networking opportunity. If you pass a window with the @openwindows2020 sign in the window, this means that you can find out about that person’s artwork as it will be on the Instagram and Facebook page. Denise Harrison Email: deniseharrisonart@gmail.com Website: deniseharrisonart.com
Image by Faye Bridgwater (fayebridgwater.com)
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WEST HOVE A great idea to brighten up the wall of the electricity sub-station…
MURAL FOR WISH PARK Legend has it that a Victorian circus elephant lies buried beneath the green parkland that is Wish Park. Today, this much loved park is enjoyed by local people of all ages – whether it’s dog walkers, footballers, outdoor gym types, toddlers in the play park or older folk enjoying fresh air and a friendly chat. Steve Gledhill who volunteers with the much-admired park keeper – Gerald Flanagan – had an amazing idea to brighten up the north west side of the park. Steve’s idea is for a mural to be painted on the side of the electricity sub-station depicting the history and day-to-day use of the park. Community artist group ‘Creative Angel and Red Herring’ have created an engaging mural design and will undertake the painting work. The original mural design has been updated to include a thank you to the NHS for looking after our community at this difficult time. It is the intention for the lower part of the mural to be painted by local children under the supervision of the artist group. It is planned to commence preparation work during late summer and autumn 2020 or early summer 2021. Much depends of course on the
COVID-19 restrictions. Work will also include the planting of insect friendly plants and shrubs around the base area. To do all this will cost around £2,000. The previous crowdfunding appeal for this project closed down due to ill health and a move overseas by the organisers. Funds from that appeal have been transferred to this new funding appeal. It would be amazing if you could help bring Steve’s idea to life and so brighten up this corner of Wish Park. Below is the link to the GoFundMe website page. Thank you in anticipation of your support. https://www.gofundme.com/f/ wish-park-hove-community-mural David Wicken
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WEST HOVE A stay-at-home event at 10.30am on Saturday 2nd May…
CHILDREN’S PARADE AT HOME Brighton Festival and Same Sky are inviting every child to take part in the Children’s Parade At Home to celebrate their creativity and imagination.
The annual Children’s Parade was due to take place on Sat 2 May to officially mark the start of Brighton Festival 2020 but the event had to be cancelled when social distancing restrictions were implemented due to the coronavirus outbreak. In partnership with award-winning community arts charity Same Sky, the stay at home event is open to everyone to have five minutes of fun during lockdown at 10.30am on Sat 2 May. Participants are encouraged to post their photos and videos on social media with #ChildrensParadeAtHome to capture the parade as a digital get-together to share online with friends, family, neighbours and across communities. John Varah, Artistic Director, Same Sky added: “Whether you want to conga around your kitchen, wave a flag from your window, blow a whistle from your balcony, shimmy in your sitting room or dress-up on your doorstep – anything goes at the Children’s Parade at Home! We want to celebrate young people’s creativity in all forms and keep the spirit of the Children’s Parade alive.”
Parade means, not only to the 5,000 children, teachers, parents and volunteers who take part every year but to all the families and visitors who enjoy watching this spectacular community event in the heart of Brighton. As we can’t be together physically, we hope this alternative parade will offer a sense of unity and joy at a time when we all need it the most.” The largest of its kind in Europe, Brighton Festival Children’s Parade has taken place for over 30 years, with more than 10,000 spectators lining the streets of Brighton city centre each year. The Parade is kindly sponsored by Southern Water. Further information is available on Brighton Festival and Same Sky websites (Brightonfestival.org / Samesky.co.uk) and social media. #ChildrensParadeAtHome
Same Sky artists have produced free online art resources to inspire parents and carers to make props with children to wear or play with on the day - from masks to musical instruments – the how-to guides will use recycled materials that can be found around the home. Andrew Comben, Chief Executive of Brighton Festival said: “We know how much the Children’s 22
IMPORTANT...more than ever please support local independent businesses when you can
WEST HOVE
SOURCES OF USEFUL INFORMATION ON THE CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN Government advice on what you can and can’t do during the lockdown is available here:
Fitness
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-andcant-do/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-canand-cant-do
Information and advice from Brighton & Hove City Council on keeping healthy and well at home is available on the supporting your wellbeing pages and through the Brighton & Hove Healthy Lifestyles Facebook page.
Police advice is available at:
Parking
https://www.sussex.police.uk/police-forces/sussex-police/areas/campaigns/campaigns/coronavirus-our-response/
Free parking is available for NHS staff and social care workers during the coronavirus pandemic. This enables them to park in on-street parking bays and council-owned car parks without having to worry about cost or time restrictions. They need to display either their Key Worker Letter or a copy of their work identification in their windscreen or, when parking in barrier car parks, buzz the intercom and show their pass.
Bikes BTN BikeShare is available for free to NHS staff working in Brighton & Hove during the coronavirus pandemic. Annual memberships, which include 30 minutes of free travel and no unlock fees, are also being offered to care contractor staff working for Brighton & Hove City Council. Eligible NHS workers should contact their site travel coordinator for information on how to take up this offer. Care contractor staff working for Brighton & Hove City Council should contact their company travel coordinator.
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WEST HOVE
INFORMATION ON LOCAL ESSENTIAL SERVICES... Help
If you need help (eg with food or medicine deliveries, financial support or domestic violence), you can request help for yourself or someone else on the council website at: http://ow.ly/FvSB50z5ENM Brighton and Hove Community Support Telephone: 01273 293117 There is also a volunteer network at: https:// acorntheunion.org.uk/corona/ - you can sign up to volunteer or request help.
Pastoral Support A new phone line, Hearing You, has been set up by the Diocese of Chichester with Together in Sussex to offer pastoral support and a listening ear for the recently bereaved and anyone directly affected by Covid-19. You don’t have to be a churchgoer. The number is: 01273 425047 (9am to 7pm, Monday to Friday).
Council Services
Advice on all council services is available at: https://new.brighton-hove.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19
Food and Groceries
Here are a few of the local businesses that are currently open. Details may change, so please check each business’s website/Facebook page for the latest information. Asiana Grocery at 117 Portland Road is open 10am-4pm Monday to Saturday and offers local deliveries. www.asianabrighton.com Black Radish fruit and vegetable shop at 149 Portland Road is open every morning 9am-12pm Monday to Friday and offers home deliveries in the afternoons. Phone 01273 723392 or message them on Facebook. Brighton and Newhaven Fish Sales are offering home delivery for orders over £20. Call 01273 414707. Coburn & Baker artisan bakery are stopping their travelling bread van on Wednesdays in Princes 24
Square at 10am and in Coleman Avenue at 1pm. On Thursdays it stops in Chelston Avenue at 10am. Payments by card only. Check their website (www. coburnandbaker.co.uk) or Facebook page for updates. Down to Earth health food shop at 128 Portland Road is open 10am-6pm Monday to Friday, 10am5.30pm on Saturdays and 10am-4pm on Sundays. Only three customers in the shop at a time and no cash payments. Check their Facebook page for updates. Gratitude Tree Grocers in Richardson Road are open and offer deliveries – call 01273 933910 or 07941 501290. Harriet’s of Hove plastic-free store in Blatchington Road is open 11am-5pm daily. They offer click & collect delivery – visit www.harrietsofhove.com. Hove Fish Shack on Western Esplanade is open from 10am to 4.30pm and also offers free local deliveries. Call 07412 118115 / 01273 323216 / email hovefishshack@icloud.com RC Secker butchers in Richardson Road are offering deliveries only – 01273 731502. Sun Harvest, based in the centre of Brighton, are now offering home deliveries of basic groceries: http://sunharvest.focalcreative.uk/. Email info@ sunharvestltd.co.uk / order@sunharvestltd.co.uk or phone 01273 777768 / 01273 697631. Sussex International Grocers at 156 Portland Road offer a local delivery service – 01273 775444. The Cheese Hut in Basin Road South is still open (10am-4pm Monday to Friday). They sell bread, eggs and milk as well as cheese and also provide home deliveries or click & collect. Call 01273 789107 or visit www.thecheesehut.co.uk or email orders@thecheesehut.co.uk. The Brighton & Hove Food Partnership has information about local farms, markets, wholesalers and shops that can be contacted to provide fresh food delivery services during the period of the
IMPORTANT...more than ever please support local independent businesses when you can
WEST HOVE pandemic at: https://bhfood.org.uk/how-to-hub/ local-veg-box-schemes-and-farmers-markets/ They also have advice on support available for accessing free and low-cost food services and how you can help to support vulnerable and isolated people.
Hot Meals
Toilets Most public toilets have now been closed for safety reasons, including those at Hove Lagoon, Western Esplanade and Station Road. A few will remain open for vulnerable people, including the toilets at King Alfred (8am to 8pm).
Presto deliver nutritious hot lunches (like Meals on Wheels). Find more information at: www.getpresto.co.uk
Funerals Only a limited number of people may attend funerals – a maximum of 10 mourners are allowed at Downs Crematorium and 12 at Woodvale Crematorium. More information is available at: https:// new.brighton-hove.gov.uk/news/2020/celebratinglives-loved-ones-whove-died
Pet Shops A Coombs Pet Centre in Portland Road are taking orders for pet food (but not accessories) online or over the phone and they take card payments at the door. Pets Corner in Kingsway is open (Monday to Saturday 9am-5pm and Sunday 10am-5pm), with 15% off some brands for NHS workers. Please pay by card wherever possible. A Home Help service is available for elderly and vulnerable customers (01273 429739). There is also a click & collect service.
Pharmacies Pharmacies are experiencing unprecedented demand, so if possible please allow at least seven days between ordering your prescription and collecting from a pharmacy and don’t ring the pharmacy to see if it’s ready. If you need help and don’t have friends, family or a carer to support you, go to gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable or phone 0800 028 8327, the Government’s dedicated helpline.
Waste and Recycling
Household waste recycling sites are temporarily closed to ensure public and staff safety. Rubbish collections are being prioritised over recycling. Residents with uncollected kerbside recycling can take it to a recycling point or store it at home until normal services resume. 122 new large rubbish containers have been introduced at recycling points throughout the city (including three outside Wish Park Surgery in Portland Road). If you’re self-isolating or someone in your home has symptoms of the coronavirus, please double-bag all used tissues and keep them for 72 hours before disposing in your household waste. That’s also true of any discarded used masks and gloves. Don’t put any of these items in your recycling. Garden waste collections have been suspended until further notice.
Post Offices Many post offices are still open for essential services but it’s best to check with individual branches. The post office in Station Road has reduced opening hours (currently 9am-4pm Mondays; 9am2pm Tues-Fri and 9am-1pm Saturdays).
Please send local articles about local events and items of interest to info@westhovedirectory.co.uk
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WEST HOVE News from Westbourne ward councillors Carmen Appich and Chris Henry…
COUNCILLOR NEWS Your councillors are working hard during these strange times, even though you can’t see them walking round the wards. As your councillors we are still linked to the wonderful Westbourne community via email, phone and social media. We’ve learnt to deal with casework in a new, socially distanced way! Thank you for your patience while the council adjusts to Covid-19. We’d like to thank the Council and NHS staff for their continued efforts in keeping the city running despite serious problems. Thanks also to all the spontaneous and selfless offers of help for vulnerable members of our communities, much appreciated! There is no way the Council could manage the tasks you are all doing for your neighbours, like shopping, walking the dog and sharing online shopping details. We also continue the exciting work we started on regenerating the Western Esplanade and we’re backing the ambitious plan to add more greenery and trees to Hove Lagoon. Carmen, as lead for Adult Social Care, is an active part of the Council’s response to the COVID pandemic, involved in co-ordinating efforts to deal with vulnerable people. We are both excited that Carmen will soon be working on restoring the Brighton & Hove economy after Covid-19 and working hard so that we can bounce back and get life back on track. Chris has been working on his community projects in the ward and has now moved the fitness and wellbeing sessions for older people from Hove Methodist Church to the video app Zoom! See facebook.com/profitnesscommunity. He’s also been working with Hove MP, Peter Kyle, to ensure our older relatives are safe during Covid-19 and beyond – their work on care homes has forced government to improve the way they treat staff and residents in our care homes. We can’t wait to see as many of you as possible when it’s safe to do so. Let’s have a month of street parties to celebrate! Councillors Carmen Appich and Chris Henry Carmen.Appich@brighton-hove.gov.uk Christopher.Henry@brighton-hove.gov.uk
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Chris and Carmen (taken prior to social distancing measures)
IMPORTANT... more than ever please support local businesses when you can.
IMPORTANT...more than ever please support local independent businesses when you can
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