Prestonville Friend, Issue 13

PrestonvilleTHE

COMMUNITY NEWS www.issuu.com

NEWS AND VIEWS - WHAT’S ON - COMMUNITY - HISTORY

WINTER ISSUE 2014 // Issue 13

friend

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Welcome // EDITOR’S LETTER

WINTER 2014 ISSUE 13

News from St Luke’s 5

Prestonville Comm. Ass’n 6

It’s My Business 7

Local History 9

The Local Beat 10

The Hall group 11

Prestonville Awards! 12

What’s On 13

It’s My Business 14

WHAT’S INSIDETHIS MONTH

From The Editor...

Hello!

In this issue, Ty Goddard pres-ents The Prestonville Friend Awards; a purely subjective choice of people, shops, cafés, places and events that Ty has chosen for his list of winners.

Another winner last year was Exeter Street Hall. On page 11, Gus Sylvester from The Hall Get Involved group explains how and what the Hall won. You can also read about upcoming events at the Hall which are open to all. Do come along to the disco, food market, film day or comedy night and be part of the fun.

As usual, we have news and views from Sgt Lane, Rev Martin Poole and the Prestonville Com-munity Association. The PCA

page has news about proposed cycle lanes on the Dyke road. Peter Groves provides this month’s history piece.

If you are an aspiring writer, if you have news,views or stories you’d like to share and see appear in the magazine – just email me on [email protected]

I’d love to hear from you! Gill

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St. Luke’s Church // MARTIN POOLE

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Reverend Martin Poole (above), from St. Luke’s Church on Old Shoreham Road, takes a look at our changing neighbourhood.

One of the great things about Pre-stonville is the number of families with children that live in the area.

I was recently transferring the millennium video made by the Prestonville Commu-nity Association to DVD, and I was struck by a comment from Judy Stanger reflect-ing on the fact that not so long ago there were hardly any families in the vicinity and how good it was that this has changed.

Undoubtedly the two Stanford schools are one of the reasons behind this as they both have such a good reputation and parents are keen to be in their catchment areas. But I think there is something more to Prestonville which makes it appealing to families and encourages them to want to live, work, rest and play here.

There’s a sense of community here, a fa-miliar feel to the friendships and relation-ships which exist in these streets which you could almost describe as familial. The very name, Prestonville, conjours up an image of a small town, proudly looking after its own folk and promoting its own culture and traditions.

There’s a small village feel to our com-munity which helps to make it feel homely and distinct from the rest of the city. As the parish church of Prestonville we try to embody these same values in everything we do and we aim to have a particular focus on families in the way we work and organise ourselves.

Our services are very relaxed and Sunday mornings now include a family breakfast at 9.30am with creative activities for children on the theme of the day. If you drop into church on a Thursday morn-ing you’ll find it jam-packed with little people attending our very popular Oasis parents and toddler group (Thursdays, 10am - 12, check website). And once a fortnight on Friday we run Games Night for 11-15 year olds which is a good old-fashioned style youth club offering a

chance for them to hang out with their friends and perhaps play table tennis or make something (Thursdays, fortnightly, 7.30pm - 9pm, check website).

This term we are going to try running this in the church rather than the hall as we begin to reimagine ways of using that building prior to the reordering that the sale of the hall makes possible.

To help with all of these activities we have recruited a volunteer who will join us in January and I’m looking forward to op-portunities to introduce Brenda Miranda to you all and hope that she’ll be wel-comed into this community with warmth and hospitality.

As part of this I also plan to run confirma-tion classes for anyone aged 11 and over who is interested in finding out a little more about what it means to be part of the family of God. If you are interested in knowing more about this please email me ([email protected]) and I’ll come and chat it through with you.

Martin Poole.email: [email protected]

This Community Of Ours

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NEWS // Prestonville Community Association

REGULAR EVENTS

GARDENING GROUP Third Saturday of month @10.00–12.00 Meet at Café in the Park Contact: Jannet King Tel: 509653

MONTHLY MUNCH Third Saturday of month @12.00–2.00 Meet at Community Garden

OPEN MEETINGS 7.30, first Tuesday of month 48 Stafford Road in winter months

Keep up to date via: www.dykeroadpark.wordpress.com www.prestonville.org.uk

NEW CYCLE LANES ON DYKE ROAD

The stretch of Dyke Road between the BHASVIC and Tesco junctions is very tricky for cyclists, and last autumn Council transport planners consulted local people on a proposal to improve facilities for cyclists by creating a dedicated cycle lane heading downhill into town, and a shared cyclist/pedestrian space on the pavement heading up the hill. Of the 270 people who filled in the questionnaire, 64% were broadly in favour, and the proposals were given the green light at a Council committee meeting in November. The formal process necessary for changes to the road layout have also taken place and, assuming final approval in early March, work will start this spring.

Prestonville Community Association

Supporting community activities in Prestonville and neighbouring areas

COMMUNITY GATHERING & PCA AGM Thursday 30 JANUARY 7.30pm – Exeter Street Hall

Representatives from community groups from Prestonville and neighbouring areas will each give a short talk, then there will be time for a bit of a party. BOOK CLUB IN THE PUB The Chimney House (upstairs) 7.45pm, third Thursday of month

16 Jan: Joseph Heller: Catch-22 20 Feb: Sue Eckstein: Interpreters

Contact: Jeremy Cartland Tel: 882933 [email protected]

Keep up to date via: www. prestonville.org.uk

Friends of Dyk Roa P Helpng t mprov h eroent n acilities n our

Pelicans to Zebras The intention is to help pedestrians as well as cyclists, and the proposals included replacing the pelican (light-controlled) crossings with zebra crossings. While 55% of respondents approved this, in meetings of the Friends group and the PCA much disquiet has been expressed about the safety of zebra crossings on such a poorly lit 30-mph road, used by HGVs and buses. At the time of writing, the planners are still considering the matter, taking into account analysis of citywide data on the comparative safety of light-controlled and zebra crossings. To find out the latest on this, see the websites listed right: Jannet King

FINDING OUT WHAT WE’RE ALL DOING

Community-minded people seem to be busier in Prestonville and surrounding areas than ever before – so much so that it’s difficult to keep up with who’s who and who’s doing what.

We in the PCA have decided that it’s time to have a get-together for local community groups, so that we can get to know each other better, compare experiences, and perhaps find new ways to work together.

The gathering will follow on from our Annual General Meeting on Thursday 30 January, in the Exeter Street Hall. We'll invite somebody from each group to speak for a few minutes about what it is and what it does.

After that we'll mix, chat and enjoy some refreshments.

We're looking forward to hearing from The Hall Get Involved – without whom we wouldn’t be meeting in the Hall! – Friends of Dyke Road Park and Friends of the Field, as well as from a range of other local groups, including community associations from the ‘other side’ of the Dials.

And we’d be delighted to see as many Prestonville residents as possible, whether you’re involved with any local community activities, or would simply like to celebrate our community spirit and that of our neighbours.

Marek Kohn, Chair, PCA [email protected]

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Dr. Avni Patel // IT’S MY BUSINESS

There’s been a consider-able shift in the funding of minor medical procedures

in recent years, resulting in many of them no longer being available on the NHS.

These procedures are now defined as cosmetic and, as a result, patients are having to pay for these services privately.

Brighton Skin Surgery was set up to offer patients the choice of a local GP-led service to have skin blemishes they find undesirable removed at an affordable

price in a professional, friendly and sensi-tive setting. The surgery is licensed and regulated by the Care Quality Commis-sion.

Brighton Skin Surgery is run by Dr. Avni Patel (left). She qualified from King’s Col-lege Medical and Dental School, London, in 1994. She worked in hospitals in and around London before becoming a GP in 1999, and moving to Brighton in 2003.

Avni developed her minor surgery skills through formal training, as well as work-ing in Beckenham Hospital alongside a Consultant Dermatologist. In addition to the skin surgery she continues to run a GP based dermatology minor surgery service on behalf of Brighton and Hove NHS.

Avni says, “Through my experience I have come to realise the impact minor skin procedures can make to peoples’ self-esteem and confidence, and am therefore keen to provide an affordable, alternative

service to those who can no longer have the treatment provided by the NHS”

Procedures offered are skin tag removal, scalp cyst and skin cyst removal, mole re-moval, seborrhoeic wart removal, cherry or blood spot removal and milia removal.

The surgery is based at Mile Oak Medical Centre in Portslade; a newly built practice with a modern minor surgical suite.

Most patients would be able to leave the surgery within an hour and would be able to drive home.

Mrs B, from Brighton, said, “I received excellent attention from Dr Patel. She was reassuring and explained the proce-dure at each stage. She gave me clear instructions for aftercare and telephoned me the next day to make sure everything was OK. I would have no hesitation in returning for further procedures and in recommending Dr Patel and Brighton Skin Surgery.”

Care AND Quality

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LOCAL HISTORY // Bombing Raid 1942

In this issue’s history piece, local historian Peter Groves looks at what happened when the Luft-waffe’s raid on Brighton Station devastated the area nearby

I have noticed that over the last few months construction work has been carried out on the roof of the 1950s

low-rise block of flats, Buckingham Lodge, on the corner of Buckingham Place and Compton Avenue.

The Villas Of That Area

It reminded me of how these 1950s flats came to be built amongst beau-tiful 1860s built town houses and villas of the area.

The vicinity between Brighton Station and the Seven Dials was developed following the opening of the London to Brighton railway line in 1841.

To serve the religious needs of the area, All Saints Church was built by H. M. Wagner, on the corner of Buckingham Place and Compton

Avenue in 1853. For some reason, probably financial, the tower was never completed.

Throughout World War II, Brighton Station was a legitimate target for the German Luftwaffe. It was during this period that number 49 Buckingham

Place, opposite All Saints Church, and close to Brighton Station, was used as a children’s home.

St Anne’s Home for Invalid and Crippled Children was overseen by a Catholic order of nuns, The Poor Servants of the Mother of God,

founded in 1872.

The Church Is Bombed

During one air raid on the town in 1942, a bomb was dropped in close proximity to both All Saints Church and the chil-dren’s home.

On the 1946 Brighton Bombing Map it indicates that the bomb landed in Buckingham Place, adjacent to the end of Buck-ingham Road. Blast damage affected both the children’s home and the church, from which neither would ever really recover.

All Saints Church had been in

The Bombing Of Buckingham PlaceAll Saints Church and St. Anne’s Childrens’ Home


Buckingham Place // LOCAL HISTORY

decline before the war; it was seriously affected by the blast, which had blown out the beautiful huge stained-glass window, and this hastened further decline. The church was finally demolished in 1957 and the low-rise block of flats called Buckingham Lodge was constructed on the site in the late 1950s.

The Children’s Home Moves

Following the war, in 1948, the chil-dren’s home moved to Lansdowne Road, off Western Road, but that was not the end of the building’s philanthropic connection.

Many years were to pass before a most unlikely good samaritan pur-chased the property. It was in 1994 that Brighton-based WBO boxer, Chris Eubank, purchased St. Anne’s House, which he called Buckingham Palace.

He knocked down the interior whilst keeping the grade II listed façade intact, and built 69 flats for the home-less. The building was leased to the charity Sanctuary Housing Associa-tion with the lowest rents in the coun-try. While he was widely applauded at

the time for his philanthropic action, some years later he sold the building to a property investment company and was criti-cised by some.

The Flint Wall Remains

Today the beautiful build-ing, which was once the children’s home, is still called St. Anne’s. Just across the road, the old flint wall which once surrounded the church, is still in place, but now surrounds the 1950s flats. Probably few people realise the past history of these two ad-jacent sites, their religious connec-tions, and how

they were both adversely affected by the war.

All Saint’s Church, left, at the junction of Bucking-ham Place and Compton Avenue, in an undated photograph showing the unfinished tower and Compton Avenue on the right. The picture at bottom left shows the view from the same standpoint today.

St. Ann’s House, right, in Buckingham Place, op-posite Compton Avenue, was also affected by the bombing and was even-tually sold to boxer Chris Eubank (above).

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One of the core tasks for my officers, particularly my Police Community Support Officers, is

protecting vulnerable people.

One such strand of our work over the last few months has been our ‘Think Jessica’ visits to vulnerable people that may have been victim of scams and fraud.

£3.5 billion lost to scamsThink Jessica is a charity that was set up by the daughter of a repeat scam victim. Its aim was to raise public awareness and educate professionals to the extent of the problem in the UK where £3.5 billion is estimated as be-ing lost to scams each year.

Our staff have been visiting potential

victims, completing a comprehensive risk assessment and taking remedial action to minimise the future risk to the individuals.

We can offer supportThis could be as simple as making people aware that they are being scammed, helping to change a phone number, through to referrals for sup-port from our range of partner agen-cies, such as social services.

Scammers target people of all back-grounds, ages and income levels but are particularly damaging for the vulnerable in our communities, some of whom are paying out money every single week on all manner of scams.

Although you may feel suitably aware

of such scams yourself, I would urge you to consider friends, family mem-bers and those in your community who may be vulnerable.

Google can be your friendI would whole-heartedly recommend reading ‘The Little Book of Big Scams’ which was originally produced by the Metropolitan Police, but re-produced for Sussex Police. Search for ‘Little book of big scams’ online.

For additional information on the ‘Think Jessica’ charity visit www.thinkjessica.com

Regards,

Sgt Chris Lane CL062

THE LOCAL BEAT // Sgt. Chris Lane

Scammers Must Not Win......there are ways to make yourself safer!Local Police Officer, Sgt. Chris Lane, takes a look at scammers and fraudsters and how to avoid them.

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The Hall Get Involved // NEWS


Come Along With Us For The Ride!Last year, Exeter Street Hall

was saved by the commu-nity, for the community.

As local residents, we were determined to create a true community hub. We dug deep and snapped up shares in this inspiring project.

Rather than resting on our laurels, we looked at our very long list of repairs and cam-paigned hard to win a crucial telephone vote in November last year. Due to outstanding local effort, we were awarded a MASSIVE £50,000 from the National Lottery to fix our leaky, creaky roof. We can now crack on with this essen-tial priority in 2014.

Of course, that’s just the start of our story. We need to transform the Hall into tip-top condition, host events aplenty

and create a vibrant, sustain-able, neighbourhood space.

Let’s get the year off to a good start.

Do join us. We’ve got events to delight everyone. Check out our website at www.exeterstreethall.org or follow us on Twitter.

Friday 17 January: Quiz Night 7.30pm–10.30pm

Friday 14 February: 70s Disco 6.30pm–9.30pm

Saturday 22 March: Food Market 11am–2pm

Friday 28 March: Film Fri-day All day

Saturday 26 April: Comedy Night (times to be con-firmed)

Email [email protected] to book tickets.

Raise More Than The Roof

The fact is, we need to raise more money. We’re research-ing grants and awards and building partnerships with businesses. Please do get in touch if you think there’s a fund we should pursue or a firm keen to chip in.

Get Involved

Come along to Volunteer Group meetings on the first Wednesday each month in the meeting room upstairs in The Chimney House. We’d love to hear what you want from your Hall. Alternatively, email [email protected]. Contribute what you can. We operate a guilt-free policy!

Give As You Shop

If you shop online, just register with www.easyfundraising.org.uk and retailers will donate a percentage of what you spend to the Hall. It’s free and simple. Genius.

Use Your Hall

Thinking of starting a club? Fancy a change of scene for an existing group? Know someone who should hear about our facilities? Contact [email protected] or call on 01273 561149 for competitive rates.

Thanks, as ever, for your sup-port during this momentous year. Let’s see what we can achieve in the next one. Join us. We’d love to have you along for the ride!

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TY GODDARD // 2013 Awards!

PrestonvilleTHE

friend2013 Awards

Our favourite columnist Ty Goddard returns with the hugely popular (and fairly random) Prestonville Friend Annual Awards. It’s the high-light of our year!

It’s been a busy 2013, and I have drawn up my list of award winners, all of them worthy of our praise. Ladies and gentlemen, please be upstanding for........

The parents at Stanford Infants’ who stopped the ill-conceived plans to expand the school, performing with dynamism under pressure in early 2013. Arguing before an education committee that the playground, let alone the school, could not sustain more numbers, these bad plans were stopped by good parent-power. The pressure for school places in Brighton and Hove needs imaginative long-term planning, not sticking-plaster solutions. Without this parental voice having happened the plans would almost certainly have gone ahead.

Next up is the secret gardener in How-ard Place, just up on the left from the Shakespeare’s Head pub, who continues to develop and expand his (or her) plot. Not content with a tiny wooden border, expansion is taking out more of the over-grown and weeded area. We salute you.

The Friends of the Field. These are the people - our neighbours - who care about the community-owned BHASVIC field and who defended this green space from big building plans. Their Village Green application, submitted last year, is facing a good deal of ‘politricks’ and delay from those who might benefit from the present ‘management’ of what could be an even

better community resource. Well done.

Both Infants and Juniors from the Stanford Schools excelled at the Festi-val Children’s parade. Vivid costumes all round, and if you couldn’t find Wally.........

2013 saw the opening of the Emporium Café and Theatre, a really welcome new addition to London Road – a vibrant café in a lovely space and theatre with attitude and care. Just repeat this phrase out loud; “Let’s go to the Christmas Panto next year on the London Road!”

Then we come to ‘Pigeon poo’ bridge. Yes, really. There have been small im-provements for the pedestrian – better lighting and a minimum of pigeon proof-ing — but it is still not yet what it could and should be. There’s thankfully better street cleaning now but there’s still one senior officer in the Council who wishes the issue would just go away. I guess he doesn’t walk under the bridge. Ever.

Nice to see Joe’s Café back up and running. It’s amazing what a refurb can do to a place. The new owners are creating a café that is already offering some of the town’s best breakfasts and more. Lovely atmosphere with care and flair for food. Welcome to the neighbourhood.

A few doors down is Wright & Co, a new small business addition to Upper Hamil-ton Road, in Purl’s old place. Who would have thought it? An antique and vintage shop in the heart of Prestonville selling a wide range of furniture with a smile.

A few more doors down, and over the road, is Quilty Pleasures. The owner, Elizabeth Betts, became an author last year. The book is an ‘everything you need to know about quilting’ anthem, called The Beginner’s Guide to Quilting, published by David and Charles.

Then there are the 20 mph signs that

have popped up all over. First it was just Lancaster Road. Now you can’t move for the magic number. It’s good in principle but proper implementation is essential

A special mention goes to the organis-ers of the Remembrance Day service at Stanford Juniors, because remember-ing is vital and it’s too easy to forget.

Did you go to the Halloween party at Exeter Street Hall – this is the by far the best event at the Hall, and is organised by volunteers with lots of love and healthy snacks.

No local awards could be complete without a mention for The Hall Get Involved Group. Last year’s stand-out local community group who led the purchase of this co-operative community asset. Ownership will be an enjoyable challenge. Running the Hall with warmth and a welcome will be key. They led an incisive campaign at the end of last year making full use of the power of social media to win a crude game show-style competition against another good cause. The outcome? A welcome £50,000 for the repair of the roof. Well done.

A enormous ‘Boo!’ goes to our three local councillors, all of whom got into their posts by the squeakiest of margins but have strangely not connected with voters. Did they not want the role? Public service is really about more than just go-ing to Town Hall meetings and claiming a healthy allowance. As Labour finally gets to select its council candidates, expect our area to be a battleground seat. Re-cent polls suggest real voter fatigue with Green promises.

Lastly, I nominate you, because I’m sure you will all have your own ideas about who deserves what and why.

Ty Goddard


What’s On// LOCAL ISSUES

What’s On - Winter 2014TOYS, FOOD AND ART!

Model WorldFebruary 21st - 23rd, 10am - 5.30pm

Brighton Centre

Having started out as a model railway show it now encompasses so much more with something of interest for everyone:

- Railways, model and miniature, large and small.- Boats, with a sailing pool running shows all day long and detailed static models. - Cars, with a race track and static models.- Aeroplanes, static, and flying models in the new “Flying hall”. - Daleks and Dr. Who exhibits.- Antweight Robots.- Circus, Fairground and related vehicles.- Modelling trade stands.

Adults: £9.50 (children: £5.50)

www.brightonmodelworld.com

Veg FestMarch 29th and 30th, 11am - 6pm

Hove CentreNorton Road

VegfestUK Brighton is a celebration of all things vegan with over 135 stalls serving great food as well as bodycare, clothes, accessories and gifts. There will be talks, demonstrations, performances, passion and positive energy. Loads of freebies and tasters add to the attraction!

Cookery Classes on both days. Speed dating session on Saturday.Comedy Hour - both days at 4pm.Bodybuilders Competition – Saturday.

Everything at the event is 100% plant based - no animal products permitted.Admission £2.00 (children free).

www.vegfest.co.uk

Art Deco FairFebruary 9th, 10am - 4pm

Hove CentreNorton Road

1920’s - 1970’s Stalls and Furniture. At Decofairs events, stallholders will be offer-ing for sale original goods from the 1920s through to the 1970s usually including:

Ceramics and studio pottery, glass, figures and figurines, jewellery, vanity and fashion accessories, bakelite and plastics, chrome, lamps and lighting, clocks, mir-rors, pictures, prints, furniture and books

Admission - £3.00 (under 14 free)

www.decofairs.co.uk

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IT’S MY BUSINESS // Smileworks dentistry


SmileWorks is a new private dental and orthodontic clinic on Dyke Road. Dr Simon Horsley and his team offer dental services that range from routine hygiene therapy and dental care through to complex cosmetic, orthodon-tic and restorative dentistry solutions.

Simon, pictured above right, opened his dental practice in Dyke Road in 1986 before moving to Germany in 1990 to run a busy general and ortho-dontic clinic and laboratory.

In 2004 the education of his children brought him back to the UK where he established a successful dental and ortho-dontic clinic in Southampton.

Last year, Simon returned to Brighton to re-establish the

Dyke Road practice where he worked 22 years ago.

Simon is supported by dental sedationist and anaesthetist Dr Rex Yetton.

Simon and Rex first worked together providing general anaesthetics and sedation for nervous patients in Brighton and Hove over thirty years ago. Rex was an anaesthetist at the Royal Sussex County Hospital and has for many years specialised in dental sedation.

Does that mean, I asked, that you can help someone who is frightened of going to the dentists?

“Yes!” said Simon, with con-fidence. “We understand that some people are so scared

of the dentist that they avoid dental treatment altogether. At SmileWorks all our staff and dental care professionals recognise that some patients experience real dental anxiety. We offer a range of sedation and relaxation techniques to help anxious clients overcome their fears and achieve real dental health and the smiles they’ve always wanted.”

Simon is also supported by dental hygienist and thera-pist Nicole Pickard. Nicole is experienced in the latest preventive solutions for sensi-tive teeth making your hygiene care the most comfortable possible. Nicole enjoys giving extra time to gently care for younger clients in all aspects of their treatment and to mo-tivate them towards a lifelong healthy smile.

The big question is, of course, Is private dental treatment affordable?

“Yes,” says practice man-ager Karin Whitty, “Whatever treatment clients require from routine treatment of clinical necessity, through to hidden braces fitted behind your teeth and all the options in between, there’s an easy way to pay with a dental plan.”

“We offer our clients interest-free payment plans that allow you to spread the cost of den-tal and orthodontic treatment. This makes treatment instantly affordable – you can access a fuller range of treatments and choose the treatment you want, when you want it on a repayment plan to suit your circumstances.

Get The Smile You FeelYou’ve Always Deserved



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Prestonville Friend, Issue 13