Download pdf - The Prestonville Friend - October 2012

PrestonvilleTHE

COMMUNITY NEWS & SERVICES || www.prestonvillefriend.co.uk

NEWS - BUSINESS LISTINGS - EVENTS - LOCAL HISTORY

OCTOBER 2012 || Issue 6

THIS MONTH INSIDE

The Hall Get Involved LET’S SHARE IT!

WHAT’S ON IN SEPTEMBER

Vineyard toursin Sussex

friendTHIS MONTH INSIDE

New Feature!‘THE LOCAL BEAT’

WHAT’S ON IN OCTOBER

Fashion, Photography and Art

Do you own or run a business that you want local residents to hear about? Do you have a local story that you want to share? To advertise or contribute to next month’s issue contact: Gill Hasson on 01273 272 911

THIS MONTH’S EVENTS

NICKY’S QUIZ NIGHTSunday 14th October 7.30pm

LIVE MUSIC Tom and Em28th October

facebook: ‘prestonvillefriend’ twitter: @prestonvillemag // www.prestonvillefriend.co.uk

Welcome // EDITOR’S LETTER

33

From The Editors.

Welcome to issue 6 of The Prestonville Friend. Who can believe how fast Halloween has arrived, not to mention the

ever-approaching festive season? They say that now’s the best time to start planning your gift-giving listsbut it feels like we’re still waiting for summer...

So with a slight snap in the air and new season’s attire filling every glossy maga-zine, this month we have focused on fashion, photography and culture in our What’s On guide to enable you to soak up Brightonian arts in comfort.

Marek Khon from the Prestonville Community Association (PCA) talks to us about the future of the Seven Dials while we get the round-up of the the Shares Launch from the Hall Get Involved Group (TGHI). Can you spot yourself in the crowd?

Brighton Dance takes the limelight in this month’s It’s My Business as we talk to Carola Degener-Pereira about her love of teaching dance.

We’d also like to give a special thanks to our printers evonprint (below) who have been a wealth of help and knowledge during our first six months of printing!

If you have any news, stories or ideas, that you would like to be featured in future issues please get in touch. We’d love to hear from you!

- Gill and Sarah

OCTOBER 2012 ISSUE 6

St Margaret’s House& Wistons Hall 4

Harvest 5

It’s My Business;Brighton Dance 6

The Local Beat 7

Prestonville Post 8

The Hall Get Involved 9

Carve The PerfectPumpkin 10

What’s On 13

Kid’s Corner 14

Advertise With Us. d it’s TARGETED

d it’s CHEAP

d it’s COMMUNITY FOCUSED

List your local business within targeted editorial content, creating a truly captive audience.

It’s great value and easily affordable forsmall businesses wanting to reach out to their local customers.

We believe in supporting local businesses within the Prestonville area and alsobelieve that lasting relationships between residents and local services should be nurtured.

WHAT’S INSIDETHIS MONTH

WANT TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS WITH US? T: 01273 272 911 E: [email protected]

LOCAL HISTORY / By Lydia Napolitano

St Margaret’s House & Wistons School.

Chatsworth Road resident Lydia Napolitano shares the history of St Margaret’s, (the present day Wistons Clinic) and the changes it went through, from home, to

school and finally, a clinic.

On 24 January 1885, Edward Beves and Francis Tooth, timber and slate merchants of Beves & Co, 117 Church Street, bought five pieces of land in an area of Brighton known as

St Margaret’s Estate (Stanford Road, Old Shoreham Road, Dyke Road and Port Hall Road mark the boundary of St Margaret’s Estate) in what was then the Parish of Preston.

Three years later, in 1888 a large house called St Margaret’s was built on one of these pieces of land at the corner of Dyke Road and Old Shoreham Road for Edward Beves. At that time, the house was almost in open country with just an occasional detached house further up the road leading out of Brighton towards Henfield.

The house became Mr Beves’ home, with gardens, a stable and a tennis court. He lived there with his wife, five daughters, two sons, six servants and a nurse until the First World War.

The next house built in Dyke Road, about 1891, was a ladies’ school, Annesley Hall (today’s Dyke Road Mansions) but Pike’s 1910 Brighton Directory shows that by 1910,

‘The house became Mr Beves’ home, with gardens, a stable and

a tennis court...’

Annesley Hall was no longer a school. However, a ladies’ school is listed next door in one of the three houses built on the site between Annesley Hall and St Margaret’s. It was a detached house called Wistons.

In the spring of 1914, a Mrs Catherine Baxter Phillips became the new principal of the school. In the autumn term of 1919, Wistons School moved to St Margaret’s (which had stood empty for a couple of years since the Beves family moved out)

The house ceased to be called St Margaret’s and instead, became Wistons, Mrs Baxter Phillips’ Ladies’ School. For nearly fifty years, until the late 1960’s the school continued here. Once again, it then stood empty for a couple of years before being sold to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and becoming Wistons Clinic.

CHATSWORTH ROAD RESIDENT LYDIA NAPOLITANO SHARES THE HISTORY by Lydia Napolitano


Welcome // EDITOR’S LETTER

5

As a city dweller all my life I’ve always felt a bit odd about Harvest Festival because my relationship with food is via supermarkets, local shops and restaurants

rather than through a connection with the land and growing. But being in Prestonville has changed this because there are so many opportunities to get involved with some kind of growing.

For us at the church this began when we met our neighbour and, in her capacity as a permaculturist, asked her to look after a portion of land behind the church. Over the last year she has composted, prepared, planned and laid out beds for planting. Now, in place of a barren, weedy patch of land, we have a proper garden growing all kinds of things sustainably. There is also an area of grass for the children to play in, for when the weather is good enough to go out.

The Brighton Permaculture Trust came in on one of the wettest Sundays in March to plant some local varieties of apple trees and teach some of our fami-lies and residents how to plant and look after them. Southern Water donated a water butt, which filled up in a couple of days thanks to the early summer rain and has never been empty since.

This month we’re launching an add-on to the hugely successful composting scheme, which is running in Dyke Road Park. We will be setting up two com-munity composting bins beside the church, near the communal bins, and will be running a launch event after our Harvest Festival on 14th October. This will be an opportunity for local residents to come and see the garden. There will be lots of fun activities with apples and a chance to sign up to the compost-ing scheme. Representatives from the Brighton and Hove Food Partnership and Brighton and Hove Council will be there from Midday till 2pm for information and advice on composting.

Come along, grab a free kitchen caddy and start composting.

It’s great to be involved in all these schemes, which bring us closer to nature and help us to understand how important the environment is in our lives. As part of our life together, St. Luke’s, along with both the Stanford schools, will be focussing on those in our locality who find it hard to feed their families

on a daily basis and we will be collecting non-perishable food items (tins or packets) to be given to the Basics Bank at Preston Circus. This helps hard-up families and the homeless with food packages to keep them going through difficult times. Come along to one of the events and get involved. Send items for the Basics Bank to the schools or the church as part of your harvest celebration this year.

Stanford Infant & Junior Harvest Assemblies8th October St. Luke’s Church Harvest Festival Followed by apple workshop and composting sign-up from midday.14th October 10.30

St. Luke’s Church / LOCAL HISTORY

5

Harvest.WE CATCH UP WITH REVEREND MARTIN POOLE ON THE LATEST FROM ST. LUKE’S by Reverend Martin Poole



News // PRESTONVILLE POST

6

IT’S MY BUSINESS // Brighton Dance

It’s My Business.INSPIRED BY STRICTLY? STEP ONTO THE DANCE FLOOR WITH BRIGHTON DANCE...

Brighton Dancing has been teaching people to dance for over 20 years. With a friendly

and welcoming atmosphere, Carola Degener-Pereira and her team run dance classes for people of all ages and experience levels.

Carola is a qualified dance and fitness instructor. She has been teaching dance and fitness since 1987, firstly in Germany and then here in Brighton and Hove.

“I enjoy introducing people to dance and

get real pleasure out of seeing how much fun

they are having...”

“In Germany where I grew up,” says

Carola, “Ballroom and Latin dancing was very popular so I thought I’d try it and I got hooked so quickly. It was such a fun activity; I met so many people and knew it was what I wanted to do with my life, sharing my love for dance whilst meeting a lot of different and interesting people.”

Carola’s approach to dance and teaching is professional but fun, ensuring that everyone enjoys themselves whilst learning new steps and styles. People from all walks of life are made welcome, from complete beginners to more experienced dancers. Carola explains: “I enjoy introducing people to dance and get real pleasure out of seeing how much fun they are having in my lessons or at our events, putting into practice what they have

learnt. Dancing can have quite an impact on peoples’ lives and you often see people change. They make new friends and get an extra social life; getting fit, losing weight, improving posture, getting more confident and more.” “Sometimes people think they have two left feet and can’t dance. It’s great when I’m able to change that. I don’t mind if somebody takes longer to learn. The main thing is that they are enjoying it and if they do, they will discover their right foot as well as their left!”

Most of Brighton Dancing’s classes - Ballroom & Latin, Salsa, Rock’n’Roll and French Jive - take place at the Rox School of Dancing in Fonthill Road, Hove. But on Thursday evenings, Brighton Dancing comes to The Good Companions pub on Dyke Road for

Argentine Tango.

Absolute beginners or those with some ex-perience are welcome to come and learn the basic salidas, ochos and giros. Carola says, “You don’t need to come with a partner and it’s also not necessary to dress up; people come in clothes and shoes they feel comfortable in, although when we have our Spring, Summer and Winter Balls in The King Alfred Ballroom, most people get dressed up for that occasion.”.


by Gill Hasson


Sergeant Chris Lane // THE LOCAL BEAT

77

The Local BeatEACH MONTH LOCAL SERGEANT CHRISLANE SHARES HIS EXPERIENCES by Sergeant Chris Lane CLo62

I am the Neighbourhood Sergeant responsible for community policing in your area and have kindly been offered the opportunity to contribute a regular article to

your magazine. I thought I’d kick off with an introduction to my team and explain a little of what we get involved in.

I have a team of two police officers and six community support officers covering Preston, Fiveways, Withdene, Westdene and Hollingdean. One of the PCSO’s, Simon TURVEY, is designated specifically to the Preston and Prestonville area. He is shortly to be joined by a further PCSO who is currently undergoing initial training.

We are responsible for delivering neighbourhood policing across that area and the work we get involved in very much depends on the local priorities and any ongoing local issues. A recent example involves the theft of parcels in the Buxton Road area where opportunist thieves were targeting parcels left outside addresses by delivery drivers. We had a good idea who was responsible, but search warrants of the relevant addresses were not effective as the goods were being quickly sold on. Taking a creative approach we made up some parcels ourselves and left them outside addresses, watched by my team in plain clothes. On the third such operation a thief took the bait and stole the

parcel only to be promptly arrested. A search of the thief’s flat yielded more stolen post and he was charged with three offences. He is currently awaiting trial; however the tactic appeared to be effective as very few parcel thefts have since been reported in that area. Some people may view this approach as ‘entrapment’ however bait operations are a legitimate means of tackling crime as no one is forced to take a parcel that does not belong to them.

“Taking a creative approach we made up some parcels ourselves and left them outside addresses,

watched by my team in plain clothes...”

I’m pleased to say that your area suffers very little crime, however should you wish to report any concerns or suspicious activity, I would urge you to get in touch. You are welcome to contact me directly or you can provide information anonymously via Crime stoppers on 0800 555111

If you would like to contact me with a question please [email protected]

Booth Museum of Natural History.PHOTO STORY

John Cooper, curator of the Booth Museum of Natural History in Dyke Road, holding the egg of a rhea, a flightless South American bird. The egg was found inexplicably floating off the coast of Sussex last month, almost 5,000 miles from home!

Opening TimesMon, Tues, Wed, Fri,Sat - 10am - 5pmSunday 2pm - 5pmAdmission - Free


NEWS // Prestonville Post

Prestonville Community AssociationSupporting community activities in the Prestonville area


If you would like to join the PCA committee or just come along to a meeting, get in touch. Chair: Richard Denyer-Bewick Tel: 07859 076141 [email protected] Secretary/Prestonville Post Jannet King Tel: 509653 [email protected]

BOOK CLUB IN THE PUB The Chimney House (upstairs) 18 October, 8.00pm For information on the book, contact: Jeremy Cartland Tel: 882933 [email protected]

REGULAR EVENTS OPEN MEETINGS First Tuesday of the month Café in the Park GARDEN WORK PARTIES Third Saturday of month @10.30am Meet at Café in the Park Contact: Jannet King Tel: 509653 To garden during week: Steve Golds 07771 389 427 DIARY DATES FILM CLUB 7 October: Vertigo 5.00pm, Café in the Park. £2.50 membership on door. Keep up to date via: www.dykeroadpark.wordpress.com

Seven Dials: The Road AheadMarek Kohn

The numbers behind the Seven Dials improvement scheme are coming into focus. Some 26,000 vehicles cross the junction each day. Over the past five years there have been 41 accidents involving injury, nine of them serious (and most of them on the junction itself). The Council has £550,000 earmarked for the upgrade. When the scheme was announced, city transport committee chair Councillor Ian Davey spoke of creating “a ‘Seven Dials village’ by bringing together all sides into a coherent whole”. But at the Seven Dials Stakeholder Meeting hosted by St Luke’s Church on 20 August it became clear that a village costs more than half a million pounds.

“Over the past five years there have been 41 accidents involving injury, nine of them

serious...”

Robin Reed, the project manager, explained that this was primarily a road safety scheme. The safety improvements could make the place look more attractive, but there’s no chance of any radical transformation on the lines of Oxford Circus or New Road. Even if the money was available, there are limits to what can be done with a busy roundabout close to the city centre.

The possibilities do include:A 20mph speed limit• Zebra crossings instead of the traffic lights.• Narrowing the roundabout channel to guide traffic flow; reducing • double lanes to single ones.Making Bath Street two-way, with mini-roundabouts at each end.•

The stakeholders, who included local traders and representatives of local community associations, were generally positive about the zebra option. There was also general support for making the place look better, though a couple of people expressed strong reservations about the possibility that the guard railings might be replaced by more attractive obstacles.

A public consultation, including an exhibition, is planned for October, and there’s talk among the community associations of holding a public meeting. If the Stakeholder Meeting is anything to go by, we can look forward to some free and frank exchanges of views.

Works could start in February, if the Council approves plans at a meet-ing due to take place in January.

Your comments on this story are welcome at prestonville.org.uk

8

The Hall Get Involved / NEWS

facebook: ‘prestonvillefriend’ twitter: @prestonvillemag // www.prestonvillefriend.co.uk 9

Friday 14th was the launch day for the Exeter Street Hall share issue and it went with a bang!

Thank you firstly to all of the volunteers who turned up at the hall over two days to turn 25,000 items into 5,000 share packs. It was a great sight (photos top left and bottom right).

While all that was going on, Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion, arrived to buy the first share. Everyone gathered out-side for photographers to capture this moment that we have all worked so hard towards (see photos top and bottom right). She was impressed with what we have achieved in such a short time and asked how she could help and be more involved. The launch day ended the only way it could, with music, dancing, a barbecue and refreshments in the Hall. A great time was had by all.

The cost for setting up the share issue now runs into thousands of pounds and has all been funded by the events that The Hall Get Involved Group has run over the past 6 months. They have all been well-supported; you have bought at our markets, eaten at our pop-up restaurants, laughed at our comedy night and competed at our quiz nights. Our pot-luck supper was a big hit and so too was our Jubilee and Pride tea parties. As a result, the feedback we have had is that all of these events have strengthened our community and have given us a focus.

You now have an opportunity to make a difference. Please do not leave it up to someone else. We have one chance to save Exeter Street Hall for the community, for our use now - to continue enjoying all of the above events and much more but also to protect it for future generations.

A space like this will never be found again in such a densely populated city and we need to pull together now and give what we can. Buy a share or donate at www.exeterstreethall.org

The share issue runs from 14th Sep to 31st Oct 2012

Exeter Street Hall. Let’s share it!THE MONHTLY UPDATE - OCTOBER 2012The Share Launch - We Have Lift Off!

A Message From Guide Dogs

Do you have a creative hobby that you would like to share? We’re looking for contributors for next month’s magazine for our new Creative Thinking feature!Contact: Gill Hasson on 01273 272 911 for more details

11

by Sarah Davey

11 facebook: ‘prestonvillefriend’ twitter: @prestonvillemag // www.prestonvillefriend.co.uk

Our American cousins know how to celebrate Halloween with style. One of the trademark symbols you’ll see outside almost every house at this time of year is a huge

carved pumpkin, or Jack-o-lantern as they’re known across the pond.

There’s a knack to carving a great pumpkin lantern. If you want yours to be the envy of all your neighbours this October, follow our step-by-step guide.

First choose the right pumpkin. Firm and smooth is best for beginners. Advanced or creative types might like a more gnarled and warty specimen. Make sure there are no soft spots and that the stalk is nice and firm. Most importantly, make sure it sits up without rolling over, or your lantern will be a failure!

The best carved pumpkins require good tools. You can buy children’s pumpkin carving sets which work reasonably well for simple designs. However if you’re after something showy you’ll need a sharp kitchen knife with a long blade, a smaller paring knife and possibly a craft knife. A bradawl is useful too. These tools are adult-only for obvious reasons.

An ice cream scoop or large spoon is great for scooping out the flesh. Don’t forget to lay down lots of newspaper or plastic sheet-ing because pumpkin carving is a messy business.

Plan your design before you start. Draw a circle roughly the same size as the area you want to carve and get your children to help. If you’re stuck there are some great free templates available on the internet. Tape your design on to the pumpkin then use a cocktail stick to push through the paper to mark out the design. Then cut it out.

You can carve other veg, like turnips, though it’s more difficult to hollow them out. You can use cocktail sticks to fasten other small vegetables, like courgettes, carrots and tiny squashes to your lantern for decoration. With a bit of ingenuity you can give your pumpkin face ears or horns. Broccoli and cauliflower florets can make funky hair.

Once you’ve created your masterpiece soak it in water for an hour. Then pop it on your doorstep for everyone to admire. If you’re worried about leaving a lit candle inside, try an electric tea light. They flicker like the real thing but are totally safe.

Carve The Perfect Pumkin // LIFESTYLE

Carve The Perfect Pumpkin.GET CREATIVE AND IMPRESS THE KIDS WITH THIS HELPFUL GUIDE

Do you have an event or a class that you would like to advertise?To contribute to next month’s issue contact: Gill Hasson on 01273 272 911


OCTOBER // What’s On

13

As the turn of the season rolls in, and the evenings become

crisper, we take a look at things to do that offer a mix of both enjoyment and warmth...

Brighton Comedy Festival15- 20 October

The Brighton Comedy Festival has established itself over the last ten years as a jewel in the world of Stand Up. Over three weekends around fifty of the best comedians including Frankie Boyle and Greg Davies strut the boards of the Brighton Dome’s three venues and other venues around the city.

brightoncomedyfestival.comPhone 01273 709709

Biba and Beyond: Barbara Hulanicki20-22 October

With its cutting edge yet affordable fashion, Barbara Hulanicki’s iconic Biba store and label transformed the High Street shopping experience in the 1960s and 70s.

This major fashion exhibition at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery celebrates the innovative, unique and distinctive creative flair that Barbara Hulanicki has brought to all of her work.

Booking line 03000 290902Admission charge: £3(proof of Brighton residency required)

Brighton Photo Biennial:Jarman Shortlist 2012Film Screening 15th OctoberDuke of Yorks

BPB12 artists Jon Thomson & Alison Craighead are among the short listed artists for this year’s prestigious Jarman Award, an annual prize celebrating the work of innovative UK artist filmmakers. See their work and films from the other shortlisted artists including Brad Butler & Karen Mirza, Marcus Coates, Shezad Dawood, Benedict Drew, Nathaniel Mellors and more.

dukeofyorks.comPhone 0871 902 5728Admission: £7.50

Brighton Photo Fringe:‘Best Before’6 October - 18 NovemberThe Hope, Queen’s Road

Brighton Photo Fringe was founded in 2003 in partnership with Brighton Photo Biennial (BpB). The Fringe was devised for local artists to become involved with BpB.

Fringe Exhibitor, James Kendall’s 90-year-old grandmother-in-law, having lived through WWII, doesn’t believe in best before dates. Sadly she had to move into a home, but clearing out her larder was as thrilling as being offered a snack. All the products shown in James’ photographs, he believes, intended to be eaten.

Phone 01273 872 743

What’s On - OctoberAUTUMNAL CULTURE


KIDS CORNER // Complete the puzzles!