Celebrating horticulture at South of England Agricultural Society

New President of the South of England Agricultural Society, Lord Egremont of the Petworth Estate in West Sussex, announced today that the South of England Agricultural Society’s theme for 2014 will be horticulture.

“We will be celebrating everything that grows - in our gardens, in our fields and in our unique woodland as well as looking at timber and trees - and this will be reflected in our shows, kicking off with the Spring Garden & Leisure Show in May 2014 and carrying on through the South of England Show and our Autumn and Christmas shows,” said Lord Egremont.

“This offers us a real opportunity to help educate children about countryside and farming and bring them closer to where their food comes from, which is core to the South of England Agricultural Society’s charitable aims.”

Lord Egremont steps into the Presidential shoes of Penelope Keith CBE DL, who presided over the past year’s theme of Poultry, which helped raise awareness about the region’s unique poultry history and promote the poultry industry.

His family has historical links with the Society going back to the 18^th Century. His ancestors, the Lords Leconfield, were Presidents of the Sussex County, Tunbridge Wells and South Eastern Counties Agricultural Societies, which merged to form the South of England Agricultural Society in 1967.

He and Lady Egremont are hands on at the Petworth Estate, making it a huge success as a farming estate and managing some of the most beautiful grounds in the region. They are committed to education and annually host children from London schools on the Estate to experience a closer look at farming and where their food comes from.

“It’s very important for children who live in an urban environment to understand what form agricultural farming takes. People in the city can lose touch with the countryside and farming, going to supermarkets and not knowing what is involved in where their food comes from. I’m very keen to promote the seasons and encourage people to embrace the cycle of nature, eating British fare when it is ripe and ready.

“Crops are largely imported now, but I’m keen to see that farming has an opportunity to diversify and produce as many kinds of crops as possible. This is one of the messages we will be promoting throughout our Presidential year, but we will also be encouraging people to embrace gardening and growing on all scales, however small.”

Lord Egremont has also selected his President’s Charity for the year, to benefit from fundraising activities held at the Society’s events, which is the Children’s Society, specifically projects to help children in Sussex.

The educational work of the South of England Society and its theme of horticulture will be reflected at all next year’s exciting South of England Showground events, which include:

Public events:

Spring Garden & Leisure Show - 4 & 5 May

South of England Show – 5, 6 & 7 June

Autumn Show & Game Fair 4 & 5 October

Festive Food & Drink Fayre 6 & 7 December

Other educational events include:

Connect with the Countryside – July

Countryside Careers – 16 October

Jim Green Memorial Competition – 12 March

Young Craftsman of the Year – June

The Project Assignment Competition - October

The Farming Conference – 12 November

Find out more at www.seas.org.uk 

City College celebrates Brighton planning approval at Pelham Street

City College is celebrating the approval by BHCC Planning Committee for its plans for the redevelopment of City College Brighton & Hove Pelham Street Campus [December 11].

Said Lynn Thackway, Principal of City College Brighton & Hove: “We are all absolutely delighted. Our project will transform and secure the future of Further Education in Brighton for many decades to come. It will enable the delivery of exceptional learning opportunities for the 10,000 students a year who come to us to develop new skills on one of our 700 courses.

“Our new buildings will have a huge impact on what our students can achieve and aspire to.  This project will play a key part in the wider regeneration of the City and create a scheme which we and the City can be proud of.

“We also recognise some of the legitimate concerns of local residents and we’re committed to working with them through the construction process and the ongoing management of the public spaces to make sure all their concerns are addressed.”

This construction project will contribute to regenerating the London Road area in particular and the City in general by providing £79m of inward investment and up to 141 local construction jobs as well as local spend of over £1m. Unlike proposals submitted in 2008, the College is receiving no Central or Local Government funding for this project and has to maximise the potential of its land and assets to secure the additional borrowing necessary to deliver the scheme.

Proposals for the redevelopment of City College Brighton & Hove Pelham Street Campus include a ‘state of the art’ further education college, replacing the current building with modern teaching space and associated uses, situated where the college car park is now and a mix of student accommodation and residential development on the remainder, which will help to fund the new College facilities whilst contributing to the city’s need for homes. The scheme includes 12,056 sqm of improved learning facilities, 442 rooms of student residential accommodation and 125 new homes, including a mixture of tenure, which are much needed in the city.

A new public square and events space for local people to enjoy is also included in proposals which are predominantly car free, reducing traffic and pollution, supported by extensive cycle storage and a shuttle service between campuses. Traffic calming measures in Pelham Street, using shared surfacing to give pedestrians priority, public realm improvements and active frontage to encourage a more secure and enjoyable environment.

Same Sky sets sail with Cathedral Group

A partnership between Same Sky, the largest community arts charity in the South East and Cathedral Group at the old municipal market building in Brighton’s Circus Street will make this year’s Burning of the Clocks Parade extra special, according to John Varah, Director of Same Sky.

“This year, we are building a giant ship lantern at Circus Street, which will be the centrepiece for this year’s parade, for people to put their lanterns inside and to help us create a huge burning spectacle at the end of the event,” he said.

“The parade has become so popular, it can take a long time to get all the lanterns burning and this will make the whole event work and look even better. We haven’t had an under cover space large enough to work on such a huge piece before, so we are delighted to be able to partner with Cathedral Group and use the Circus Street space.”

As part of the partnership, Same Sky is working with local people in Tarner so that they can participate in the lantern parade, holding lantern-making workshops with the Carlton Hill Primary School and Tarner Community Project’s youth group.

“Having access to this space will also benefit the Children’s Parade on the first weekend of May, which kicks off Brighton Festival, as it will be used for workshops and building then as well,” continued John Varah.

Cathedral Group will in turn be borrowing some of Same Sky’s stunning and unique creations to help decorate the old market building for its Circus Street Winterland free festival on December 14, which is open for everyone in Brighton & Hove to come and enjoy. For details see www.circusstreetbrighton.com

The Burning of the Clocks takes place on the winter solstice, on December 21, and attracts many thousands of people, both bringing their own paper lanterns to burn and to watch the fiery spectacle. The parade leaves from New Road at 6.30pm and arrives at Madeira Drive at approximately 7.15pm, when lanterns are passed onto the bonfire and the fireshow begins, finishing at around 8pm.

People can support this community event and join in the fun by buying their own DIY lantern-making kits for £20 at The Wood Store in Circus Street, the Hartington Pub in Whippingham Road, the Book Nook in St John’s Place or the Pavilion shop. Sponsorship opportunities for this hugely popular event are also available at www.samesky.co.uk

Cathedral Group in partnership with McLaren Property submitted a planning application in October for a development on the site estimated to bring over £200million into Brighton & Hove over the next ten years, create over 600 jobs, deliver two landmark public buildings: The Dance Space, a new home for South East Dance, and a library and teaching building for the University of Brighton, as well as much needed new homes, student residential accommodation and office space.

Said Martyn Evans, Creative Director from Cathedral Group, “We are thrilled to be working with such a fantastic organisation as Same Sky, which is so close to the hearts of people in Brighton & Hove.

“They truly capture the essence of the city and as a creative organisation ourselves, with proposals for a development which will also contribute greatly to the art and culture in the city, we relish the opportunity to participate in the great work and events which they run – now and into the future.”  

Christmas puddings warm up at Royal Pavilion Ice Rink

The Royal Pavilion Ice Rink invited organisers of Brighton’s Christmas Pudding Race for a warm up on the ice today [December 5] as they called for more teams to sign up for next week’s fun race on New Road to raise funds for Cancer Research UK at 11am on 14 December.

Said Jessica Blake of Cancer Research UK, “The race is a challenge of dexterity, balance, speed and general silliness - you’ll be balancing your pudding on a tray whilst negotiating our perilous obstacle course and the challenge will be staying on your feet, with your pudding. Fitness is not a requirement!”

The event is sponsored by Southern Water, which is entering a team whilst other teams include Komedia and Circo. Teams of five can sign up for just £20 and there will be prizes for the best fancy dress, the most sponsorship raised and quickest around the course. 

Find out more at www.xmaspuddingrace.org.uk or contact Jess Blake jessica.blake@cancer.org.uk or 07717 652679.

The South East’s most beautiful winter ice rink is open until January 19 on the Royal Pavilion’s Eastern lawns in Brighton. Find out more at www.royalpavilionicerink.co.uk

Circus Street Winterland Free Brighton Festival

Cathedral Group is opening the old municipal market’s doors to people in Brighton Hove on December 14, offering a fun, fantastical, festive and free event called Circus Street Winterland.  

Every child who visits the Winterland Labyrinth – an alternative to Santa’s grotto created by Copperdollar, award winners of Brighton Festival & Fringe - will receive a free gift.

Enjoy dramatic dance performances from ZoieLogic Dance Theatre, presenting MurMur, radical duet that packs a punch, challenges perceptions, and stuns audiences with its sheer physicality. In association with South East Dance.

Visit the Bell Tent Imaginarium by Periplum, where children and adults of all ages can enjoy a digital tour of discovery into Alice’s Wonderland.

Carnival and circus performances, Christmas decoration making, Christmas trees for sale and delicious hot and cold food and drink are also on offer.

Stay tuned to www.circusstreetbrighton.com to discover more and find out times of performances.

Dress up warm and enjoy!

Saturday 14 December 2013, 12-6PM  

Old Municipal Market building, Circus Street, Brighton, BN2 9QF

Admission: FREE