Kids in Brighton News
Welcome to Kids in Brighton News. This is the place to visit for breaking news on child friendly events and fresh additions to the website, so be sure to bookmark the page if you want to keep yourself up to date. The most recent news stories appear at the top. Please either click on the story you are interested in, or scroll down the page. For older stories please go to our News Archive page.
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We keep our What's On page as up to date as possible so that it is not only informative but easy to use. We are always happy to be told of any family friendly events in Brighton, Hove and nearby that you know about which you would like us to include. If you have a child friendly event which you would like included in our free Kids in Brighton listing then please contact us.
Please click on the headline to read the story you're interested in.
Council Set to Tap Into Local Expertise on Youth Services - 19 January 2012
Council Consults on Proposed Changes to City's School Admissions - 9 January 2012
Capture the Parents - Photography competition for kids presnted by Livestock - 3 January 2012
Young People Power - be part of the future - 16 December 2011
Brighton Brothers record Christmas Song in Aid of Children's Charities - 9 December 2011
Council Backs New Film Showing the Reality of Teenage Pregnancy - 29 November 2011
Duke of Edinburgh Awards Ceremony - 25 November 2011
Skip's Club Launch - 12 November 2011
The Grand Hotel Mini Mile Races 2012 - 3 November 2011
Adoption in Brighton & Hove, find out more - 1 November 2011
Brighton and Hove Healthy School Dinners - 19 October 2011
Sussex Immunisation Week - 10 October 2011
Brighton Wheel, Great for Families - 31 August 2011
Passport to the Bank - at Wakehurst Place - 3 August 2011 - see article below
Council acclaimed for tackling homophobia in schools - 11 July 2011
City Plans Scooter Training for Nursery-aged Children - 28 June 2011
Breastfeeding Awareness Week - 20 June 2011
City's Youth Music Service Rated Outstanding - 25 May 2011
Athletics Sessions for Primary Children - 17 May 2011
Summer School Focues on Youth Music - 6 May 2011
Brighton and Hove Youth Arts Festival - 25 April 2011
Brighton Seafront Launch for Buggy Walks - 12 April 2011
Free Swimming for Another Year - 8 April 2011
Dorothy Stringer Pupils Raise Money for East African Children's Charity - 5 April 2011
Rockinghorse to Hold Superheroes Quiz to Raise Money for Sick Children - 4 April 2011
Easter Holiday Fun from Brighton Council - 29 March 2011
Mothers Day in Brighton - 28 March 2011
Kids in Brighton Sponsors Brighton Congathon - 12 March 2011
Brighton Science Festival - February 13 - March 6 2011 Don't miss out on this fantastic festival which includes hands-on experiments, talks and domonstrations for kids.
Brighton Nursery Stages World Record Attempt with Mass Sing-Along
Useful Contacts and Links Page
Brighton Brothers record Christmas Song in aid of Children's Charities - Bertie and Stanley, aged 11 and 8, from Brighton have recorded a Christmas song and hope to raise some money for three children's charities. The NSPCC, and two local charities, Rockinghorse Appeal and East Africa Children's Project. To help them raise some money please download a copy of Ring Out The Bells by The Kids from Amazon (as mp3 download) and from itunes (it costs less than a pound). Please click on the following links. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ring-Out-The-Bells/dp/B006HCX7VO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323426692&sr=81
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/ring-out-the-bells-single/id486380126
Council backs new film showing the reality of teenage pregnancy - A hard-hitting film showing ‘a year in the life' of a Brighton teenager who has an unexpected and unplanned pregnancy while still at school is being launched on the internet on Thursday 1 December. The film, entitled ‘This Time Next Year', has been commissioned by the Brighton & Hove Contraception and Sexual Health (CASH) service as a resource to help promote key sex and sexual health messages in a way that will appeal to young people.
Shot as a series of video diaries, the 12-part web drama follows a soon-to-be teenage mother, Jacqui, through her final year at school. It's a gritty story, highlighting the impact of Jacqui's unplanned pregnancy on her life and relationships. This Time Next Year has been made by Fractured Films, a film and video production house based in Brighton, and stars up-and-coming actress Holli Dempsey, who most recently appeared in Dr Who. (www.fracturedfilms.com)
The film will also help promote the recently relaunched SWISH website which provides information about sex, sexual health, and relationships for people living or working in Brighton & Hove. (www.swish.org.uk/ttny)
Brighton & Hove City Council's cabinet member for children and young people, Councillor Sue Shanks, said: "This is about empowering young women to take control and be informed about their options and the decisions they make.
"A lot of excellent work around sex education already goes on schools. But young people also want to access information online so it's vital that we use new media to get key sexual health messages across to them."
Duke of Edinburgh Award Ceremony - Nearly 300 young people from Brighton & Hove will receive their Duke of Edinburgh silver and bronze awards at a ceremony at Hove Town Hall on Tuesday 29 November. The young people come from schools, colleges and clubs across the city, including several catering for young people with special needs - people like:
•· Amy, who is profoundly deaf, who has done voluntary work with young children at the Hamilton Lodge school for the deaf and passed a gruelling fire safety course at Preston Road fire station
•· Hilary, who has helped the Friends of Withdean improve their local park and also turned herself into one of the city's top hula-hoopers
The Duke of Edinburgh programme is coordinated by Brighton & Hove City Council's outdoor education team. They are currently working with more than 5,000 young people.
Presenting the certificates on November 29 will be the Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex, Peter Field. He will be accompanied by the Mayor, Councillor Anne Meadows, and the council's cabinet member for children and young people, Councillor Sue Shanks.
Councillor Shanks said: "Since last year, participation in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award has soared with more schools coming on board, and even more young people accessing our Open Centres. "We're also seeing a wider range of activities being undertaken, including everything from vegetable growing to aerial circus skills.
"It's great that so many of our young people are looking to enhance their skills, make a contribution to their wider community and improve their employability, and I look forward to meeting them at the ceremony."
To find out more about the Duke of Edinburgh scheme in Brighton & Hove please visit www.brightonandhovedea.org.uk or phone 01273 293642.
Skip's Club Launch -Skip along to our free, family open morning on Saturday 19 November to celebrate the launch of Skip's Club, our new children's club. Children aged between 5 - 14 years can join Skip's Club for free.
Members will receive information about future shows, as well as invitations to special events and details about workshops and activities that are exclusive to Skip's Club members. At the launch, activities include story telling sessions, mask making, dressing up, backstage tours of our beautiful old Theatre, Skip's trail and special competitions with lovely prizes!
Activities planned for the future are a Spamalot family workshop, arts and craft activities, backstage tours for families, special events for Easter, Halloween and Christmas and performance and technical 'try out' sessions.
In case you were wondering why the club is called Skip's Club....Theatre Royal Brighton is over 200 years old, and Skip's family have lived here for a very long time. Skip's great, great great grandfather was brought to Theatre Royal Brighton in the pocket of Jack, a young boy from the local workhouse who came to see the pantomime in 1888. The little mouse was captivated by the excitement of the theatre and decided that this was where he wanted to stay. He slipped out of Jack's pocket and now lives amongst the costumes and props backstage.
The Grand Hotel Mini Mile Races 2012 - Entries for The Grand Hotel Mini Mile Races on 15th April 2012 are now open, don't miss out, get your place now by visiting the website www.brightonmarathon.co.uk/minimile. The Mini Mile races are age-related and will be staged along the seafront on the morning of The Brighton Marathon, covering a one mile distance over the last stretch of the marathon course. The races are open to 7-17 year olds giving youngsters a fantastic opportunity to capture the atmosphere of a mass participation race. The date of the race is 15th April 2012, entry is £7.50, time is 08.30am. Every entrant receives a T-shirt and every finisher receives a medal and a kit bag.
Adoption in Brighton & Hove, find out more - If you think you could offer a permanent home to a child who has had a difficult start in life, Brighton & Hove City Council's adoption team would love to meet you.
The team are holding an adoption information session on Saturday 5 November from 10.30am to 12.30pm at the Meeting House, Sussex University, Falmer BN1 9QF. It's a chance to find out more direct from the adoption team and some of the adopters they work with. Brighton & Hove's adoption team are looking for people interested in adopting children from all the city's diverse communities. They're particularly keen to recruit adopters for children aged 2+ and for sibling groups. The council's cabinet member for children and young people, Councillor Sue Shanks, said: "Adoption is a chance to make an incredibly positive, life-changing difference for a child in need - and for yourself." If you cannot make it to the information event, the council's adoption team would still like to hear from you. Please visit www.adoptioninbrightonandhove.org.uk or phone them on 01273 295444 for a friendly chat.
Brighton and Hove Healthy School Dinners - City's school meals are healthier and tastier than ever before. Freshly baked bread, free range eggs and more locally sourced fruit and vegetables are now on the menu at some 60 primary and special schools in Brighton & Hove.
The council has teamed up with Eden Foodservice to offer healthy and tasty menus to schoolchildren. All menus feature food from different parts of the world, achieve Government nutrition targets and contain at least two portions of the recommended five-a-day for fruit and vegetables. Fresh bread is now baked on site daily at all schools, only UK Red Tractor farm assured meat and free range eggs are used, fresh fruit and vegetables are now being delivered twice a week by local company Tastables. All fish is from sustainable sources and Eden are working towards Marine Stewardship Council accreditation, and separate menus are available for children who have special dietary needs. All the dishes on the menus are tried and tested by school pupils to make sure they like them. The council's cabinet member for children and young people, Councillor Sue Shanks said: ""We want to encourage our children to have school lunches so that they have at least one good meal a day, because all the research shows that this improves classroom learning and behaviour. Visit www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/schoolmeals full details. If you think you could be eligible for free school meals apply online at www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/onlinefreeschoolmeals
Sussex Immunisation Week - Boosting the health of children and young people - starts 10 October 2011.
Booster vaccinations which protect young children and teenagers from potentially serious diseases are being highlighted as part of Sussex Immunisation Week. The teenage booster provides protection against tetanus, diphtheria and polio while the pre-school booster protects against these illnesses and whooping cough as well. Both boosters provide a vital immunity top-up, even if children and young people had vaccinations as babies. Children having the pre-school booster are also offered the MMR (measles mumps and rubella) immunisation at the same time. There have been cases of measles and mumps in Sussex this year and last, with some cases leading to serious health complications which needed hospital treatment. Latest validated figures for 2010-11 show the percentage of children having the pre-school booster across Sussex by the age of five as: Brighton and Hove - 80.4 percent, East Sussex Downs and Weald - 85.7 percent, Hastings and Rother - 85.5 percent and West Sussex - 89.3 percent It is estimated that only around 60 percent of eligible young people in Brighton and Hove are having the teenage booster. Young people are usually invited via their GP surgeries to have this immunisation around their 15th birthday. "Children and young people need these boosters to ensure they are fully protected against potentially serious diseases," said specialist immunisation nurse Rosanna Raven. "Invitations and reminders are sent to children and young people to have these free boosters and we urge them to take up this offer and be vaccinated. If you or your child are eligible for a booster but have missed or not received an invitation, please speak to your GP surgery or health visitor." The pre-school booster is usually given to children between the ages of three years and four months and about five years old. A ten year gap between both boosters is recommended so the teenage booster is usually offered to students from the age of 15. For more information, speak to your GP surgery or health visitor or visit www.nhs.uk/vaccinations.
Brighton Wheel, Great for Families - Take a voyage to the skies of Brighton and Hove with the Brighton Ferris Wheel. Opening at the end of September 2011, this sea-front Ferris wheel will take visitors up and away (and back down again) to see the beautiful sights of the city and the South Downs. There will be one VIP pod for hire, and it will be open 364 days a year. For more information see www.brightonwheel.com.
Passport to the Bank at Wakehurst Place - Young visitors to Wakehurst Place, near Haywards Heath, this summer will be able to pick up their own ‘passport' to take them on an adventurous journey of discovery. The passport, which will be available from this weekend (Saturday August 6), is designed to lead visitors to four imaginative natural play spaces around the Royal Botanic Garden's Kew's country estate, and then on to Kew's Millennium Seed Bank to learn more about the seeds banked there for the future.
An intricate spiral labyrinth and carved wooden totem poles, depicting stories inspired by nature, are new attractions at Wakehurst this year. These are in addition to willow tunnels and tents and a scented maze for toddlers which opened last year.
Each of these play spaces contains a bronze disc bearing a picture of a seed and the question ‘Is it banked?' Youngsters can draw the seed in their passport and then go to Kew's Millennium Seed Bank, which is located at Wakehurst, to find out whether the plant on the disc is one of the tens of thousands of species conserved in the vaults.
A new children's guide, Kids' Wakehurst*, has just been published packed with ideas, stickers and activities to help youngsters make the most of their visit - and carry on finding out about plants and nature when they get home.
Wakehurst's natural play spaces:
•· Unexpected Endings - a spiral labyrinth, inspired by the pattern on the base of a pine cone. Visitors can follow the twists and turns of a 600 metre path, designed by artist Patricia Swannell, and made from12,0000 locally produced bricks.
•· Talking totems - totem poles sculpted with plants and animals to depict stories inspired by the trees they are situated among in Horsebridge Woods. Children can ‘play' the totems, using sticks provided to tap the sculpture to compare sounds. They can also sit in an acoustic chair, shaped like a fir cone, and hear themselves in surround sound as their voice reverberates around it.
•· Tunnels and tents - woven from living willow by Sussex basketmaker and willow artist Annemarie O'Sullivan.
•· Scents of Direction a small maze made of a scented plants for toddlers and pre-school children in the Wakehurst Carriage Ring.
Council acclaimed for tackling homophobia in schools - Brighton & Hove City Council is one of the top authorities in the country for promoting equalities and tackling homophobia and homophobic bullying in its schools, according to a leading lesbian and gay pressure group. Stonewall has rated the city second in its inaugural Education Equality Index, which aims to help eliminate discrimination and promote equality of opportunity for young people across all diversity strands. Welcoming the accolade, the council's cabinet member for communities, equalities and public protection, Councillor Ben Duncan, said: "Children these days have very diverse backgrounds. Quite simply we want our children to feel good about themselves, be proud of their family background and respect other people. "Our schools are committed to creating safe and inclusive communities that celebrate the diverse city that we live in." The council's healthy schools team works closely with the local LGBT community and Allsorts, a youth project that supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and unsure young people.
Examples of the work that have taken place in Brighton & Hove Schools include:
•· Training to support staff, pupils and students in challenging homophobic language
•· The development of the PSHE curriculum in primary and secondary schools to ensure that it values family diversity (case study attached), includes a range of sexual orientations and explores the impact of homophobia
•· Celebrating diversity and positive LGBT role models through events linked to LGBT History Month and through visits by Sir Ian McKellen to two local secondary schools, Blatchington Mill and Varndean
•· Allsorts training for peer mentors and School Councils in secondary schools to support students to challenge LGBT bullying
•· Training for secondary school staff to enable them to better support LGBT students.
City Plans Scooter Training for Nursery-aged Children - Nursery-age children in Brighton & Hove are to be given scooter training for the first time.
The council's cabinet member for transport and the public realm, Councillor Ian Davey, said: "More than 300 primary age children have enjoyed our scooter training scheme since we launched it last year. "More and more younger children are using scooters to travel to nursery and primary schools, so we're looking to work with nurseries to train their staff up to deliver the scooter training themselves."
Scooter training helps children to be more aware of dangers such as driveways and steep hills. It aims to give them basic scooting skills such as braking and turning whilst increasing their awareness of other pedestrians on the pavement.
The training is part-funded by the EU. Brighton & Hove is the only city in the country to have won funding from the EU's Civitas Archimedes project for this type of work. To find out more about scooter training in Brighton & Hove call the council's road safety team on 01273 291744.
Breastfeeding Awareness Week - It is National Breastfeeding Awareness Week from 20 - 26 June 2011. The Government has withdrawn it's funding and little has been written about it in the national press. Despite this though, a survey has revealed that breastfeeding is on the increase. A survey by the National Health Service Information Centre has found that more than 8 out of 10 babies are breastfed for a month after birth. This is up from 6 out of 10 in 1990. However, it is still not known how many babies are breastfed for six months which is recommended by the World Health Organisation.
City's Youth Music Service Rated Outstanding - Brighton & Hove's reputation as a top breeding ground for young musical talent has been underlined by government inspectors. The Federation of Music Services, which carries out inspections nationally, has rated Brighton & Hove City Council's music service as ‘outstanding' in all areas. Inspectors were particularly impressed by:
- the work the service does with gifted and talented students
- its support for vulnerable groups, such as looked after children
- innovative provision for pupils with special educational needs.
They observed a number of rehearsals and recitals first hand, finding ‘outstanding achievement' during a drum kit lesson and ‘very high standards' with many ensembles.
The council's cabinet member for children and young people, Councillor Sue Shanks, said: "We're committed to giving pupils of all ages and levels of ability the chance to take up music and achieve high standards. Our music service is something the city should be very proud of."
More than 5,000 primary age pupils have enjoyed the thrill of seeing and hearing live music this year through the music service's ‘Discovery' programme.
The Brighton Youth Orchestra goes on tour in July to the Loire Valley in France with the city's Youth Percussion Ensemble.
The city's youth Big Band are performing at the Bandstand on the seafront on Sunday June 5 from 2-4pm.
Athletics Sessions for Primary Children - Junior athletics sessions could unearth tomorrow's Olympians. A new series of athletics sessions for primary age children has been launched at the Village Centre in Portslade.
‘QuadKids' is a team based competition where each child does a sprint, a middle distance run, a long jump and a throw. It's designed to be inclusive, competitive and fun.
Quadkids is an England Athletics initiative run by Brighton & Hove City Council's Active for Life team. The aim is to get more children involved and also to help identify youngsters who have the potential to be the star athletes of the future. Sessions for infant age children (reception classes and Years 1-2) run on Wednesdays from 3.30pm to 4.15pm. Junior sessions (Years 3-6) run from 4.30pm to 5.30pm. The sessions run every Wednesday until the middle of July. The cost is £13.50. Places are still available but numbers are restricted.
If your child is interested in attending QuadKids, please send an email asap to vanessa.lynham@brighton-hove.gov.uk or call the council's Active for Life team on 01273 430176.
Summer School Focuses on Youth Music -Young people across Brighton & Hove are invited to get involved in a Music and Arts Summer School from June 30 to July 22. Organised by Brighton & Hove City Council's music, arts and study support service, it's open to all young people - from beginners to experts.
If you already play a musical instrument there are a range of courses to help you improve your playing and give you the chance to join instrumental ensembles, bands and orchestras.
But courses such as digital music, popular vocals, drumming workshops, song-writing and junior music theatre are aimed at primary aged pupils and require no previous experience - simply sign up, join in and have fun!
One new event that's bound to prove popular is a three-day Rock Jam, aimed at young people who would love the chance to play in a band. It's open to guitarists, keyboard players, singers and drummers who have been playing for between one and three years, and ends with an evening performance.
Places are limited, so visit http://www.bhmas.org.uk/ now for full details or phone the music, arts and study support service on 01273 293524.
Brighton and Hove Youth Arts Festival The fourth Brighton & Hove Youth Arts Festival from Saturday April 30 to Sunday May 15 is packed with free events where young people can show off their talents and try out something new. It's a multi-media extravaganza, full of events enabling young people to show off their creativity in theatre, visual art, graffiti, photography, fashion, sculpture, dance, music and painting at venues across the city.
Many of these skills will be showcased at a special launch event on Wednesday April 27 from 7.30pm to 9pm at Brighton's Jubilee Library.
The festival is also a chance for young people to try out everything from stand-up comedy and circus skills to jewellery making and lyric writing at a range of workshops.
The festival is organised by the Youth Arts project, part of Brighton & Hove City Council's integrated youth support service. It aims to highlight the work of young people who do not normally get the chance to participate in mainstream arts events. Some are socially excluded or disadvantaged; some are out of education, work or training, and so don't have access to the traditional routes to 'art'.
They are supported this year by 24 local services, including those working in youth centres, hostels, youth offending, special educational needs, with young asylum seekers, schools and domestic abuse support groups.
Terry Parkin, the council's strategic director, people, said: "The arts are a great way to build young people's creativity, self-confidence and self-esteem.
"These events are a chance for young people to have fun, explore issues that are important to them in a safe environment, and to express their views to a wider audience within the community."
Visit http://www.youthartsfestivalbrighton.org.uk/ for full details of the festival. To book a place on a workshop or for more information phone 01273 294617 or 07866 685729.
Brighton Seafront Launch for ‘buggy walks' - A new weekly ‘buggy walk' where parents and carers of young children can get some gentle exercise and meet new people is being launched on Brighton seafront on Thursday April 21 at 10.30am.
The launch event will combine a walk from Brighton Pier to Hove Lawns with a teddy-bear's picnic to raise money for the Edward Starr Trust, which funds education, healthcare and other projects for children in the UK and abroad.
The buggy walks have been organised by Brighton & Hove City Council's Healthwalks team, who organise walks of varying distances all over the city to help people enjoy the benefits of gentle exercise and meeting people.
Healthwalks co-ordinator Corinna Edwards-Colledge said: "Just walking briskly for half an hour a day reaps a range of physical and mental health benefits. And guess what - it burns the same calories as jogging!"
For further information about the council's Healthwalks programme visit www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/healthwalks or phone 01273 292724.
Free Swimming for Another Year - The free swimming scheme for children in Brighton and Hove has been given a reprieve. Thousands of under 11s will be able to continue free sessions at the city's main swimming pools for at least another year. The scheme was to be axed - as reported earlier on Kids in Brighton - but extra funding has been provided by Brighton & Hove City Council and NHS Brighton and Hove. They have both agreed to cover the cost of the scheme until March 2012. Keep an eye on our news page and we will keep you up to date about changes.
Dorothy Stringer Pupils Raise Money for East African Children's Charity - Pupils from Dorothy Stringer School in Brighton are working for a locally run children's charity as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award. The charity they are supporting is called East Africa Children's Project, founded by Brighton resident Pieter Lagaay in 2009, which raises money to run projects currently located in Kenya and Tanzania. The projects focus on the education, health and well-being of disadvantaged children, including orphaned, abandoned and street children and children infected by HIV/Aids.
As well as collecting money in tins and helping with the administration of the charity the Dorothy Stringer pupils are planning to sell cakes on Friday 8th April outside Wigwam on Preston Drove, Fiveways in Brighton. Please come along and support their efforts for this very good cause. Every penny raised goes directly to helping the East African children because the charity is run solely by local volunteers.
Rockinghorse to Raise Money with Superheroes Quiz Night On Thursday 7th April at 7pm, Rockinghorse is calling all local companies and groups of friends to show Brighton and Hove what they've got in this year's Superheroes Quiz, sponsored by RDF Group.
Taking place at top venue, Sussex County Cricket Club, we're inviting you to join us for an evening of brain-testing questions, mind-bending puzzles and chance to network with other local companies. Plus we'll even have a superheroes round, so start swatting up on Superman, Batman and all your favourite characters. Enjoy the atmosphere and have a great, relaxed night out for an excellent cause. Money raised on the evening will go towards helping local sick and disabled children.
*only one round will be on superheroes. £20 per person (includes curry and a drink). Tel: Allie 01273 730286 for more information. Please visit www.rockinghorse.org.uk/events/quiz to download a registration form.
Easter Holiday Fun from Brighton Council There's a wide range of activities for children in Brighton & Hove during the Easter holidays from Monday April 11 to Thursday April 21. There are sports courses organised by Brighton & Hove City Council for children aged 4-14 years at a variety of venues across the city. They include: basketball, golf, tennis, water sports, multi-sports
The courses vary from two hour sessions to a whole week, and they are for all abilities - everyone is welcome. The council's sports development team works closely with local sports clubs - such as the Brighton Cougars Basketball Club, who are helping run the Basketball courses - to make sure children can continue to enjoy sport after the holiday programmes finish. The council is also organising community activities ranging from Easter Egg hunts to family fun days, gardening events and a skate jam during the holidays. For full information please visit http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/eastersports for more information or phone (01273) 292721. The courses and community activities are popular so get your forms in as quickly as possible to avoid disappointment!
Mothers' Day in Brighton Please see our What's On page for ideas on what to do on Mothers' Day. Many attractions and events are free for mums! So mums, don't let the kids have all the fun, have some for yourself!
Kids in Brighton Sponsors Brighton Congathon This year the Nation's piers have been given a fantastic opportunity to kick off National Tourism Week with ‘Party on the Pier' on Saturday 12 March. Piers, harbours and jetties around the country have been invited to create events to draw attention to this important week and highlight the important role that Piers play in the Great Seaside Day Out. Several piers, including Brighton, Worthing, Bournemouth and Boscombe, Weston Super Mare, Cromer, Blackpool are holding a family fun event at 2pm on the Saturday 12, with each pier holding a ‘congathon'...a conga around each pier with a variety of entertainment and to hopefully make a bid for the record of the most people in a single conga line on a pier. Please come along join the Brighton Conga from noon onwards. There will be goodie bags for the first 500 participants, live music from the Top bananas, the Swing Ninjas and a guest appearance from Elvis himself! Rides will be half price all day, with Juice FM broadcasting live on location, on the pier from 11am. The event will be in support of the MacMillan Charity for whom collections will be made on the day. We need you to come down and get involved in our amazing CONGATHON! Visit our official congathon website www.congathon.co.uk
Brighton Nursery Stages World Record Attempt with Mass Sing-along Children and staff at Tarnerland nursery school in Brighton will be aiming to help set a new Guinness World Record on Tuesday March 1 at 11am - for the largest number of people ever to sing (and sign) ‘Head Shoulders Knees and Toes'. The event will involve around 120 children aged 0-5, plus parents and staff at the nursery, which is run by Brighton & Hove City Council. The Tarnerland bash is part of a coordinated effort at multiple venues across the country organised by the children's charity ICAN as part of their National Year of Communication. It's on target for more than 39,000 children and adults to be singing Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes at the same time. The current world record stands at a mere 1,462. Tarnerland is taking part to show their commitment to helping children improve their language skills. Children and parents are also remembering friends at their link nursery in Sri Lanka by making donations to help pay for a well they so badly need. The council's cabinet member for children and young people, Councillor Vanessa Brown, said: "Tarnerland's commitment to improving children's communication skills is second to none. I really hope they break the record - they deserve to be known as world beaters." For further information please contact Brian Walsh in the press office on (01273) 291040.
Things to do for free! The school holidays can work out quite expensive so we have highlighted some free things to do with kids in Brighton during the school holidays. But they are also things you can do throughout the year. Click here for our free ideas.
Useful Contacts and Links Page We have added a Useful Contacts and Links page, which you will find through a link on the Home page. We have only just started to add details of contacts and will be adding more in due course. If you would like to feature on this page do please email us your details.
Posted: 19th of November 2011