Tens of thousands descend on south coast on hottest day of the year
Tens of thousands of people descended on beaches on the south coast of England on the hottest day of the year, prompting some local authorities to plead with people to stay away so that social distancing could be maintained.
While many parts of the north of England were facing a fresh lockdown, stretches of beaches at Bournemouth, Poole and Brighton were packed.
Continue reading...And a great-great grandmother enjoyed her 100th birthday with only her 25th party on the day
Women may well feel free to propose to their partners any day of the week these days, but the Irish tradition of female proposals on Leap Day is in full swing after a man was left “gobsmacked” when his girlfriend popped the question 450ft above Brighton beach.
“It was 9am and a leap year so Bobby didn’t hang about,” said lighting designer Steve Haw, who described how they had ascended the British Airways i360 observation tower next to Brighton Pier before legal secretary Bobby Davison popped the question early on Saturday.
Continue reading...Flood warnings in place across south-west England, with damage to properties expected
Winds of up to 75mph (120km/h) are forecast to hit Scotland and the north of England on Tuesday, while south-west England braces for floods.
Coastal communities across the north-east of England and the west of Scotland are most at risk from gales, where exposed areas could see gusts of 70-75mph, according to the Met Office, which issued yellow weather warnings for the two regions.
Continue reading...Labour MP says Canadian PM’s scandal reveals ‘even liberal leaders’ succumb to racism
The Labour MP David Lammy has blamed the decision by Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, to blacken his face at a party on pervasive racist tropes that even “liberal leaders” succumb to, as he made calls to tackle white supremacy and privilege.
Speaking at a fringe event at the party’s conference in Brighton, the anti-racism campaigner spoke out about old pictures that have emerged of Trudeau in blackface, including one of him dressed up for an Arabian Nights themed gala while still a teacher in 2001.
Continue reading...About 300,000 people celebrated LGBT rights in Brighton during the city’s annual Pride parade
Continue reading...My friend Audrey Simpson, who has died aged 83, was a powerful voice in Brighton and Hove, which she had made her adopted city after leaving London in 1978.
Without any previous experience, she bought a small, run-down, 12-room guest house, the Granville, overlooking the West Pier on the seafront, and transformed it into one of Brighton’s first boutique hotels. Later, in an adjacent space, she created a restaurant, Trogs, which met with equal success and became a gourmet mecca.
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