St Peter’s Church runs through the histories of many Brighton families

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 8th May 2024)

Two hundred years ago today, the foundation stone for St Peter’s Church in Brighton was laid at “the entrance to the town”, now the city centre in York Place.  The church was formally consecrated (declare sacred) and opened for business in January 1828.

This coming Sunday (12th May) there will be a service at 10.30am to celebrate this 200th anniversary.

I first attended St Peter’s 45 years ago shortly after I had arrived in England. I didn’t become a regular attender as I wasn’t keen on the style of worship at that time. The vicar in 1979 was Canon John Hester who had close links with the entertainment industry. He was a friend of Peter Sellers who had originally found fame in The Goon Show, and was godfather to Victoria, the daughter of Sellers and Britt Ekland. Canon Hester also officiated at Sellers’ funeral in 1980 where he introduced ‘In The Mood’, saying that it was a piece of music that must have meant a great deal to Peter as he had left a specific instruction that it should be played at his funeral. He was surprised when the congregation burst into laughter as he had not known that Sellers actually detested ‘In The Mood’ saying he wouldn’t personally have to endure it if played at his own funeral. My wife has made a similar request that the ‘Match of the Day’ theme be played at her funeral!

Canon Dominic Walker succeed John Hester as the Vicar of St Peter’s. Under his pastoral care, the church flourished. Dominic, who is our daughter’s godfather, was able to draw in many people for whom the church would otherwise have had little relevance. He held services for animals, a humanist memorial service for an atheist, and vigils for people who had died while being homeless and for the victims of domestic violence. He allowed a meeting to be held in support of striking miners, and he supported a councillor who was facing disciplinary action by her own party. Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve was always rammed to the rafters even if the more inebriated worshippers needed a police presence to keep the peace! He was on the Board of Brighton Housing Trust for many years, a member of the Labour Party, and active in the Christian Socialist Movement. At the same time he was a close friend of Sir Andrew Bowden, the Conservative MP for Brighton Kemptown and, together, they participated in a demonstration at Shoreham Harbour against live animal exports.

After Dominic was appointed Bishop of Reading in 1997, St Peter’s seemed to lose its way and the Diocese seemed determined to close it as a place of worship. A campaign was launched to save St Peter’s, led by my wife, Jean Calder, along with Isabel Turner and others. Over several months our teenage daughter, Clare, collected signatures in London Road to save the church. She spoke to many dozens of people who told her what St Peter’s meant to them and their families, how their parents and grandparents had been married there, and that they had been baptised at the church. St Peter’s runs through the family history of many old Brighton families.

Thanks to that campaign, St Peter’s did find a future as a place of worship when it partnered with Holy Trinity Brompton in London. A new priest, Archie Coates, arrived. Together with his wife, Sam, curate Johnnie Gumbell and Johnnie’s wife, Tara, a new congregation was built and St Peter’s is, once again, a thriving church community. I have to confess that I’m not keen on its current style of worship. I’m more of a “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46) type of believer than a “Praise Him with loud cymbals” (Psalm 150) type.

When Archie arrived he came to see me in my previous role as chief executive of Brighton Housing Trust. He said that he was keen to do work in the community. My advice was to avoid doing anything about drugs or homelessness since there were already too many such services locally, and to focus the church’s work on people who were poor and/or lonely. He said my advice was helpful. Three weeks later he announced that St Peter’s would be setting up a homeless drug project! I am glad he ignored my advice because St Peter’s has filled a gap, particularly for homeless women or those with addictions.

For 200 years St Peter’s has touched and improved the lives of so many people. Here’s to the next 200.

Becoming a generous friend and wise mentor wasn’t on the job description when Hugh Burnett became the High Sheriff

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 10th April 2024)

I had no idea what to expect when I went to meet the High Sheriff of East Sussex. I didn’t have a clue what a High Sheriff did. I later discovered that the High Sheriff is the Monarch’s judicial representative in the county. They have a ceremonial role in overseeing judges, magistrates and others. It is a non-political role and is appointment by the Monarch for one year and is unpaid.

And so I met Hugh Burnett, that year’s High Sheriff. He was waving off charity walkers who were raising money for advice and legal services in Brighton and Hove. He and I went for a coffee while waiting the walkers’ return, and thus began a friendship that has lasted to this day.

Tessa and Hugh Burnett

Hugh has had an extraordinary life. He was born in Monte Carlo and lived in Marseilles until his family were evacuated back to Britain at the outbreak of war when he was six months old. After the war the family returned to France before he was sent to school in England.  Later he qualified as a chartered accountant but never worked as such, finding a niche in early computing where he worked as a salesman and trainer. He worked for various companies in Brighton including Gross Cash Registers and Cash Bases where he was part of a management buyout. In business he specialised in taking companies with a £2 million turnover and building them to have a £15 million turnover.

He has twice been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, the first time as part of Cash Bases and then in a personal capacity. In 2001 he was made an Officer of the British Empire for his services to the community in Newhaven. He was a member of the Newhaven Economic Partnership and was vice chair of Lewes Tertiary College.  After his year as High Sheriff, he became a Deputy Lieutenant for East Sussex where he assisted the Lord Lieutenant and his friend, Sir Peter Field, in his role. It is the duty of the Lord Lieutenant to arrange visits of members of the Royal Family. They also seek to promote and encourage voluntary organisations and charities, and to take an interest in the business and social life of their counties.  Both Peter and Hugh excelled in these duties.

The Hugh Burnett I know is a most generous man, giving his time freely and has shared his wisdom with a number of charities, including BHT Sussex where he was a Trustee for almost a decade. He  became my unofficial mentor and I have many reasons to be grateful for his encouragement and wise counsel.

When he became a BHT Trustee it was in response to an article in The Argus.  I explained to him that there was a process that had to be followed, including an interview. He seemed delighted, saying that he hadn’t had a job interview since 1964! At the interview itself, we were assisted by a friend from London, Brenda, a large Jamaican-born woman with an infectious laugh who was a trainer in equalities. In response to an equalities question, Hugh said that in business “one would be foolish not to appoint the best man for the job.” Hugh and Brenda then the most delightful exchange of views. After Hugh had left, Brenda said that we had to appoint him, saying: “That man doesn’t have an ounce of prejudice in his body.”

Hugh has no time for consultants, saying: “Why pay someone to steal your pocket watch so that they can charge you to tell you the time?”  He also was outspoken on the ever-increasing trend of boards to focus on process rather than on entrepreneurship and outcomes, a view with which I wholeheartedly agree.

They used to say that behind every successful man is a strong woman. In Hugh’s case there is Tessa. When my wife and I first went to their home for dinner, we expected the raconteur Hugh to dominate the evening. But we hadn’t accounted for Tessa who kept us royally entertained while Hugh looked on, adoringly. Tessa herself has served the community as a dedicated charity trustee and a longtime volunteer at Citizen Advice. The last year hasn’t been easy for them but they have been sustained by the love and support of their two daughters and their grandchildren about whom both Hugh and Tessa speak with such joy, love and pride.

So when I met the High Sheriff, I didn’t expect to meet such a generous friend and wise mentor. Hugh Burnett was truly the best man for the job! 

I have morphed from being a ‘fighter pilot’ at work to gently walking with penguins on deserted beaches

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 31st January 2024)

I recently read an account, apocryphal I suspect, about an Airbus 380 on its way across the Atlantic. Flying consistently at 800 km/h and at a steady altitude of 30,000 feet, a Eurofighter, capable of flying at twice the speed of sound, suddenly appeared. The pilot of the fighter jet slowed down and flew alongside the Airbus. The Eurofighter pilot greeted the pilot of the Airbus 380: “Airbus, boring flight isn’t it? Now have a look here!”

He rolled his jet on its back, accelerated, broke through the sound barrier, rose rapidly to a dizzying height, and then swooped down almost to sea level in a breathtaking dive. He looped back next to the Airbus and asked: “Well, how was that?” The Airbus pilot answered: “Very impressive, but watch this!”  The jet pilot watched the Airbus, but nothing happened. It continued to fly straight, at the same speed. 

After 15 minutes, the Airbus pilot radioed: “Well, how was that?” Confused, the jet pilot asked, “What did you do?”  The Airbus pilot laughed and said: “I got up, stretched my legs, walked to the back of the aircraft to use the toilet, then got a cup of coffee and a Danish pastry from the galley.”

The moral of this story, which I lifted from Facebook, is: when you’re young, speed and adrenaline seem to be great. But as you get older and wiser, you learn that comfort and peace are more important.

My last day of employment before I retired was a year ago today. Having worked long hours , including at weekends, for the better part of 40 years, few of my former colleagues at the housing and homeless charity, BHT Sussex, believed that I would simply stop. They thought I might join a board, do some voluntary work or mentoring, or take on some consultancy work. But I had no desire to do anything other than stop. Yes, I have this weekly column and most weeks I visit an old acquaintance who is now in a care home, but I have no other commitments. And it is great.

Walking on deserted beaches has been a highlight of my retirement

Over the last 12 months I have read many more books than I have ever read in a year. Molly the dog has been walked to the point of exhaustion, and I have caught up with old friends. I went to South Africa where I spent time with family, walked with penguins around my ankles, and explored deserted beaches up the barren west coast of that beautiful country. I sorted out some long term health issues including having a cataract operation and a hernia repaired. I have stopped eating bread and reduced my carbs intake, meaning my diabetes is better controlled.

My wife can’t believe that there has been so much sport that I really had to watch on television, including South Africa winning the Rugby World Cup for a record fourth time, the Cricket World Cup, and the Lionesses in the Football World Cup. With my friend and former colleague, Kim, I have been to watch the Albion on a few occasions, and with another friend, Robert, I’ve watch the Mighty Rooks, mainly Lewes FC’s women’s team. My leaving present from BHT Sussex was membership of Sussex County Cricket Club, a thoughtful gift which was much appreciated and fully utilised. Only Stoke City’s poor form has been a source of perpetual disappointment.

The contrast between my former life and these last 365 days could not have been greater. I loved almost every day of my 37 years working for BHT Sussex. I was younger, worked at pace, and adrenaline saw me through periods of extreme exhaustion. I was fortunate to have worked with many inspiring, principled colleagues, both on the staff and on the BHT Board. Most of all, the work that we did, changing lives for the better, was so rewarding. This work included supporting people to get into recovery from addiction and those with mental health problems to gain greater control over their own lives. Each year we prevented hundreds of households from becoming homeless and helped rough sleepers into accommodation.

While I loved my time at BHT Sussex, I am no longer a ‘fighter pilot’. I gave it my all and am proud of the contribution I made. Others are continuing the great work of that organisation. I have kept my distance, not wanting to cast a shadow over the work of my successor, David Chaffey.

For me the Third Age is full of promise and excitement, with so many things to do and so much to explore.  

Rishi Sunak: an empty shell in an expensive suit. My review of the year.

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 27th December 2023)

As we approach the new year, many will reflect on the last twelve months.  Who would have thought that we would have witnessed the near terminal implosion of the Conservative Party? Even in the last three weeks, the party has further torn itself apart over one of its flagship policies – immigration and the ill-conceived Rwanda initiative. Rishi Sunak looks increasingly forlorn and tetchy,  . He can’t please the left or right in his own party. What hope has he of convincing the country that they can trust the Conservatives?

The May local elections in Brighton and Hove saw the humiliation of the Green Party, seeing the number of its councillors slump from 21 to just seven, a result even worse than the eleven I had forecast, a forecast that had attracted scorn from several Greens. The Conservatives fared slightly worse, ending up with an historic low of just six seats. In the case of the Conservatives, the blame for their performance was down entirely to their national leadership, while the Greens locally were the architects of their own misfortune. They were poor communicators, poor administrators, and exceptionally poor politicians.

The Brighton and Hove Labour Party had its most successful election ever, winning 38 seats. But the wheels have begun to come off. Within six months, two of their councillors had been expelled from the Party following allegations that they might actually live in Leicester; another has been removed from committees and representing the Council because of a rather innocuous, dated tweet that has been interpreted as transphobic and for which she, regrettably, apologised; and a fourth has resigned just six months after being elected.  One must wonder about the competence of the Party that failed to do basic due diligence before imposing three of these candidates on its members and on the electorate.

Internationally, the war in Ukraine rumbles on without any sign of a solution. That conflict has been overshadowed by the appalling terrorist attack in southern Israel on 7th October that sickened all reasonable, decent people. The physical and sexual violence on that day should have been condemned without reservation and should continue to be condemned.  What followed has seen an unacceptable loss of life amongst thousands of the civilian population of Gaza.  The humanitarian disaster we are witnessing in Gaza should also be condemned by all reasonable, decent people. One horrific war crime does not justify another, nor should any of it justify the increase in anti-semitism in the U.K.

On a personal level, after 41 years working in the housing and social care sector, 37 of these with the wonderful charity BHT Sussex and 20 years as its chief executive, I retired. I was given a wonderful send off and humbled to be awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Sussex. In retirement I have been freed from the daily stress of leading a large organisation with over 300 employees that works with 10,000 people annually. Gone, too, are the out-of-hours crisis phone calls. Gone is the accountability to a Board, a regular source of stress for many chief executives. Gone, too, sadly, is the monthly salary!

All that has been replaced by a different pace of life, one that has allowed time for reading, thinking, writing and walking Molly the Dog. My wife cannot believe that there is so much cricket, rugby and football that demands to be watched, the highlight for this South African being the Springboks winning the Rugby World Cup for a record fourth time.

So what comes next?  The English men are unlikely to match the success of the Lionesses in the Euros. Will there be much for Brits to celebrate at the Paris Olympics, and will Britain once again score nul point in Eurovision? There is likely to be a general election in 2024 and only a fool would bet against a thumping Labour majority. But how long will it take before the gloss comes off the Labour government as it adheres to Conservative spending plans while not growing the economy at a rate necessary to meet the hopes and aspirations of the electorate?

Will the Conservative Party exist this time next year, or will it have become the two parties that seem determined to emerge? Will the Greens retain Brighton Pavilion? It’s all to play for, in my opinion, as the Londoner Siân Berry is up against the local Tom Gray. For those of us who love elections, this is likely to be a bumper year, and I for one cannot wait for hostilities to commence!

Labour and the Greens should have known better than to allow Ed Miliband and Caroline Lucas anywhere near Russell Brand

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 27th September 2023)

Many years ago when I was working for BHT Sussex, we were approached by a prominent public figure with the offer of a generous donation. The individual was trying to rehabilitate his reputation following a public scandal and was, apparently, offering public donations to a range of charities. Because of our distaste for his prior actions (which were not illegal) and because of the reputational damage that we felt we would have experienced had the donation been accepted, we declined it even though the money would have been very helpful.

As a result of that and other experiences, I was always wary of going down the celebrity route for fundraising. One never knew what skeletons were in closets and many charities have been damaged by the fall from grace of one of their celebrity supporters. Just think of those charities who unknowingly, in some cases knowingly, worked with serial sex offenders like Jimmy Savile and Rolf Harris.

Political parties are equally culpable when aligned with characters whose personal lives and public pronouncements have left much to be desired. The Conservatives shamefully allowed Kenny Everett to make wholly inappropriate ‘jokes’ about bombing Russia and kicking away Michael Foot’s walking stick. Savile was close to Margaret Thatcher and was knighted by her.

In the United States the Clintons and Barack Obama were close to the serial sex offender, Harvey Weinstein. Questions have been asked as to why they were so blind – some suggest wilfully blind – to his true character for so long. Was it his generous support for their election campaigns? Bill Clinton was further damaged by his association with another serial sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Prince Andrew’s reputation, too, is in tatters because of his relationship with Epstein and his inept and ludicrous attempt to justify this friendship.

In the last couple of weeks some politicians must be feeling very uncomfortable about their association with Russell Brand.  Ed Miliband, for example, then leader of the Labour Party, went out of his way to be interviewed by Brand in the run up to the 2015 general election.

Even Caroline Lucas looked delighted in a video on Brand’s social media channel to be endorsed by before the 2015 election.  She looked less comfortable during the preceding interview as Brand invaded her personal space.

By then there were rumours about Brand. A few days after Brand met with Miliband and Lucas, his ex-partner, Jordan Martin, described Brand as a misogynist who had abused her. But even before that, Brand was well-known for his tasteless humour and sexual conduct. For example, in 2008 he made that infamous and totally abusive prank call to Andrew Sachs (Manuel in Fawlty Towers) saying that he had had sex with his granddaughter.  Brand was sacked by the BBC afterwards. 

Both Labour and the Greens should have known better than to allow Ed Miliband and Caroline Lucas anywhere near Brand. I don’t believe for a moment that Caroline would have gone within a hundred miles of Brand had she been aware of these latest allegations, but her party doesn’t have a great reputation when it comes to confronting sexual offenders amongst its ranks. Look at its inaction over Green Party member, David Challenor, who was allowed to act as an election agent, not once but twice, even though the Party knew he had been arrested and charged with kidnapping and sexually abusing a 10-year old. He was subsequently convicted and jailed for 22 years.

Others who should have known better, had promoted Brand over the years, these same years when he had been open in his television and stage ‘acts’ about his abuse and humiliation of women for his personal gratification. In a 2007 radio interview with Savile, Brand said he wanted to meet him and offered to bring along his female assistant, naked. 

But still he was promoted becoming the guest editor of an edition of the New Statesman and, for a number of years, a columnist for The Guardian. George Monbiot, a darling of the British left, nominated Brand as his “hero of the year” in 2014, saying “Brand’s openness about his flaws makes him a good leader, and allows those who admire him to be good followers.”

Maya Angelou said: “When people show you who they are, believe them.” 

One wonders what it is about ‘celebrities’ like Russell Brand that allows principled politicians like Miliband, Lucas and Monbiot to associate themselves with his ilk. While it gives them a momentary boost amongst a certain cohort, it diminishes their politics in the long term. They would have been well-advised to keep their distance and not become “good followers”.

(Note: The final paragraph was omitted from the version that appeared in The Argus)

Care Homes: The Good, The Bad, and The Indifferent

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 6th September 2023)

Our daughter makes light-hearted threats that it will be she who will choose our care home when we are elderly, so we’d better be nice to her! I just hope that she will not choose an institution like the one that housed Norm, the husband of the late Dame Edna Everage, which she described as a “maximum security twilight home.”

All joking aside, though, care homes are no laughing matter. Many elderly people, especially those with physical or cognitive impairments, rely on the care they receive in these homes which are, frankly, big business. Their children often agonise about the decision to put a parent into residential or nursing care.

During the Covid pandemic, the former Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, claimed that “right from the start, we’ve tried to throw a protective ring around our care homes.” He later denied saying this notwithstanding recordings from May 2020 of him making this claim time and again.  We know now that people with Covid were discharged from hospital into care homes, resulting in the deaths of many thousands of elderly people.

The Covid public enquiry will surely judge Hancock harshly.

Covid aside, there are some good homes in Brighton and Hove. The majority of homes in the city are rated by the Care Quality Commission as ‘Good’ based on five criteria: safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. But few have been rated as ‘Outstanding’, the highest possible rating by the CQC.

Before Covid, in the private and charity sectors there were just eight care facilities in the city that had been assessed as being ‘Outstanding’. I was particularly proud that three of them were part of BHT Sussex, the organisation I was leading at the time. While none of the three are for older people, they provide services for vulnerable people of working age.

My family has some experience of residential care for older people. I spent three and a half years early in my career working in a care home.  Not only have we had family members who have spent their last days in care homes, we have explored and visited a large number of homes, and my wife and I currently visit a friend in a modern home on a weekly basis.

Dawn Barnett

These homes have been described by my friend, Dawn Barnett, as “The Good, The Bad, and The Indifferent”.  Most are staffed by people who are caring and well-meaning, but the service they provide, even in those homes rated as ‘Good’, can be compromised by a lack of training, understaffing, and language difficulties. It is rare to see a manager, nurse or doctor in and about residents rooms.

Residents can be left in bed far too late in the morning and for far too long throughout the day, resulting in bed sores, the wasting of muscle tone, and joint stiffness and pain. Care plans should be constructed with input from physiotherapists and occupational therapists, then implemented and properly monitored.

Dehydration is a huge problem, a combination of thoughtlessness where drinking cups are not topped up or placed beyond the reach of the resident, or (in the worst cases) fluids are deliberately withheld thereby reducing the frequency an incontinent resident has to be changed. The consequence is an increase in the incidents of urinary tract infections and their distressing side effects.  Each home should have a hydration nurse to monitor fluid intake and UTIs, and who has a legal and professional responsibility to ensure that all residents remain well hydrated.

The quality of food often leaves a lot to be desired. Residents are given little choice in menus, and often the choices are inappropriate. For those with little hand movement or whose swallowing abilities have become compromised, when it is served, food is often cold, not cut up or liquidised, and not on plates or bowls suitable for the individual. I have seen rashers of bacon left untouched by someone who has no use of one arm and limited use of the other. What use is a knife and fork to her? Do catering managers have at the top of their job description the provision of tasty, nutritious, appropriate and hot food, or are they expected to deliver the cheapest meals to residents who are often isolated, old, impaired and not in any position to complain?

Many of these things would cost little or nothing at all to implement. It takes just a little care, time and thought. Even if it did cost the homes a bit more, they can afford it. It seems that company profits are more important than the care, comfort and safety of residents.

Bernie Jordan: Conservative, Labour, Great Escaper

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 16th August 2023)

It would have been easy to miss Bernie and Irene as they did their shopping in the Co-op Food Hall on a Saturday morning. In the late 1990’s I saw them quite regularly and would chat with them.  He knew that I had been a Labour councillor and worked for Brighton Housing Trust. I suspected he didn’t approve of either. He was, however, always very friendly.

Irene and Bernie Jordan during his year as Mayor of Hove

Other shoppers would have had no idea that this old man, with his dear wife on his arm, had a few years earlier been the Conservative Leader of Hove Borough Council. Bernie Jordan served as a councillor for 34 years and was Mayor of Hove in 1995/96. After Brighton and Hove came together as a unitary authority in 1997, he served one further term, standing down in 1999.

Afterwards, at an age when most people would be looking for a quiet life, Bernie was to make headlines again, not once but three more times.

The first occasion was in 2000 when, on the eve of its Conference in Brighton, he joined the Labour Party. He was one of the very last individuals I would have expected to join Labour. But perhaps the Labour Party of Tony Blair was not too much of a transition for him. He was photographed with Blair in the conference hotel and it made headline news.

A former Hove Labour councillor, Andy Richards, wrote to The Argus at the time: “(Bernie) was not known for his criticism of Tory policies and may best be remembered for assisting in the Tories’ attempt to privatise the management of council housing in Hove – a policy thankfully reversed by the incoming Labour administration in 1995.  Bernie’s defection may, as Ivor Caplin says, be a sign of how Labour is broadening its appeal. Even Tories can now join!”

That might have been it for Bernie. As Irene grew more frail, she moved into a care home to be joined later by Bernie himself. My mother-in-law, Molly Calder, was in the same home around that time. My wife Jean would see Bernie when she visited. He wasn’t yet a resident himself but visited Irene daily. They remained devoted to each other.

But Bernie wasn’t finished. When he turned 17 in 1941, he joined the Royal Navy as an electrician.   He survived the deadly Arctic Convoys taking supplies to Russia, and in the North Atlantic. Among the medals awarded to him was the Atlantic Star.  In June 1944, shortly before his 20th birthday, he took part in the D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy. Those of us who have never been under relentless enemy bombardment cannot even begin to appreciate the noise, the smell, the terror of those landings.

June 2014 saw the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings. Old comrades gathered on the beaches of Normandy for what was likely to be the last such gathering of veterans. Bernie Jordan was determined to be there to honour his fallen comrades. Efforts to get him a ticket for this memorial event were, for some reason, not successful. So, defying the care home management and concealing his medals under his raincoat, he made his own way to France and proudly took his place at the remembrance service sitting no more than 100 metres away from The Queen and countless other heads of state.

Notwithstanding the consternation caused by his sudden disappearance from the care home, his return to Hove led the television news, and Bernie appeared smiling and waving on the front page of almost every daily newspaper. He told the press: “I expect I will be in some trouble. But it was worth it … I loved every minute. I’d do it again tomorrow!”

Following his ‘great escape’, he became an Honorary Alderman of Brighton and Hove. The mayor at the time, Brian Fitch (who sadly passed away recently) said of Bernie that “his recent exploits delighted the media, entertained the general public, worried his friends at (the care home) and completely bemused his family. It’s his mix of self-effacing bravery and humour, wisdom and warmth, experience and perspective that prompted me to nominate Bernie as honorary alderman.”

Bernie died six months later, in January 2015. His beloved wife of 68 years, Irene, passed away just 24 hours later, devoted to each other to the very end.

But that is not the end of Bernie and Irene’s story. Bernie’s determined return to the beaches of Normandy has now been immortalised on film. The Great Escaper is due to be released in the autumn. It stars Michael Caine as Bernie and the late Glenda Jackson as Irene. It was Jackson’s last film role.

Time for an end to Brighton Pride: it has become toxic

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 9th August 2023)

Last Saturday, notwithstanding the rain and wind, tens of thousands of people turned out for the annual Brighton Pride. I have been on Pride marches for many years. I used to joke that I always stood out from the crowd of exotically dressed (and undressed) revellers by going, uniquely, as a boring middle-aged man.  I was told that I carried off this persona as if I lived it every day!

But I didn’t go on the march this year. I just watched some of the parade as it passed through London Road. It wasn’t the wind and rain that deterred me. I would not have gone even if it had been glorious weather.  This may be an unpopular view but I have deep concerns about what Pride has become. The level of alcohol and drug use is depressing, resulting in personal crises for some.  I know traders in London Road who dread the day, shutting up shop because trade is non-existent, because of the aggro they experience, and the open dealing of drugs.

Residents in neighbouring streets, too, do not look forward to the day, seeing their front gardens turned to public toilets and worse.  When I was at BHT Sussex, we would arrange security for our residential alcohol and drug recovery services which is on the route, such was the appalling behaviour of some revellers. 

Brighton Pride 2019

In normal years – when not impacted by rain and rail problems – the amount of plastic waste that Pride generates shames this environmentally-conscious city, and the amount of broken glass provides an ongoing hazard for dogs.  This year it was much better, partly due to the provision of bins and portaloos. Yet we have lost access to Preston Park for ten days, including the Secret Garden and The Rockery.

I think Pride has had its day and it’s time to call a halt to it.  It has become an excuse for alcohol and drug binging, of corporate posturing, and political expediency.  Businesses spare no expense to assert their support for LGBT issues. Perhaps they could rather reduce their prices or support food banks during this cost-of-living crisis.

Politicians feel obliged to attend. So do leaders of the police, fire and ambulance services. Attendance at Pride has become a shallow, tokenistic gesture for many.

It wasn’t always the event that it is today. In the 1980s I went on one of the earliest Brighton Pride marches, from Hove Town Hall to Preston Park. There were only about 200 of us marching that day. It was more of a political demonstrations. I was one of just six Brighton Borough Councillors willing to take part.

Preston Park during Pride 1992

The reception on the streets was sometimes hostile, with threats of violence and beer cans being thrown at us.  At Preston Park, there were few stalls and little celebration beyond a few truly political speeches. I have a photograph I took in the park at the end of one Pride march. There were just two stalls, one selling a publication called Daring Hearts which recorded the lesbian and gay history of Brighton and Hove from the 1950s and 60s.

Following one march, there were some outrageous homophobic statements by a Conservative Brighton councillor quoted in The Sun. In response, my Labour council colleague Jean Calder proposed, and I seconded, the first-ever pro lesbian and gay motion debated by the Council.  A few days later, Jean and I were subject to ‘loony leftie’ slurs in The Sun, a rather disturbing experience to be on the receiving end of an attack in the most widely read newspaper in the country.

Those days are happily gone. But there are now deep divisions within the LGBT communities. It can no longer be called a single community, if ever it was. There were times when lesbians were excluded from gay bars and clubs because they were women. Today Pride is far from a welcoming environment for those who question the behaviour and attitudes of some trans rights activists who aim anything but so-called ‘trans-love’ at lesbians, feminists and others who argue for and defend women-only spaces.

Originally Pride had a focus on same-sex attraction and relationships which were being vilified and needed to be defended.  Once again, same sex relationships are under attack by people who subscribe to gender ideology and who say that sex-based rights are no longer important or relevant. 

There are other events, such as Trans Pride, that allows the promotion and celebration of trans rights. I am not calling for an end to Trans Pride, but to Pride itself which has become toxic.  Let’s not pretend that Pride remains one big, happy family.

Baton of Hope: Raising awareness of suicide in our communities

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 28th June 2023)

A word I use all the time is ‘hope’. “I hope you are well”, “I hope to see you soon”, “I hope your operation goes well”, “I hope Stoke City gets promoted this year”.

‘Hope’ is defined as “a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen”. While some, particularly anonymous keyboard warriors on social media, might hope for a terrible thing to happen, I always use it in a positive sense. I am blessed to have a positive outlook on life, and I have been lucky in how things work out for me. I am more than a glass half full type, I am a three quarter full person (except when it comes to Stoke City!).

But it is not so for many people. Because of their circumstances, mental ill health, or traumatic experiences, past and present, they have little or no hope. Should I find myself in their situation, I might also have a sense of hopelessness.

At BHT Sussex, where I previously worked, we always tried to give people a sense of hope – that through the advice services, there was a good chance that they wouldn’t lose their home, that recovery from addiction was possible, that tomorrow was a new day where the pressures and oppression experienced today would be relieved. This wasn’t just a vague promise of positive change, of false hope, it became the reality for many thousands of people each year.

There are many fantastic organisations locally who offer hope and bring about change, no more so than for those people who are totally devoid of hope, who can see no future for themselves, and for whom suicide might seem to be the only option.

That is why I am enthusiastic about the Baton of Hope, the biggest ever suicide prevention campaign to hit the U.K.  An Olympic-style baton, designed by Thomas Lyte, the official gold and silversmiths to King Charles, and the makers of the FA Cup, will tour the U.K this summer. 

The aim is that the Baton will start conversations about suicide prevention, prompt bold actions, and unite the nation with a goal of becoming a zero-suicide society. It aims to bring about change, in how we approach suicide, in how we talk about it, and in how we support those affected by it.

The Baton already has a large following of MPs, celebrities, broadcasters, Olympians, and sports teams, as well as large corporate organisations and countless small businesses. It seeks to engage with anyone with a passion for improving mental health, and an understanding that change is needed and that suicide is a preventable death.

Having picked up momentum the previous 10 days with daily national TV coverage, the Baton will arrive in Brighton on Wednesday 5th July. A large number of local venues, community groups, charities, and individuals will be coming together to make this a truly significant day on a huge scale for the city which, sadly, holds a higher-than-UK-average suicide rate.

The Baton will start its Brighton journey at the Peace Statue shortly before 8.00am, before heading along the seafront. BBC Breakfast is expected to cover this moment live.

As it criss-crosses the city, the Baton will pass between approximately 90 local Baton Bearers, all people who have been affected by suicide. The Baton will stop at a Business Breakfast and several events where music and ‘stories of hope’ will be shared. The final Baton Bearer will be the Brighton and Hove Albion striker Solly March. 

The visit of the Baton to Brighton will culminate with an event at the Brighton Dome, a safe, unifying evening of uplifting melodies and stories about connection, community, survival and, above all, hope. 

Amongst those who will be performing will be the Brighton Choir With No Name, a choir made up of people who have experience of homelessness and exclusion. Talk about offering hope, this Choir is an absolute inspiration and anyone who has been to one of their Big Christmas Singalongs at The Dome will know what an uplifting experience that can be. 

I have written before about the work of local organisations who offer hope to people considering suicide including The Samaritans. They have a simple message: “We’re waiting for your call. Whatever you’re going through, a Samaritan will face it with you. We’re here 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”  To contact a Samaritan, just call 116 123. It is a freephone number. Alternatively, email jo@samaritans.org and someone will get back to you within 24 hours.

If you want to know more about the Baton of Hope, head to www.linktr.ee/batonofhopebrighton or follow @batonofhopeuk on Twitter. And for more information about the Baton of Hope evening at The Dome, visit the Dome Box Office.

In addition to his good works on homelessness, Prince William should ask: “Why are they homeless?”

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 21st June 2023)

The Prince of Wales, Prince William, has said that he will launch “a really big project” by the Royal Foundation, the charity set up by him and his wife, Catherine. He is hoping it will provide “living conditions up and down the country that improve people’s lives who need that first rung of the ladder”.

Building on his own experience when he was taken by his mother, Diana, to visit homeless services, he wants “to expose” his own children to the issue of homelessness.

All this is very worthy, not least his commitment to “end homelessness”. The plight of homeless people unites people from all social and political backgrounds. Those providing services are recognised and praised for their work. I should know as I led a local homelessness charity for 20 years.

But being concerned and doing good works is just part of the equation. A Latin American priest, Dom Helder Camara, once said: “When I feed the hungry they call me a saint. When I ask, ‘Why are they hungry?’ They call me a communist.” Change ‘the poor’ to ‘the homeless’ and ask ‘Why are they homeless?’ raises many uncomfortable and political issues which I suspect Prince William will avoid.

The real challenge for Prince William is to do more than build social housing on his Duchy of Cornwall estates, even though they are much needed. It is great that he is shining a light on the problem, and that his Foundation will join the very many charities doing fantastic work up and down the country. It is commendable that his children, born into utmost privilege, will be exposed to the manifestation of poverty from time to time.

But to make a real difference William would need to ask of what will one day be his government, ‘Why are they homeless?’.

When I started working with homeless men and women over 37 years ago, homeless people were, by and large, made up of five groups: those with mental health issues who have been failed by mental health services; those leaving the armed forces because of a drinking culture in the military, post traumatic stress disorder, and a lack of after-care; those (mainly women) escaping violence and abuse in the home because of failures in child protection and a lack of sufficient places in women’s refuges; those leaving care due, again, to failures in social services; and those with alcohol and drug problems caused by all the above and many others.

37 years later those groups remain the primary cohorts amongst homeless people, although they have been joined by a sixth group: those people who are homeless purely because of financial hardship, in other words, poverty. Included within this last group are people in low paid employment. At First Base Day Centre, run by the housing and homelessness charity, BHT Sussex, people who live in cars use their shower and toilet facilities before heading off for work, while none of their co-workers are aware that they are rough sleeping.

People are homeless because of political decisions by successive governments that have failed to build homes where people can afford to live and because of cuts to critical support services, particularly since 2010.

Of course Prince William won’t be able to say this. He won’t be able to draw attention to inequalities of opportunities and life chances dictated by accidents of birth, and he won’t insist that wealth be taxed in order to share prosperity in what will, one day, be his Kingdom.

Unlike Prince William, I have never done a ‘sleep out’ to raise awareness of homelessness and funds for homeless charities. Many people who are actually homeless find sleep outs patronising and tokenistic because those who choose to sleep out for one night do so through choice, whereas a homeless person often has no choice. If weather conditions turn awful, those taking part in a sleep out can always pack up and go to their home or to one of their palaces.  A homeless person does not have that choice. 

Prince William has said that the priority should to “prevent homelessness” rather than merely managing it. I agree. In my last year at BHT Sussex our services prevented 1,777 households from becoming homeless. That works continues.

One question to be asked: why has the government cut legal aid and support funding time and time again when these services prevented homelessness? Homelessness is a direct result of government policy.

I wish the Prince and Princess of Wales every success in their endeavours. Of course they cannot, as members of the Royal Family, question why the government allows homelessness and rough sleeping to perpetuate. But without government action, including the building of council housing and the improved funding of support services, homelessness will continue throughout the reigns of Charles and William.