Do a two - minute beach clean

Excellent idea.

A Visit to St. Wilfred's

St. Wilfred's, Elm Grove, grade II listed, was designed 1932-4 by modernist architect Goodhart-Rendell, a local resident, who also designed Prince's House in North Street. The style is said to be Rational Eclectic but showing influences of Norman Shaw and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. In other words it is pretty unique and Brighton is lucky it has survived albeit in the form of residential apartments. The conversion has, however, been sensitively handled.

Inside the tower.
The white walls are those of the inserted apartments. 

An original upper walkway

An added walkway

Narrow aisles allowed for a wide nave giving all worshippers a clear view of the altar.

St.Wilfred's has an added claim to fame in the murals that were added to the plain walls of the Sanctuary in 1940. These were by the Modernist artist Hans Feibusch.

LH wall, the Three Kings

Behind the altar, 'the Nativity'

RH wall, 'The Shepherds'

The murals deteriorated seriously after the church closed in 1980, due partly to a leak above the LH wall. They have now been restored thanks to a fund-raising campaign led by the Hyde Group who manage this property and contributions from American Express and Axis.

The area in which the murals are situated is self-contained within the building and above one end of the ground floor car-park. The possibility thus exists for the murals to be made accessible to the public by inserting a small staircase or lift. Phase 2 of this Hyde Group project is to raise the funds for this through a crowdfunding campaign.

Interest in the works of Hans Feibusch has soared in recent years with growing appreciaton of the Modernist Movement in the first part of the 20th Century. One of his murals in St.Mark's, Coventry, which is 40ft. high, is also undergoing restoration.

New safety measures for the Level

The improvements are:-

• In the playground two play units will be modified and made ‘open sided’ so users can always be seen.
• Park lighting will be improved. The central columns near the fountains will be raised to provide additional light over the lower park area near the pavilions. 
• There are plans to install an additional police CCTV camera on a new column.
• The council is also hoping to secure funding for a full time park manager to work at weekends as well as during the week, carrying out daily park-wide inspections and maintenance.
• To help tackle litter problems, large bins will be installed on the edges of the park.

These improvements will compliment other measures to enhance safety on The Level introduced over the past few months. They include:-

• Additional motion-sensitive lighting installed on the community pavilions;
• Additional 24-hour monitored CCTV cameras, linked to the police station, , including a new one on the café building, bringing the total to 13.
• Windows at the community pavilion reinforced with toughened protective layers
• New signage on park noticeboards and inside community rooms giving people direct contacts to report concerns at the park.
• City Parks staff carrying out litter picks and playground inspections at weekends.
• Increased police visits and patrols including use of drug dogs
• Community Safety partnership group expanding to include more council and community representative
• Initiatives to attract public use of park outside normal hours have also helped increase community safety. The new café is now open 7 days a week, the two community rooms are used regularly and  the park offers varied a programme of volunteer- led activities, community group events and activities

For more information about events, activities and volunteering opportunities at the level visit: www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/thelevel

After the Festival 2017

St. Peter's Open Space, north

Yellow grass can be tolerated since it eventually recovers but this area is badly churned up and will need levelling and turfing. The public is now denied use of this popular space for the rest of the summer. Should Fringe Events that cause this order of damage be allowed?

Trial to restrict Sale & Letting boards

From now until next June the council is trialling a one year pilot scheme in the Coombe Road area of Brighton which features terraced streets of houses set close to the pavement with clear geographical boundaries. There has been a high proliferation of residential sales and letting boards in the area, creating an unsightly environment for residents.

The council has consulted the Brighton & Hove Estate Agents Association and Southern Landlords Association in drawing up the scheme to promote alternative ways to advertise properties for sale or rent. Estate agent boards are already banned in certain Conservation Areas in the city.

Planning officers have drawn up guidance for agents to encourage a move towards the display of a single internal window sign or smaller wall-mounted sign attached flush to the front wall of the property.

Approval to set up a voluntary scheme was given by the Economic Development & Culture committee last November.

If successful, the trial may be extended to other affected areas of the city. The new Tourism, Development & Culture Committee will review the effects of the scheme next year.

The pilot has support from local groups and organisations such as Rent Smart Brighton and Hove, the Coombe Road Area Local Action Team and the Universities of Brighton and Sussex.