💉Monkeypox vaccination, church break-in consternation, Madeira Terrace restoration and more⛪️

Good morning, and welcome to the Brighton Seagull and this week's Monday Briefing! It's been another absolutely sweltering week, but we're back to bring you an icy blast of pure news.

Council thanks city for its cleaning efforts after Pride

The council has thanked people for a wonderful Pride weekend, which saw around 100,000 people travel to the city to celebrate—especially with regards to cleaning the city afterwards.

It reported that 85 tonnes of rubbish and litter were cleared across the weekend, and that Cityclean worked with Surfers Against Sewage to run the Big Pride Beach Clean on Sunday morning.

In total at the beach clean 1.3 tonnes of litter, 700kg of recycling and 300kg of glass were collected by volunteers.

Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty, leader of the council, said:

The clean-up operation has been huge. Many thanks to everyone from the council’s Cityclean team and Pride who worked all weekend cleaning up.

Many thanks to everyone who helped with this year’s Pride and all those who took part - you all made it an amazing celebration.

Church appeals for information after break-in

A Kemptown church is appealing for information after it was broken into in the early hours of Thursday 11th August.

In a post on social media, St George's Church in St George's Road said that whoever broke in caused a lot of damage, but 'appear to have been disturbed before they could get away with much'.

They said:

I remain in disbelief that a church which is used nearly all day by our community, and some of the most vulnerable in our community, can be the target of heartless people.  

This morning, for instance, we have had to cancel Speak Out a group for young adults with learning difficulties.

Our cafe which looks after local people and provides affordable good quality food has also had to be closed for the day.

If anyone has any information, contact Sussex Police quoting 454 on 11/08, and should anyone wish to support the church, email [email protected].

Madeira Terrace restoration finally maybe actually happening?

The final plans for the first phase of the Madeira Terrace restoration has been confirmed and a planning application submitted.

If successful, and approval is given at the planning committee on Wednesday 2nd November, work is expected to start by summer 2023.

Phase one will see 41 of the arches, approximately a quarter of the total, from Royal Crescent steps to the Concorde 2 'transformed'.

It is hoped this will make the terrace more functional as a viewing platform for events on Madeira Drive, as well as improving pedestrian access to the seafront.

Work will include:

• Repairing and protecting the cast iron
• Redesigning the mid deck walkway
• Restoring decorative elements like the spandrels at the front of the arches
• Safeguarding and retaining the old green spindle plants to re-establish the Green Wall at the back of the terrace.
• Installing new seating, lighting, and space for pop ups on the deck and at ground level to accommodate events

The Grade 2 listed Madeira Shelter Hall Lift will also be restored, with a new lift installed for better accessibility.

Councillor Tom Druitt, chair of the Eastern Seafront Project Board said:

The renovation of 41 arches in phase one will bring a new lease of life to the eastern seafront, attract more visitors and benefit the whole city, particularly residents east of the pier.

We know how important Madeira Terrace is to both residents and visitors alike, it has such a rich history and we’re determined to bring it back to life and see it sitting proudly on our seafront once again.

🖋 News in Brief 🖋

• Cafe Arcadia in Imperial Arcade, a favourite of our Technical Director, has sadly closed down. This means Imperial Arcade, formerly one of Brighton's proudest shopping precincts, is now home only to a mobile phone accessories shop and a currency exchange. (Not to get all Jack Tinker, but it'll probably be replaced with a car park. Or more student housing. Or a cycle lane.)
• The Royal Sussex County Hospital is running a competition to name a new building, which will be home to 32 wards and departments and the new main entrance to the hospital. They stress that "suggesting a name will not affect your care at the hospital in any way" in case you were worried it would. You have until Sunday 28th August to submit your idea here: no more than three words, relevant to Sussex, meaningful to the 'broad range of people that the hospital serves'—nothing like Hospital McHospital Face, as #epic as it is. We'd suggest the Jack Tinker Building, or maybe the Paul Building (so they've got one named for each Chuckle Brother).
• The new play and fitness area in Carden Park in Carden Hill was officially opened on Friday 12th August. People can enjoy an inclusive playground, multi-use games area with mini exercise track, and a state-of-the-art outdoor fitness space. There is also a 'teen zone' with play equipment for older children, a quiet zone and sensory play areas.

What's happening? The Seagull can confirm that monkeypox vaccinations in Brighton will be paused until more stocks of the vaccine arrive at the end of September.

That's not good. It isn't! Lloyd Russell-Moyle MP confirmed to the BBC last week that, based on his sources, there are enough for those with pre-existing appointments to be vaccinated and that's it.

How many more vaccines are coming? The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have said 100,000 more will arrive in September. Russell-Moyle also confirmed that there are approximately 5,000 doses left in the country, based on what he was told by the UKHSA.

How many cases have there been so far? As of Monday 8th August, there have been 2,914 confirmed and 103 highly probable monkeypox cases in the UK: 3,017 in total. Of these, 2,883 are in England and 69 (for once, not nice!) are in Brighton—the second highest total outside of London.

Can I do anything to help? Be aware of the symptoms! Monkeypox is passed on from person to person through any close physical contact with monkeypox blisters or scabs. This includes holding hands, kissing and during sexual contact. It can also be passed on by touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone with monkeypox, or when a person with monkeypox coughs or sneezes close to you.

The first symptoms of monkeypox include:

• a high temperature
• a headache
• muscle aches
• backache
• swollen glands
• shivering (chills)
• exhaustion

To find out more, click here.