Come and Join Us

WHCA held its twenty-first Christmas Social in December 2019 and, judging from the reaction of people on the night and the letters we received about it, we can say that it was pretty darn special.

If you’ve ever thought about joining WHCA, 2020 is the year to make that thought a reality. We are looking for a Hall Administrator. Ideally, someone who lives near the Hall and has, on average, 3 hours a week to spend on bookings, liaising with hirers, a little bit of ‘care’ taking and generally a whole lot of loving West Hill Hall to ensure it stays the way that works for everyone who uses it. Apart from keeping an occasional quick eye on the Hall at weekends, mostly it involves activities that can be done at any time of the day from the comfort of your own home. Interested? Even if you’re slightly intrigued and would like to know more about what being part of the WHCA team entails, Colette would love to hear from you. Write to her at westhillhall@gmail.com and seize the moment to become an active part of the community.

We’re grateful to local artist Adrian Ventura for his marvellous drawing of ‘House Sparrows’ above, which we think complements perfectly Lorraine Bowen’s suggestions later in this issue for attracting more sparrows to West Hill.

New at the Hall – Spanish Club Conversation Sessions

Tuesdays 7.30pm – 8.45pm

¡Hola amigos! Whatever your level, come to our Spanish Conversation Sessions on Tuesdays at 7.30pm. We have 3 different groups: beginners, intermediate and advanced level, all working at the same time in their own groups. Practise, have fun and meet lots of wonderful people.

Sessions include games, activities and exercises: all of them encourage speaking and listening.

Spanish Club has been teaching Spanish in Brighton for the last 5 years; doing one-to-one lessons, groups and camps in Spain. We want to help you in your journey and get to know you. Come on your own or with a friend but the most important thing – have fun!
For more information call 07760 665414 or email inefsay@gmail.com

The entire East Wing at Buckingham Palace, home to some of the most splendid objects commissioned by George IV and once displayed at the Royal Pavilion, has been decanted of original furniture and decorative objects to make way for essential construction work, giving the opportunity for 123 of these items to be lent by the Queen to the residence for which most were originally acquired. For the next two years, the Royal Pavilion will look more magnificent than it has ever done since the reign of George IV. The image on above shows a clock designed by Robert Jones and made by BL Vulliamy, with gilding by Fricker & Henderson, c 1819. Worth a visit before the end of the loan period in September 2021.

In between writing copy for this edition of The Whistler, the editors have been sourcing and buying sustainable, biodegradable partyware for the West Hill Social on 14 December. Even the balloons will be compostable!  Tickets are selling fast but if you have not ordered yours yet, there are still a few left at Bright News. Do come and join us for a great evening of catching up with old friends and making new ones from the neighbourhood.

The local history talk on ‘Notorious Women of Brighton’ given by Louise Peskett at the Hall in October was a great success. If you know of a speaker, or you are one yourself with an interesting take on Brighton, please get in touch with Clare Cochrane at westhillhall@gmail.com as she is planning next year’s talks in May and October.

In September a well-attended sung mass of requiem was held in the church of St Michael’s and All Angels for Father Raymonde Robinson SSC who, in his retirement, was a popular resident of West Hill Street. Fr Raymonde, an Anglican priest in the Anglo-Catholic tradition, was an unmistakable figure often seen wearing a black cassock and biretta whilst making his way to assist in services at St Michael’s.

There’s a great sense of community in West Hill and it is important to preserve it as we say goodbye to the 2010s decade, and look forward (perhaps with some trepidation) to the next decade and all that it holds.

Brighton Early Music Festival
25 Oct – 10 Nov 2019

Looking Forward

As the dark days of winter follow the wet days of summer, at least we have something bright to look forward to. The biennial West Hill Community Association Social will be held on 14 December with entertainment from the musical duo Candide; Indian food; and it will be a great opportunity to meet old acquaintances and make new friends in our wonderful West Hill Hall. All residents are welcome. Tables will be limited so if you want to come it’s a good idea to put your name down for a ticket before they go on sale officially from 14 November at Bright News. As ever, our Host-with-the-Most, Vinod Mashru, will be ready to take your bookings.

Although we bade a fond farewell to WHCA Trustee Dorothy Lamb in September (she’s moved back home to Birmingham) the popular local history talks which she organised, continue this Autumn with Louise Peskett, who will present ‘Notorious Women of Brighton’. Wilful princesses, music hall stars, headstrong courtesans, suffragettes, entrepreneurs: Brighton has always attracted women who dare to do things differently. Hear some of their stories and other female claims to fame at West Hill Hall on 15 October at 7.30pm.

Our offer in the last issue of some archive copies of The Whistler going back to the 1980s was taken up by a curious reader and there is still another set available before we clear them out of the editorial office. If, by some extraordinary chance, any of our readers keep back copies of the newspaper, our keep archive is short of the issue from August 2000. Please let us know if you have it.  No winner of the Wine Competition last time but the questions and answers are on our online version under westhillwhistler.wordpress.com/2019/08/01/wine-competition.

If you’ve wondered where the bottle bank that used to be opposite The Edinburgh pub in Buckingham Street has gone, we’re told by the Council that it was removed due to complaints from nearby residents about the noise of breaking glass. Although a better, quieter replacement was promised, The Whistler has been informed that CityClean is still trying out various designs so there is no replacement for Buckingham Street just yet. Meanwhile, bottles are still being left on the roadside where the bins used to be.

Full Bloom

THERE WAS AN excellent attendance at our AGM at the end of April and we were most happy to welcome two local residents onto the WHCA management committee, Chris Parker and Clare Cochrane.

WHCA Garden Spring Watch
The bluebells are in full bloom; there are blue tits nesting in the box. Wild garlic and spring greens are coming soon. Well done to Paulien for the successful veggie patch, and thank you for the pear tree. The ‘Star of the Show’ peony seems to like its new home. It’s all looking rather lovely. The decking is being enjoyed once more for small neighbourly meet-ups. Mel, who did a great job on the hard landscaping last year, went round and very kindly finished off the compost pen as her Easter gift to the Hall. Thanks Mel. Bring on the summer!

If you’re looking for any garden/ landscaping we can thoroughly recommend Mel’s work. Her website and contact details: www.amelogardens.co.uk