Discover Brighton and Sussex’s best days out
With the sun shining and the kids on Easter break, Brighton has lots of family fun on offer
When the first rays of sun break through the bleak mood of winter, jumpers come off, sunglasses go on and suntan lotion is usually forgotten. Keeping the whole family occupied doesn’t need to be a challenge with the range of activities available for all ages.
Brighton’s rich history and fashionable contemporary scene make entertainment easy to find whatever your interest. Take advantage of the wealth of culture right on your doorstep and experience the best of local produce or even educate the kids without them realising. Living in one of the top tourist destinations in the country, you barely need to step out of the house to be somewhere, with literally hundreds of top events and attractions within a stones’ throw.
For a free day out (if you can ignore the pleas for ice-cream), Brighton beach is an old favourite, but you’d be well advised to do away with the notion that the city is a suntrap and nothing else. With a bustling city centre and the countryside only a few miles away, Brighton can serve up a truly unique and varied range of experiences, from boutique shopping to extreme sports.
Events like the Brighton & Hove Children’s Festival provide distraction for children while the parents can take a break, unless they want to join in for some great family bonding. Travelling a little further afield you can discover a host of theatrical performances at Worthing Theatre, with appearances from famous faces adding a dash of glamour.
For those wishing to stay close to home however, Brighton provides more than enough entertainment every day of the week. Leaving the kids with a sitter might be the preferred option when sampling the city’s more cultured offerings. Famous venues, restaurants and locations cater for those in search of a child free environment, although they probably won’t be quiet affairs.
Whichever way you look at it, there’s no excuse for complaining about being bored in this city.
Middle Farm
Not a million miles away, there’s a different world; where you can get up close and personal with cows, sheep, pigs and goats; meet newly born lambs, calves and kids, and get out into fields with horses, llamas, and donkeys. Inside, there are newly hatched chicks, playful rabbits, guinea pigs and tiny harvest mice as well as huge bales of straw to climb on and crawl under.
When you need more energy head for the tearoom/restaurant for scrumptious food, freshly prepared in the farmhouse kitchens, or browse the largest assortment of Sussex grown/made produce anywhere, in the award-winning farm shop. Seasonal Sussex fruit and vegetables are available along with Sussex meat, cheeses, eggs, jams, honeys, chutneys, jellies and juices. Sussex ice cream and even Sussex chocolate are all on offer as well as three local bakeries, 13 Sussex vineyards, 14 Sussex breweries and ten Sussex cider makers.
Middle Farm, Firle, Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 6LJ
01323 811411, www.middlefarm.com
Brighton Walks
With a fresh and witty approach, Lyn Neville, a Blue Badge qualified tourist guide, runs Brighton Walks. Her in-depth knowledge of the city and its history make for a fun and informative experience.
Brighton Walks – the alternative way to see Brighton – has a range of tours for both individuals and pre-booked groups of all ages. Brighton Breezy – an hour-long walk starting from Brighton Pier – is a perfect way to find your feet in the city.
Both the Murder & Mystery and Ghost Walks are spine tingling and edifying. The Jubilee Walk highlights the city’s royal connections and the tour of the iconic North Laine covers how this unique area has developed. Specialising in the English curriculum from KS1 to degree level, Lyn’s walks are popular with students and teachers.
She is an expert in ‘clear English’ tours for language students. For corporate events and celebrations, hen nights and birthday treats, Brighton Walks are a great way to explore Brighton. Children’s parties are also catered for! With a wide variety of walks during the Brighton Festival and her finger on the pulse of the city, Lyn keeps up-to-date with Brighton’s beat.
Brighton Walks, 01273 302100, 07775 870 195, email info@brightonwalks.com
Children’s Festival
Brighton & Hove Children’s Festival returns for its fifth edition from 6–15 April 2012. This year they have thousands of creative opportunities for children under 11 and their families, all based around the theme of ‘bravery’.
Festival highlights include:
You’ll Like This Film Because You’re In It: Families make their own one-take short films in one hour 15 minutes.
Coraline (PG): Film Screening and Workshop – Come to the button factory and make a brave ‘other-self’ portrait before settling down to watch this beautiful, stop-motion masterpiece.
Brave Tails: Come and hear an extraordinary new site-specific story written by Graham Shackell set in the depths of Brighton’s Komedia Theatre and find out what really lurks backstage. Be brave, be very brave.
Sea Splash: With the rising popularity of year-round wild swimming Brighton & Hove Children’s Festival invite you to be one of the first people in Brighton & Hove to have a dip in the sea in 2012.
John Hegley: In a special one-off performance the people’s poet laureate performs with film, music and lots of joining in.
For full listings and to book tickets visit www.thechildrensfestival.co.uk. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook, BHChildrensFest.
Worthing Theatres
There’s still time to catch a theatrical treat for Easter with hilarious children’s character Theo the Mouse visiting Worthing’s Pavilion Theatre (7 April) with his friends Wink Taylor and Wendy Abrahams. Wink has performed alongside fellow entertainers Ken Dodd, Paul Daniels and Norman Wisdom and is the voice behind Chatterbox Soundcards. Wendy is a ventriloquist and puppeteer and together they invite audiences to join them in Theo’s afternoon of magical mayhem.
There’s also the ideal show for a night with your girlfriends. All The Single Ladies (13 April) at the Connaught Theatre stars Men Behaving Badly’s Leslie Ash, EastEnders’ Brooke Kinsella and The Omid Djalili Show’s Tara Flynn in a tale of hangovers, revenge and lots of laughs, as romances unravel and new love becomes a possibility.
For these and many more live shows plus blockbuster films in 2D and 3D visit www.worthingtheatres.co.uk or call the box office on 01903 206206.
Worthing Theatres, Union Place,
Worthing, BN11 1LG.
Competition
Latest 7 and Worthing Theatres have two pairs of tickets to give away to see Fever Pitch on Saturday 28 April at the Pavilion Theatre. Brighton-based company The Future Is Unwritten present Paul Hodson’s popular adaptation of Nick Hornby’s best-selling book. It invites you into the mind of an obsessed Arsenal fan and remembers the days when football was ‘the people’s game’, promising 45 minutes each way of exhilarating theatre.
For your chance to win one of the pairs of tickets simply answer this question:
Q. What is Arsenal’s home-ground called?
A. Stamford Bridge
B. Old Trafford
C. The Emirates Stadium
Send your name and daytime telephone number along with your answer to The Latest Fever Pitch Competition, Pavilion Theatre, Marine Parade, Worthing, BN11 3PX. Alternatively you may email competitions@adur-worthing.gov.uk. Entries must be received by Monday 16 April.
