7 Days of Headlines with Phil Mills
Squatters arrested under new law, Peter Andre’s coffee shop and Royal wedding remembered
Hove MP Mike Weatherley successfully seeing his efforts to criminalise squatting come to fruition brought wry smiles from some readers.They emailed pointing out that Baron Bassam of Brighton would have found himself facing hefty fines or even time behind bars had the legislation been law some years ago. Lord Bassam was a squatter during his early years in Brighton, where he founded the Squatters Union which campaigned for the rights of squatters to accommodate empty properties and improve the conditions of the squats.
Sussex Police were among the first forces to act when the legislation came into force this month when they raided a squat in London Road and arrested three men. Squatters now face a maximum £5,000 fine, six months in jail, or both.
There was another type of maiden bowled over at Sussex cricket club when the Sharks played Hampshire at the PROBIZ ground. 1839 Hospitality & Events, the catering arm of the County and named after the year the Club was formed, hosted the marriage of Jonathan Sharp and Danielle Step of Portslade. Jonathan said, “I know quite a few of our guests were excited to hear there would be a cricket match on at the same time and I think it makes our wedding truly unique.”
Brighton and Hove has become the first area in Sussex to gain a prestigious award for the quality of its school meals. The city council’s school meals contractor Eden Foodservice has achieved the Soil Association’s Bronze Food for Life Catering Mark for serving fresh and healthy meals.
Meanwhile, 40 people were arrested during this year’s Pride and most offences related to drugs, being drunk and disorderly and assault. One 17 year old was arrested for allegedly raping an under 16-year-old girl in a public place. The city’s top cop Chief Supt Graham Bartlett said, “Given the sheer size of the event, I would say that the day was a great success and the vast majority of people had a wonderful weekend.” One Withdean resident emailed, “Those who had to clean up the mess afterwards didn’t have such a wonderful time.”
The Only Way Is Essex former ‘star’ Lauren Goodger was spotted with chums having her nails done and doing a bit of retail therapy in The Lanes, Brighton, and just up the road, by the Clock Tower, Peter Andre opened his new coffee shop, New York Coffee Club. Their presence in the city just yards away from each other was apparently “pure coincidence”.
On the crime front, five men were arrested after a serious assault on two men in Marine Parade, Brighton, and a man was arrested on suspicion of three arson attacks and theft from evacuated premises.
Is there anyone in the TV-watching world who wasn’t inspired by the paralympians? A Sussex charity, Sightsavers, which works with partners to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote equality of opportunity for disabled people in the developing world, has produced a video about some of the athletes who took part. Be prepared to be inspired all over again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qCaDDez8IsQ]
And finally, a historic royal wedding dress will go on show to the public at Brighton’s Royal Pavilion this month. The silver gown, which belonged to Princess Charlotte of Wales, the daughter of George IV, will become the new centrepiece of an ongoing exhibition about Charlotte’s life, called Charlotte, The Forgotten Princess. She was the first people’s princess and captured the hearts of the nation. Huge crowds turned out in London for her wedding to Prince Leopold Saxe-Coburg Gotha in 1816, but tragically she died in childbirth the year after at the age of just 21.
