Latest People: Chandlers Mini Brighton; The Prince’s Trust celebrates; Martlets; Artists Open Houses 2015

An exceptional start to the year for one Sussex lady
Thanks to Brighton Marina and Chandlers Mini Brighton, local lady Angela Nunn had a fantastic extra (and unexpected) Christmas present – a brand new Mini.

365 days ago, Brighton Marina launched their 2014 Gold Card which, as well as offering cardholders over 40 money saving offers at the Marina, gave them a chance to win a brand new Mini by automatically entering them into a free draw.

Over 20,000 people in and around Sussex were eligible, but there could only be one winner. Jack the Lad, from Heart Sussex, revealed the lucky winner on air on Monday 21 December. Angela, however, wasn’t aware of this – it took the team at the Marina a couple of weeks to track her down!

Kirsty Pollard, Marketing Manager from Brighton Marina, said: “Once we located Angela we went to her house to deliver the news. At first she thought it was a wind up from one her friends or a spoof TV company, but once the penny dropped she couldn’t have been more excited. In fact she was so excited that she was unable to drive to her father’s 92nd birthday and had to order a cab!”

The 2015 Gold card has been launched and again, anyone who signs up will automatically enter the draw to win a Mini worth over £15,000. Register online: www.brightonmarina.co.uk

CELEBRATION TIME FOR THE PRINCE’S TRUST
The 11th Prince’s Trust Team finished their last Programme on a high note, with a presentation evening at the Elim Family Centre last month. The team of young adults, aged 16-25, bonded during the 12-week Prince’s Trust Team Programme, run in association with Sussex Downs College. Over 12 weeks, the group participated in team building exercises, hosted charity events and improved their job prospects by role-playing interview scenarios and working on their CVs.

The end of the Programme was celebrated with an awards presentation evening in December, attended by the Right Worshipful Mayor of Eastbourne, Councillor Janet Coles, and the Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex, Peter Field.

For more information about the Programme, visit: www.sussexdowns.ac.uk/courses/re-engagement-programmes/the-princes-trust
‘STAMP ‘N WIN!’ COMPETITION WINNERS REVEALED
The winners of Hove Business Association’s ‘Stamp’n WIN!’ Christmas shopping trail competition have been drawn. The first prize on offer was £500 cash, and 19 other prizes had been donated by local businesses (a full list of the prizes can be found on the HBA website: www.hovebiz.com).

The prize draw took place on the evening of Thursday 8 January on the top deck of a local double-decker bus, which was kindly provided by Martin Harris, MD of the Brighton & Hove Bus Company. The bus toured the trail route before arriving at the home of the winner in Hove, where Jill Humphrey, Chair of Hove Business Association, presented the main cash prize.
Sam McNeil picked up her shopping trail map on one of the local buses and entered our competition after encouragement from her young daughter, who was excited about collecting the different stamps on the trail … Sam will be sharing the spoils with her.

Hove Business Association introduced the ‘Stamp’n WIN!’ initiative to encourage Christmas shoppers to explore the independent retail outlets of Hove and Portslade. Jill Humphrey, Chair of Hove Business Association, commented: “This year we received an excellent response to the ‘Stamp’n WIN!’ competition, and we’re delighted that participants came from across the region to visit Hove and Portslade for their Christmas shopping. Congratulations to Sam on winning first prize, we hope that you enjoy spending it with your daughter. I’d like to thank the retailers who participated in the initiative, many of whom generously donated prizes for our winners. After thesuccess of the 2014 trail, we look forward to organising this Christmas competition later in the year.”

IEP FINANCIAL ANNOUNCE NEW CHARITY PARTNER
Brighton & Hove based Independent Financial Advisors IEP Financial have confirmed their new company charity partner for 2015 is the Martlets Hospice. The Managing Director of IEP Financial explains; “Martlets Hospice is a fantastic charity to support, with many of our employees and clients understanding first-hand the work that they do in supporting loved ones with dignity and compassion right up until the end. The Hospice and its community services need approximately £9,000 per day to carry out their vital care – we are proud to be able to name them as our company charity for 2015.

“One of the main ways we will be raising money is through a Halloween Ball extravaganza on Friday 30 October at The Grand, Brighton, to celebrate Martlets’ 18th anniversary. It will be a fantastic evening of fundraising and we hope to see many of you there.”

Elizabeth Baxter, Head of Major Individual & Business Giving, said; “All at Martlets Hospice are delighted. We rely on the kind support of the local community and businesses for the majority of our income, and we are so pleased that such a well-known and well respected local company will be helping to raise vital funds for our patient care.”

For more information on the Halloween Ball and IEP Financial please contact Karin Yardy on 01273 208813
For more information on the Martlets Hospice please contact Elizabeth Baxter on 01273 718785

ARTISTS OPEN HOUSES – WHY NOT TAKE PART?
Artists Open Houses returns in May 2015. Anyone living in the 01273 telephone area can take part and registration costs can be shared by all the artists exhibiting in one venue, so AOH can be affordable for everyone.

Registration for the May 2015 Open Houses festival closes on Tuesday 4 February and special rates are available until 27 January. You can register as part of a local AOH trail, but if that’s not for you, or there isn’t a trail in your area, you can still take part as an AOH independent venue. To find details of how to join a trail, or register as an independent venue, visit www.aoh.org.uk/contact

If you live outside the 01273 telephone area, you can still take part in AOH festivals by becoming a ‘guest artist’ exhibiting your work in someone else’s Open House. To find out how to do this, take a look at www.aoh.org.uk/artists-seeking-houses
Whether you’re just starting out in your career, returning after a break or are a professional and established artist, the Artists Open Houses is a great place to exhibit and be noticed.