What a very sad and heavy week it's been, as we continue to learn of (just some of the) many horrific events and losses in Ukraine. We might feel fairly helpless but there are ways in which we can all help, even just a little - see below for some ideas, events and initiatives happening locally, not forgetting that there are umpteen fundraising possibilities for those who want to do even more. If you have children who are feeling very anxious about the situation, you can find good resources out there to help, such as BBC Children In Need.
Meanwhile, we must live in hope that there will be an acceptable and peaceful resolution before too much further tragedy and probably try to embrace the classic Latin "carpe diem" approach to life. There really is so much to look forward in (what we were certainly hoping would be) this first summer of freedom after 2 years of event freezes. It's also very exciting to discover ever more foreign-language/-flavoured events, activities, services, people and places in the Lewes area and beyond, enabling us to not only seize the moment, but to travel far and wide, in sights, sounds, tastes, smells and so much more, without leaving the country never mind the county - and these are, as much as possible, included here in the All Abroad! Bus via Lewes newsletter #5!
Do something more to help Ukraine.
By all accounts, the best way to get help to those who most need it is by making financial donations directly to the Red Cross, DEC the UNCHR etc or via supermarkets such as Morrison's in Seaford who are asking how much you'd like to donate on top of your bill. You could even book a hypothetical holiday with Airbnb in Ukraine but do check things are bona fide before proceeding down that route.
Donations of essential items - other than clothing - are also being requested so keep your eye on local news pages, Facebook groups etc for these. For example on the Seaford (Official) Notice Board, the incredible Sussex Removals are collecting goods and essential supplies, filling up their trucks and driving them to Poland to help Ukrainian refugees arriving there - see what they need below:
Meanwhile, upcoming fundraisers from local businesses, for which you can already book tickets and tables include:
*An evening at the Beak Brewery on Friday 18th March, when they will be donating 100% of their tap room profit to the UN Refugee Agency's Ukraine Emergency Appeal (UNHCR) although there will also be some tables set aside for walk-ins. Beak are also encouraging other bars, bottle shop or taprooms to run their own events by using the hashtag #CRAFTBEER4UKRAINE and donating proceeds to UNHCR, even if not 100% profits; every bit helps.
*Ukrainian film "Olga" (15), about the challenges faced by a Ukrainian gymnast exiled in Switzerland, will be showing at Lewes Depot on Sunday 20th March (7.30pm), followed by a Q&A about the Ukraine crisis with Emily Thornberry MP, current Shadow Attorney General and previous Shadow Secretary of Defence and Shadow Foreign Secretary. All proceeds will go to the DEC and Docudays.
Tickets are now on sale for a special fundraising 1-hour concert on Sunday 3rd April (3pm) at Glyndebourne for the people of Ukraine. £50 from glyndebourne.com.
...DO...
For total escapism, the UK & International Tour of Mamma Mia! - the smash hit musical based on Swedish band Abba - is currently at Eastbourne's Congress Theatre until 12th March, tickets and more info here.
Get down to Beak Brewery tonight, Friday 11th March, for an evening with 'Le Voyage', playing everything from 'epic 80s soul and synth to European/Italo disco'. From 6.30pm, bar open from 5pm.
Last chance to catch the Tunji Adeniyi-Jones "Astral Reflections" exhibition at Charleston, closing 13/3. before it closes on13th March. In the artist's words: 'The title ‘Astral Reflections’ speaks to the physical and emotional fragments that we gather and leave behind through continued travel and transition. I am interested in how the transformative nature of the Black experience is nourished by travel, movement and cultural hybridity.’
>>BOOK NOW, DO SOON...
WALK THIS WAY
On the coming weekends of 19/20th and 26/27th March, you can "explore a different side to the Lewes District and delve into our history, folklore and landscapes with Walk This Way: a free festival of walks led by local experts". You can pick up a programme from Lewes and Seaford Tourist Information Centres or jump straight into the listings online and book up the limited (free) tickets as soon as you can. Amongst the many options to explore art, nature, scent, ghosts and more through walks, a couple of options with a hint of foreign-ness are:
the leisurely, 2-mile "Hidden Newhaven" walk with Jenny Flood on 19/3 and 26/3 in which you can "discover stories of Newhaven's hidden past, its role during both wars, its connections to the last King of France, Ho Chi Minh and Lord Lucan, and the importance of the river".
the "Seaford Cemetery" walk on 20/3, in which you will visit "one of the largest War Graves in the South of England with nearly 300 war graves ranging from local men to West Indian and Canadian servicemen" with local historian Kevin Gordon.
UPCOMING FESTIVALS - OPEN FOR BOOKINGS
Brighton Festival & Fringe, May 2022
Check out the programme and start getting tickets for the Brighton Festival, on from 7-29th May 2022, this year with guest co-directors Syrian architect and author Marwa Al-Sabouni and Brighton-based theatre artist Tristan Sharps and with the poignant theme of "Rebuilding". Full programme and tickets on sale here. So much to look forward to and to start booking tickets for, as well as opportunities to get involved.
There will also be tonnes of fabulous events happening 6th May to 5th June 2022 as part of the Brighton Fringe with up-to-date info and ticket release news on their Facebook page.
Charleston Festival, 19-29 May 2022
This 10-day festival will be back this year and will again bring together "today’s most exciting artists, writers and changemakers to engage with art and ideas in a thrilling programme of live events - talks, conversations and performances, and see the world differently!" All to be enjoyed with tasty Italian treats c/o Charleston's café partner Caccia & Tails. Full programme and tickets here.
*Watch this space for some more specific foreign-flavoured tips for these festivals over the coming weeks!*
...TASTE...
Local takeaway & home delivery service, The Feature Kitchen, are preparing a mouth-watering array of Cameroonian dishes every weekend this month, such as groundnut soup with beef or beans and deep-fried plantain. You have to order in advance from the menu here for delivery on Friday and Saturday evenings (between 6pm-8pm) to houses around Brighton, Lewes and the surrounding areas, ready for simple reheating - using an oven, on the stove or using a microwave. The menu consists of specially curated dishes (with meat, vegetarian & vegan options).
Try the "Entroido" grape lager @ Abyss Brewery tap room this week, a combination of grapes from Sussex and Galicia in North-West Spain and hops from Leon, Spain, aka "a party in a glass"! A colourful account of the Lewes-Bonfire-esque festivities found in a string of small towns and villages in the southern Galicia region on Abyss' Facebook page here!
Lidl (Newhaven)'s 'Greek Island' Flavour of the week is underway, from 10th March. Nóstimo!
...WATCH...
Rather than filling this newsletter with the many foreign-language/-flavoured films on in the area each week, and re-inventing the wheel somewhat given the wonderful synopses/overviews provided by local cinemas, an up-to-date, aggregated menu of films can be found here and will be updated every few days. (What do you think?)
In summary, up until Thursday 17th March, there's a Japanese film for kids, "Tales from Earthsea", at Lewes Depot this weekend; opera "Rigoletto" will also be showing there and "Ariande auf Naxos" at Uckfield Picture House; German wartime film "Great Freedom" and Finnish/Mandarin film "Master Cheng" will screen at Lewes Depot the whole of this coming week, whilst "Belfast" continues at Uckfield Picture House. Plus, NT Live "Leopoldstadt" will be screening live and recorded at both Uckfield Picture House and Seaford Community Cinema.
WATCH - AT HOME
Channel 4 are airing "Servant of The People": the "fictional comedy about an honest teacher who becomes president, that launched the real-life political career of creator Volodymyr Zelensky". In Ukrainian with English subtitles.
>>BOOK NOW, WATCH SOON...!
Lewes Drama Collective students will be performing Laura Eason’s adaptation of Jules Verne's Around The World in 80 Days at All Saints Centre on Sunday 20/3.
...LISTEN...
Nouvelle Vague @ Chalk, Brighton on 16/3
It's taken them 18 months to finally manage the journey to the UK from Paris, grâce à la pandémie de Covid-19, but, enfin, French group Nouvelle Vague will be playing at Chalk in Brighton on 16th March 2022 as part of their 15th anniversary tour. Bossa Nova = Nouvelle vague = New wave : "this transliteration was the starting point for Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux’s unique project", a délicieux and unique feast of mostly English and French covers reinvented à la bossa nova. Have a listen here then get your tickets quickly!
>>BOOK NOW, LISTEN SOON...
Glynde Place will be home to two very different styles of music events this spring/summer.
Firstly, in the 'back garden', the world-renowned jazz festival Love Supreme will be back on 1st-3rd July 2022 for the first time since 2019, with an international as well as local line-up of jazz, funk and soul stars
Secondly, the Glynde Place Concert Series will once again be putting on three evenings that bring musicians from the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme to Sussex, more specifically to the intimate surroundings of Glynde Place and the line-up includes one of the musicians who should have played in 2020, the Italian-Slovenian pianist Alexander Gadjiev.
Meanwhile, up the road at Glyndebourne, public booking is now fully open for the 2022 Glyndebourne opera season, with most operas sung in foreign languages with English supertitles Under 30s can still get a special membership to obtain £30 tickets for Le nozze di Figaro and Don Pasquale, sung in Italian and The Wreckers and Poulenc double bill operas, sung in French.
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