Feel free to whoop

What a bustle, what a myriad colours, what a cacophony in the sea this lunchtime, with hundreds of individuals bracing the winter waters (approx. 8 °C) for the Big Swim 2025. Friends and families were there too, in abundance, on the pebbles - enjoying, weatherwise, one of the most pleasant days of the year so far. (See also  Definition of exhilaration.)

According to the organisers - PinkNicky at Sea Lanes - the aim of the event was to celebrate International Women’s Day and to ‘create a noisy, colourful spectacle on the beach’. Another aim was to gather 1,000  swimmers across the South coast - on Brighton Beach but also in Dorset (where a parallel event was hosted by Land and Wave)..

Here’s the planned timetable for the Brighton event (to see a video of last year’s event click here).

11.00 Sponsors/Partners/Volunteers Welcome and Briefing

11.00-11.45 Swimmers arrive - Bird&Blend will be handing out tea samples (don’t forget your mugs)

11.45 Welcome and Safety Brief

12.00: Warm Up

12.10: Group Photo and Drone Coverage

12.20: Swimmers enter the water - Please do not enter the water until you hear the safety signal

1.30 Event closes - Please go to Sea Lanes event space, if you need to warm up. Please feel free to enjoy your picnic on the beach.

And here are Nicky’s suggestions for spreading ‘a little happiness’

- Bring snacks to share

- Say hello to your fellow swimmers

- Hug your swimming neighbours on the beach

- Feel free to whoop with delight as you enter the water

- If you see anyone on their own, please make them feel welcome

- Wear your most sparkly outfits

- Take a selfie and use the hashtag #thebigswim

Sand between their toes

Beach sports company Yellowave has been given permission by the council to turn an old toilet block - but once an Art Deco bowling club house - into a cafe and office on Hove seafront. The project forms part of the 15 million seafront revamp to create Hove Beach Park - see Not the Mary Clarke Park. 

Yellowave - which has successfully operated a beach sports facility in Kemp Town for nearly 20 years - was awarded the lease for a second sand sports centre in the city, at Hove Beach Park, last October (see council press release). The new centre will include three sand courts for beach volleyball, beach tennis and footvolley, alongside a multi-use area which can be used for 5-a-side beach soccer, life saving training and fitness. It hopes, it says, that by 1 August 2025, ‘the first players should be enjoying sand between their toes’.

According to Brighton and Hove City Council’s planning report on the project, it received 111 representations in favour, and 91 against. Some residents expressed concerns about the privatisation and commercialisation of public space as well as the effect on the Sackville Gardens Conservation Area. However, according to the Brighton & Hove News, councillor Julie Catell explained: ‘Where a development proposal would lead to less than substantial harm to the significance of a designated heritage site, this should be weighed against the public benefit including, where appropriate, the optimal environmental use. The heritage officer is of the view that this is the case here and welcomed elements such as the active use and repair and restorative works to the former public toilets, the fountain and the upgrading of an under-used site.’

Councillors asked why a private company would be managing the site. The council’s seafront manager Toni Manuel said that the council had indeed looked into running it in-house and using a leisure company. She explained: ‘Somebody who’s operating a padel court may not necessarily be an expert in delivery of sand sports and vice versa. After much deliberation, we decided upon the single independent operator model.’ It is worth noting that, earlier this year, local residents tried, unsuccessfully, to object to the council allowing the bowling club - recently relocated to the new sports hub nearby - a so-called club premises certificate (see Rock ‘n’ roll at the bowls club). 

With regard, specifically,  to conversion of the toilet block into a cafe, the council’s planning report had this to say: ‘The locally listed Public WC Art Deco building (former Kingsway Bowls Club Pavilion) is an important set-piece of Western Lawns seafront, and whilst it has a general form common in the local area with a rectangular footprint interspersed with lines of beach huts and the locally listed decorative wall, it has a unique façade appearance.’

Brighton half marathon at 35!

Congratulations Seyfu Jamaal - an Ethiopian-born athlete - who won this morning’s Brighton half marathon in a record course time of 64:30 - see BBC Sussex. Congratulations also to Christa Cain who won the women’s race and John Hinkinbottom who won the wheelchair race. The 10,000 strong event, organised by the local charity Sussex Beacon, has grown significantly since its inception in 1990, and is known for its attractive flat seafront course. This photo of Jamal was taken shortly after the start of the race, when he was already flying in the lead.

Born in 2000, Jamaal fled political unrest in Ethiopia and arrived in the UK in 2018 as a victim of human trafficking. On settling in London, he joined the Heathside running club, where he consistently delivered outstanding performances. In 2019, he was ranked number one in the UK for under-20s in both the 10,000 meters and the half marathon. However, his asylum application was rejected by the Home Office, and he faced deportation. Thanks to his contributions to the community and athletic potential, he won an appeal to remain in the UK. His time this morning was just a minute shy of his half marathon best.

A first such half marathon event in Brighton was initially organised by a small group of individuals, and the funds raised from the inaugural race in 1990 helped build The Sussex Beacon, a local HIV care charity. Starting with only a few hundred runners, and now in its 35th year, the event has become one of the largest half marathons in the country. The previous men’s course record was 1:04:56, set by Paul Navesey in 2019; and the women's course record is 1:14:27, set by Eleanor Davis in 2017. Over past years, the Kiwi Paul Martelletti stands out as a four-time consecutive winner of the men’s race. 

It’s worthing noting that, in 2012, the race had to be re-measured after organisers realised the course was 146 meters too short. Thousands of runners who thought they had set personal bests actually hadn’t completed a full half marathon distance.

Rock ‘n’ roll at the bowls club

Back to Hove Lawns (after Not the Mary Clarke Park article a couple of weeks ago) where a (virtual) row erupted yesterday. According to the Brighton & Hove News, a council licensing panel hearing was disrupted by residents heckling against plans to allow Hove and Kingsway Bowling Club - recently relocated to the new sports hub building on Hove Beach - a so-called club premises certificate.

Bowling goes back a long way on Hove Lawns, starting with Hove Bowling Club in 1896. Subsequently, Kingsway Bowling Club was launched one hundred years ago in 1925. The two clubs co-existed for nearly 50 years, when they joined forces half a century ago to become Hove & Kingsway Bowling Club in 1975 - though it took another 30 years before women were allowed to join (though they did have their own bowls club). 

Public interest in bowling has declined in recent years, and the club‘s greens have dropped from five to two. Judy Middleton’s online history of Hove has a comprehensive history of the bowling greens along with some excellent old photos.

The complaints yesterday at the council meeting were from residents living in flats across the road. They focused on noise and nuisance and what they said was a lack of action in response to complaints about the old bowls club venue. One resident was quoted in the News as saying ‘historically, the club has become a bit overzealous with the events they are holding, in terms of the size, scale and noise levels.’ Another resident was quoted as saying: ‘I love concerts. I’ve been to more than you could shake a stick at. But when it’s an ageing Status Quo rock band playing so loud [that] you have to have your windows closed on a beautiful summer’s day, that’s against my human rights to enjoy my own apartment.’

However, in response to the report, one commentator had this to say: ‘I’ve been in the bowls club the only outrageous thing to happen is you might find false teeth in your glass if you put it down. Have these busybodies got nothing else to do - there’s double glazing on the bowling club, then 35 yards of bowling green and then a 4 carriageway road (A259) and of course their own double glazing and that’s over the sounds of the seagulls!’

Fair point you might think. But, then, take a look at the bowling club’s Facebook page - where there is not much about bowls but a lot about music bands and rock ‘n’ roll!

4 Feb - ‘Better weather = bigger crowd, and all enjoying Gastric Band, with Mick and Elvis Al (and the rest of the band) giving us a great performance,  as always.’

29 Jan - ‘One thing we can all agree on, is that it was a lousy day last Sunday, but much improved by the presence of The Humbuckers, giving it their all for a small but appreciative crowd.’

22 Jan - ‘The Stuntmen kept us well-entertained on Sunday last, the old rock-n-rollers really enjoyed them.’

23 Dec - ‘Thanks go to Retro Ralph for performing at our as-close-as-we-can-get-to-Christmas do. Next week, we have our as-close-as-we-can-get-to-New Year’s Eve celebration featuring the marvellous Mad Badger, with not one, not two, but THREE sets giving us a great afternoon of music as only they can.’

The club’s agent, Nick Semper, argued, at the licensing meeting, that there had been no complaints since the club’s recent move, and that the club was not asking for an outdoor music licence but only for the same conditions as it had in its old premises. No other agency - the police, for example, nor the council’s environmental team - offered any objection, though there was a suggestion for a requirement that a responsible person monitor the music volume. A decision is expected in a few days.

Thanks to Brighton & Hove Museums for the old image of Western Lawns, long before Rock ‘n’ roll disturbed any peace!

Not the Mary Clarke Park

The Kingsway to the Sea project in West Hove is making significant strides, with the new outdoor sports hub looking good and nearing completion. This ambitious £13.7 million initiative, primarily funded by a £9.5 million grant from the government’s Levelling Up Fund, aims to rejuvenate the beach and seafront zone between the King Alfred Leisure Centre and Hove Lagoon. In 2024, the name Mary Clarke Park only just lost out in a vote to rename the project area.

The outdoor sports hub is set to become a focal point of the whole development. It will feature a new cafe with a terrace, public toilets, changing facilities, and a new home for the bowls club. Beyond the sports hub, the project encompasses a revitalised park stretching from Hove Lagoon to the King Alfred Leisure Centre, offering dedicated spaces for various activities. There will, of course, be new greens for bowling (a sport which dominated the Western Lawns since the Edwardian era). But there will also be a croquet lawn, padel tennis courts, sand courts, a new skate park, and a 150-meter-long pump track. 

Approximately 40,000 square meters of green space will be restored, Morgan Sindell, the constructors say, with new trees and flowers planted to achieve a Biodiversity Net Gain. The design includes new gardens serving as oasis areas, providing tranquil spots for relaxation amidst the bustling seafront. A new, accessible route will run through most of the park, allowing visitors to navigate the area without needing to venture onto Kingsway or the Esplanade. New benches, too, are being installed among the mulch, grass tufts, and young trees. With wooden slats and an orange-painted metal frame they reflect contemporary public seating trends, blending natural materials with vibrant, durable metals.

Local organisations - the West Hove Seafront Action Group and the West Hove Forum for example - have actively participated in shaping the Kingsway to the Sea project. And, early last year, the public were involved in voting for a new name for the area. Hove Beach Park came top with 23% of the votes, beating Mary Clarke Park into second place (19%). Which is a shame, because Mary Clarke Park has such a nice ring to it; moreover, Clarke was a key Brighton figure in suffragette history: she was the younger sister of Emmeline Pankhurst; and she died two days after leaving prison, becoming the first suffragette martyr in history.

New BrightTEN running event

Brighton Beach hosted, for the first time yesterday, Sunday, a ‘BrighTEN (Brighton) Seafront Run’ organised by UK Running Events Ltd. The company describes itself as specialising in mass participation running events across the UK. It’s most well-known for managing ‘Inflatable 5k’, ‘the world’s largest inflatable obstacle race’. This has already been put on in more than 20 locations around the country - and will be coming to Brighton in October.

More than a 1,000 people took part in yesterday’s run, an event ‘designed to help participants kickstart their New Year resolutions and to include scenic routes past landmarks such as the historical Burnt Down Pier, the iconic i360 Tower, and the Hove Promenade’. Indeed, the run routes - 10 mile and 10 km - took in more or less the whole extent of Brighton Beach starting and finishing on Hove Lawns. The 10 mile run was won by Sam Cook with a time of 55:15 while James Brewster and Lewis Reeves came second and third respectively. The 10 km was won by Joe Halter with a time of 36:51.

UK Running Events Ltd was founded in 2016, and currently has two directors: Martin James Barden and Jayne Louise Barden. Its estimated turnover as of December 2023 was given as £282,000. Two further events for Brighton are planned this year: Trail runs (through the South Downs and along the coast) of 50 mile, 50 km and 23 km, on 13 September; and the Inflatable 5K on 18 October. (‘Run Rebel’ - as in the photo of yesterday’s podium - appears to be a brand name for the company’s trail runs.)

Assuming BrighTEN continues to operate next year, it will join a growing list of annual running events in the city. These include Brighton Marathon (April), Brighton Half Marathon (March), and Race for Life Brighton (June).

Definition of exhilaration

About half way along the beach between Brighton Pier and the Marina, a complex of new businesses - fitness, health, and wellbeing - has shot up in the last 18 months. The main focus is Sea Lanes, a 50m, six-lane open-air heated (around 19 degrees) pool, billed as the first National Open Water Swimming Centre in Britain. The facility opened on 2 June 2023 after having initially lost the original competition for the plot to a ‘luxury sea spa’, one which subsequently failed to materialise. The pool was opened by Keri-Anne Payne, an Olympic Silver Medallist and Double World Champion, who also provided a swim masterclass during the opening, highlighting the centre’s potential for swimmers of all abilities.

The Sea Lanes pool, with its glass walls, is very attractively set only meters from the sea - though for me it’s mis-named. Why would one choose to swim in a chlorinated pool rather than the salty sea; why would one choose to use still waters rather than water with character, variety and surprise; why would one choose to exercise in 300 square meters of water when there’s five miles of beach to choose from? 

So, I asked Perplexity (my recently-appointed go-to adviser, one which has punched Google out of the search engine ring) why this could be. Its answer almost persuaded me that Perplexity may have been put on the Sea Lanes payroll. Here’s a summary of its answer.

A safer and more controlled environment compared to the sea (no unexpected currents, tides, or waves). The water is typically clearer, allowing swimmers to see the bottom and their surroundings more easily. The water quality and temperature can be monitored and maintained more consistently. Pools can be used year round regardless of weather conditions or seasons. The availability of changing rooms, showers, and lifeguards. Athletes and fitness enthusiasts can practice open water techniques without the unpredictability of natural environments, and they can track progress and set goals with known distances and markers. Swimmers don’t have to worry about jellyfish, seaweed, or other marine creatures, and the water is typically treated and filtered, reducing the risk of waterborne illnesses.

I swim in the sea almost every day between June and October inclusive, and if I lived by the Mediterranean I would probably swim there every day all year round, so water temperature IS a factor. But, nevertheless, I am not tempted in the slightest by the idea of ploughing back and forth at Sea Lanes during the winter/spring months.

Swimming in the sea is, for me, the definition of exhilaration, out-exhilarating almost everything else I do - and it’s a free, open, liberating, wild, health-giving recreation too.