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| Niamh Hicks

BPT Features on The Brighton Paradox Podcast

Our Artistic Director, Naomi Alexander, was invited to speak on an episode of a new podcast, The Brighton Paradox. It’s a unique ten-part audio series investigating Brighton & Hove’s creative and economic potential in uncertain times. It explores how recent history can help us to engineer a future of prosperity, creativity, and heart in Brighton & Hove.

Naomi features on episode two: HAIL GUEST! It examines whether the city that provides sanctuary, open arms and acceptance of strangers and travellers is also the city that often marginalises communities outside the centre.

It tries to answer the following questions:

  • What is a Brighton & Hove ‘welcome’?
  • What do we find when we look at Whitehawk as a case study?
  • Does Brighton have too many charities?
  • Where does the innate compassion come from?
  • How would you describe Brighton & Hove to an alien?
  • What matters to people in the city?

Conversations explore the idea of inequality in Brighton and Hove, with some further fantastic contributions from

  • Carlie Goldsmith: A Community Researcher born and bread in Whitehawk. She is a spokesperson for Class Divide, a grassroots campaign fighting to draw attention to the deeply injust educational attainment gap for young people from the communities of Whitehawk, Manor Farm and Bristol Estate in Brighton and Hove
  • Caroline Lucas: Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, and former leader and co-leader of The Green Party
  • Adam Joolia: CEO of AudioActive who offer innovative, accessible interventions that use music to support Young People and emerging artists
  • Adam Muirhead: Director of Youth Work at TDC and a Lecturer at the University of Brighton

Naomi particularly loved learning about the inscription on the pillars on the A23:

‘Hail guest, we ask not what thou art. If friend we greet thee hand and heart. If stranger no longer be. If foe our love shall conquer thee.’ 

The pillars are properly known as the ‘pylons’, erected to mark the northern limit of Greater Brighton which was created on 1 April 1928. They were designed by John Denman. More info can be found on My Brighton and Hove.

The podcast celebrates 20 years since becoming a city and runs from January to April 2023. It’s about celebrating and amplifying Brighton’s greatest assets and ideas. The production is a collaboration between always possible and Lo Fi Arts. The podcast is written and presented by Richard Freeman. It is produced and edited by Chris Thorpe-Tracey.

We strongly recommend checking it out and taking a listen here.