Newsletters Eastbourne Cultural Communities Network, Units 4 & 7, Cavendish Business Centre, 86a Cavendish Place, Eastbourne, BN21 3RR Registered Charity No: 1115365 Latest News Mozambique Nursery Fundraiser There will be an event to raise funds to buy and send toys to help establish a nursery for the Teran Foundation in Mozambique on Saturday 18th February from 8.30pm at The Lamb Inn, Old Town. The event will include music, nibbles and a raffle. Tickets cost £5 (£3 concessions) and are available on the door or in advance from 07851 432648. Please support this worthy cause. Taste the Carribean Some good friends off ours have opened a new soul food delivery service in Eastbourne. Mia’s Soul Food in Seaside Road offer a fantastic selection of Jamaican food including classic Jerk Chicken and Red Snapper Stew delivered straight to your door. Click the image to see the full menu and contact details. Holocaust Memorial Day Eastbourne communities extend an invitation for you to join them in commemorating Holocaust Memorial day 2012 on Friday 27th January. Venue: Court Room, Eastbourne Town Hall, Grove Road, Eastbourne from 3-4pm. This is an inclusive acknowledgement remembering all those who perished in the holocaust and similar atrocities. This event is organised by Eastbourne’s Jewish Community and Eastbourne Cultural Communities Network (ECCN) and is supported by Eastbourne Borough Council. Refreshements will be served. Fiesta 2012 After the terrific success of last year’s Eastbourne Fiesta Festival in partnership with Eastbourne Borough Council, we will be holding a similar event this year. We will be tying this year’s event in with the Eastbourne Sunshine Carnival, The Big Lunch launch and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The date has been set for the Bank Holiday weekend of 2nd-4th of June and thousands of spectators and holidaymakers are expected to flock to the Western Lawns for the entertainment. ECCN will once again sell trade stalls to local businesses and will be aiming to give as many local performers as possible the opportunity to get involved and share their skills and talents with everyone. We will also need help with organising, setting up and running the event on the day and welcome volunteers for any tasks. We hope to attract several thousand visitors to the event and feel this is an ideal opportunity to put Eastbourne firmly on the map and for businesses and community groups to promote themselves. ECCN and EBC reserve the right to decide which trades, businesses and performances are most appropriate and we are especially interested in art, crafts, hobbytrades and music and dance which reflect local or cultural significance though these are not exclusive requirements. We will try to provide you with exclusivity to the goods that you will be selling. Table costs will be confirmedshortly but will be on a similar scale as last year’s event. Please note, any food and drinks business must have the appropriate licensing to carry out outdoor events. For more information or to express an interest in taking part, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you. Have Your Say Eastbourne Borough Council are asking for your help in setting the priorities for Eastbourne for the coming year. Check out the attached document and complete the response form to make sure your voice is heard. Corporate Plan consultation document Response form Black History Month After the great success of last years Black History Month event, ECCN is proud to present our 2011 event kindly sponsored by Eastbourne Borough Council. It is not too late to register your interest and become involved in any way you like. If you want to promote your business or have a free stall or table to sell your goods or give information about your country of origin please contact us. If you would like to perform by singing, dancing or playing an instrument to show off your skills and talents we would like to hear from you. Please remember this event is to celebrate and promote African, Caribbean, South African and dual parentage culture. Polish Kids Song and Dance Group We’re joining up with Polskie Eastbourne to set up a music group for Polish children in Eastbourne. Aimed at 6-15 year-olds, it will be an opportunity to learn more about traditional Polish culture through folk songs and dances. There will be an initial meetoing for interested families at 5.30pm on Tuesday 19th July at our offices on Cavendish Place. Fitness Summer Break Our Women’s Cultural Fitness sessions will be taking a break for the summer after Monday 25th July but will resume again on Monday 5th September. Eastbourne Fiesta What a feast for the eyes and ears as Eastbourne residents and holidaymakers alike came out in force to support the towns first Fiesta International celebration. This was a partnership event organised by Eastbourne Borough Council and local charity Eastbourne Cultural Communities Network. ECCN put together the trade stalls and the entertainment for Sunday with a varied and exciting programme. Many thanks to those who came from outside Eastbourne to perform including sensational Bollywood dancers from CDE, 1 in 4, the Russian Choir from Brighton and local groups Dub n Tuff Allstars, Lackadaisy and ECCN's own Ecado African Drummers. We would also like to thank the Council for their faith in us, our fantastic and hard working staff, Committee and volunteers and a huge thank you to all those who flocked to enjoy the day despite strong winds. For some great photos from the event please check out this Flickr album by Graham Huntley. Migrant Communities Health Advocacy Pilot The NHS in East Sussex is piloting a new scheme that provides help and support for migrant residents needing to access NHS services. The pilot, which is paid for through a successful bid to the Migration Impact Fund, is working through two local interpreting and translating organisations to train up a pool of bi-lingual advocates and improve awareness of and access to NHS services. During the pilot period (until August), East Sussex residents over the age of 18 whose first language is not English can be referred into the service. For more information or to make a referral, click here.  BBC Three Casting Do you know of someone from Eastern Europe who is due to start a new life oin the UK? BBC Three are looking to speak to Eastern Europeans (18-30 years old) who have decided to leave their home town for a fresh start in the UK. For detail please click here. Spring Sale For a limited time only we are offering a “buy one get one free” offer on our English classes. From just £1.50 per hour and classes available at a variety of different times and days during the week, they already offer great value for money. To take advantage of this offer or for more details, please call our offices on 01323 735772. Fiesta Time! - 28th/29th May, Western Lawns Fiesta is a brand new event which will offer a weekend of cultural fusion bringing together classic English traditions and the traditions of other nations through the Eastbourne Cultural Community Network. There will be a fantastic range of music, dance, arts, food and drink available across the two days.  We are looking for local acts, exhibitors, vendors etc who want to take part and help make this event a successful celebration of everything that Eastbourne has to offer. If you want to be a part of this exciting event, please contact our offices on 01323 735772 or email community@eccn.org.uk. Change of Venue From Monday 7th February, our Ladies’ Cultural Fitness Classes will move from WRVS Centre to the Methodist Church Hall, Langney Road. It’s been necessary for us to move to a bigger venue due to to the overwhelming attendance the classes have received. New members are always welcome to come along and join the fun every Monday at 7pm. Sessions only cost £1.50 for an hour of fun, musical exercise. Follow Us You may have noticed on our front page that we are now on Twitter. We’re excited to be developing our use of “Social Media” to communicate with as wide an audience as possible and get information to you even more regularly. If you’re a Tweeter, please follow us at @eccn_news and help spread the word about our events and activities. AGM - 9th February 2011 We will be holding our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 9th February at 5pm. The meeting will be held at our offices in Cavendish Place and is open for anyone to attend. If you’re interested in finding out more about the work we do and maybe even getting involved with the Committee or as a volunteer then we look forward to seeing you there. A Question of Faith In support of the aims of National Inter-Faith Week, Eastbourne's Faiths Forum held a 'Question Time' event at the Winter Garden.  The panel was chaired by the Rev Peter Owen-Jones and six different religious faiths were represented by the Rev Malcolm Weisman (Judaism); Abdel Rahim (Islam); Glen Scrivener (Christian Churches); James Smith (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints); Lynda Lindfield (Paganism); and Tony Lobl (Christian Science).   The questions were submitted by members of the audience and covered a wide range of religious issues.  It is no surprise that the answers were as diverse as the representative faiths, but if there was one theme that emerged, it was respect for the people and beliefs of all religions.   Unfortunately, there was not enough time for discussion or supplementary questions from the floor, but audience members were able to chat to individual panellists at the end of the meeting.   Ronnie Taylor, Chairman of the Eastbourne Hebrew Congregation, said, "I found the Forum very interesting and hope that the different faiths in the Eastbourne Community will have a better understanding of each other's religions, which might lead to more tolerance and respect."   Some Words From our Friends At our recent Black History Month event, we had some excellent presentations and words from some of our friends and supporters and thought we’d share them here • Stephen Lloyd, MP Eastbourne and Willingdon • Sgt Fiona Munro, Neighbourhood Policing Team North Eastbourne • Timothy Jupadim, ECCN