VegfestUK Brighton Set For Success As Vegetarianism Goes Mainstream

On November 12^th The Daily Express ran a front page story entitled, “New diet to halt diabetes: Eating less meat and dairy can slash risk by half”[1] And another article in the Daily Mail this September suggested that veganism can lower cholesterol and ease painful joints[2] So it’s not just the fear of finding horsemeat in your Sunday lunch that’s persuading many more of us to go vegetarian and vegan, there are so many clinically proven health reasons too! This is why VegfestUK Brighton is set to be one of the most popular veggie lifestyle events this March...

VegfestUK - Europe's biggest and best veggie lifestyle shows - are back in the nation's veggie capital, Brighton next year, on March 29^th 30^th at the Hove Centre. With over 135 stalls full of mouth-watering food alongside fashion, cosmetics and bodycare, plus inspiring dietary tips from talks, cookery demos, workshops, films and kids' cookery classes, on top of a speed-dating session, a bodybuilders competition, as well as great live comedy and music, this show is certain to attract not only veggies but all food and festival lovers.

“Since our shows began back in 2003, we've always strived to maintain a balance between festival charm and food education, and that has proved to be very attractive for the veggie-curious and the meat reducers, who have been growing in leaps and bounds for the past decade,” say the organisers. “VegfestUK gives everyone a top day out while getting across the benefits of increasing their fruit, veg and grain intake and reducing their meat and dairy, in a very informal and friendly atmosphere. The best thing is: no one is under pressure to go veggie at all. 

People can just come down to our festivals, sample a myriad of quality, healthier plant-based substitutes for their customary sausages, doner kebabs, chicken nuggets, milkshakes and pizzas, enjoy the festival capers, then make their own dietary decisions afterwards.”

In the wake of the horsemeat scandal, the 2013 show attracted a record-breaking 7,200 visitors over 2 days and included presenters Janey Lee Grace (BBC Radio 2) and Sarah Jane Honeywell (CBeebies). 

With the sharp rise in health consciousness in recent years, the strong attendance figures look set to continue at the nation's veggie capital next March. Admission is £2 for adults (pay on gate), and free for under 16's. 

For further details, visit www.brighton.vegfest.co.uk

[1] http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/442519/New-diet-to-halt-diabetes-Eating-less-meat-and-dairy-can-slash-risk-by-half
[2] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2416221/Could-going-vegan-days-week-ease-creaky-knees.html

Would You Like To Know How to Lose That Fat Around The Middle – For Good?

If you are carrying too much fat around your middle and would like to learn how to lose it for good, then you should enrol in Dr Marilyn Glenville’s 12 week Fat Around the Middle – And How to Lose It - course, which is coming to the heart of Brighton, starting Mid-January, with sessions every week at 7-8pm.

As we look to make our 2014 resolutions, healthy eating and weight loss continues to top the list[i]. If you are one of those people who would like to make a change, then this is for you.

During this exclusive course you will find out why fat settles around your waist and learn the secret of how you can lose that unsightly bulge once and for all and why it is not just all down to what you eat!

This Fat Around the Middle course teaches you how to lose fat from this key area of your body, it also helps you understand how to eat healthily and most importantly what foods to eat and what to avoid throughout the day to help you reach your goal.  In addition, the course covers simple exercises you can do at home and how to incorporate this into a healthy lifestyle, enabling you to change your body shape for good.  

The course is split into twelve weekly parts, and there are regular opportunities to check your measurements, plus weekly meal plans and recipes are included within the hand outs to assist you in your desire to eat healthier. 

·         Week 1 – Getting started. Measurements, targets and outline of course

·         Week 2 – Blood sugar balance and how it affects your mood, energy and weight.

·         Week 3 – Which exercises will help you to burn fat – and which won’t.

·         Week 4 – Which vitamins and minerals help you lose weight

·         Week 5 – What really is a healthy portion size?

·         Week 6 – How to read food labels – cutting through the hype

·         Week 7 – Fat makes you fat right? Wrong! Good and bad fats how to tell the difference

·         Week 8 – Overcoming emotional barriers – change your mind, change your life

·         Week 9 – Healthy alternatives – a whole new world of healthy choices

·         Week 10 – Essential Meal planning

·         Week 11 – Why stress makes you fat and how you can control it

·         Week 12 – Mindful eating and how to keep on track

 ‘I would absolutely encourage friends and colleagues to take part in the course and to see it as a lifestyle change not just a quick weight loss programme’

Marion Azulay, 45

If you are apple rather than pear shaped, with a tendency to gather fat around the middle, then this is the course for you! Call 01892 515905 to sign up today and start 2014 with a new healthier body shape.

For more information visit: glenvillenutrition.com

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[i] http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2084095/New-Years-resolutions-Today-day-people-up.html

Table tennis gone batty – using tools of the trade for ping pong fun!

The launch of a city-wide summer programme for a popular table tennis project begins with a quirky championship in the centre of Brighton on Thursday 25 July.

Local traders are being invited to step up to open air tables in Jubilee Square and represent their professions at the launch event of this year’s Ping! programme. Instead of traditional ping pong bats, participants will bring a “tool of their trade” to bounce the little balls to victory!  Librarians will bring their books, publicans will be wielding beer mats, chefs using frying pans and so on. The Mayor will also be in attendance although the bat of her choice has not yet been revealed.

The fun championship starts a series of free table tennis events taking place across Brighton & Hove until the end of August. The Ping! project is being organised in Brighton & Hove by the council’s Sports Development team working with local table tennis clubs. The programme encourages people to have a go at table tennis to discover how enjoyable and accessible the sport is for all ages and abilities.

Cllr Geoffrey Bowden, chair of the Economic Development and Culture Committee, said: “There is an element of cheeky fun mixed with a competitive streak about the sport of table tennis. It can be played at as high speed action challenge or a calm to and fro volley. The appeal is in the variety and those at the top of their game can deliver some astounding play. I am very pleased to see Ping! back on the streets of Brighton & Hove this summer.”

More than 40 table tennis tables will be placed across the city in more than 20 locations. Bats and balls are supplied at many locations but to avoid disappointment players are advised to bring along their own equipment when visiting the outdoor tables. All the tables can be used for free. Information on where to find the Ping! tables is available on the council website at: http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/ping

Table tennis clubs across Brighton & Hove are helping to raise awareness of the sport during the Ping! weeks. Many clubs are instrumental in delivering the free events and sessions. Tim Holtam, Brighton Table Tennis Club, said: "Ping! Brighton & Hove was simply amazing last year with more than 35,000 people playing in the space of six weeks in the run up to the Olympics. Ping! has been transformative to the image of the sport in our city and is a fantastic way of people meeting each other and having fun. It is a game anyone can enjoy from the first time they pick up a bat until they are over 100. There are not many other sports where that is possible!”

Events taking place during Ping! include a fancy dress championship, coaching sessions, disability Paralympic ping pong  and a round the table world record attempt. More information at: www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/ping<http://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/ping

There be giants at Brighton’s Royal Pavilion from July 4!

Ambika Parkin (7) and Sunny Parkin (5) found one of the Selfish Giant’s garden forks in front of the Royal Pavilion – giant maze opens July 4.

A stunning summer maze attraction will open on the Eastern Lawns of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, from July 4, for locals and visitors to enjoy.

Inspired by Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Selfish Giant’, a fairy tale about a Giant who doesn’t want to share the garden he loves with children, but learns the error of his ways, the maze is being exclusively made for Brighton by the creators of the Royal Pavilion Ice Rink.

Shella Parkin, MD of Laine Ltd, said: “We wanted to create something amazing for the school summer holidays on the Eastern Lawns, in addition to our popular winter attraction.

“I’ve always loved mazes and felt the Pavilion deserved its own one as there has been a long history of association between historic buildings and mazes. Our aim is to create a maze that looks as though it has always been there but somehow ‘out of view’. Our design is inspired by a story I’ve loved since I was a little girl and have read aloud to my own children.”

The 22m by 22m maze is based on a Roman design and made up of 360 metres of corridors and beautiful hidden garden rooms, evoking the four seasons in the Giant’s Garden.

Sound effects, giant gardening tools, riddles and traditional games, such as Nine Men’s Morris and Fox and Geese, will startle and delight adults and children alike as they try to find their way to the centre of the maze. Is there a giant in the centre of the maze? You’ll have to visit to find out!

The attraction costs just £4 per person, making it affordable for families with children of all ages to enjoy and hopefully come back to more than once.

Tickets can be purchased from the box office on site only and opening hours are 11am to 7pm, July 4 to September 3, Eastern Lawns Royal Pavilion, Brighton, BN1 1EE.