My Brighton

I moved to Brighton in summer 2007 and in the last few years I’ve been falling in love with the City as a resident and not just a daytripper. Like many people I have friends who lived here before I moved down and I would visit them frequently and wish I could stay but work kept me in London. Since I was selected as the Labour candidate I’ve continued to work part-time and commute to jobs in Victoria whilst living in Brighton and campaigning.

Me and my partner Steve live in Hanover and I love the sense of community there which I’m certain is cemented by the many wonderful pubs. It seems like there’s one on every corner! Me and Steve like to go out go out for a drink on a Friday night and have made many friends in the area. We’re regulars in the Napier, our very cosy local, and also enjoy the food and live music in the Greys.

I’m mainly vegetarian and a keen cook (beat my veggie chilli!) but we love eating out and there's no shortage of excellent restaurants in Brighton! You can often find us in the Iydea café in Kensington Gardens having a late lunch after door-knocking at weekends or on Saturday night enjoying an excellent curry in Planet India or Bombay on Preston Street.

One of the best things about living so near to the centre of Brighton is that I can walk or cycle everywhere. The guys at Rayment Cycles in Preston Circus had never ending patience in helping me choose a new bike and their customer service is second to none – they are the most enthusiastic team I’ve ever met - is there any connection with the odd fact that all the staff are left-handed?

Anyway, culturally, Brighton has so much to offer. I’ve been a member of Picturehouse Cinemas for years and it’s great to be within walking distance of the Duke of Yorks cinema and the Theatre Royal – that’s usually saved as a treat for when our Mums come to visit. The Brighton Festival gets better every year and I never cease to be amazed at the amount of people who let us all have a nose around their homes as part of the Open Houses season.

Now, whilst we all need M&S for our ‘essentials’ – my friends are constantly jealous of the unusual and original presents I can choose for birthdays, weddings and Christmas in North Laine and I love poking about in Snooper’s Paradise and Oxfam which keeps me in second-hand books.

Recently I’ve been learning how to play tennis in Queen’s Park so it’s been great to take advantage of being just 5 minutess around the corner – they were so welcoming when I joined because they needed more women but I had to disappoint them as I’m not quite up to match standard just yet!

But I think most of all, what makes Brighton so special is the natural environment. You can’t beat a walk on the South Downs on a Sunday afternoon. We’re lucky to have such an excellent bus service that goes up that way. We’ve walked from Ditchling Beacon to Devil’s Dyke several times, urged onwards by the thought of a cold beer at the end or gone the other way to Lewes – past the prison where Steve’s Grandad used to be a prison warden! I took my 6-year old nephew on the open-top bus to Devil’s Dyke last summer and I don’t know who was more excited!

And when I just want to clear my head and escape it all? It’s a 15 minute walk to the beach or even less on my bike and let’s face it, what could be better than cycling along Brighton beach on a sunny day with clear blue skies and the sun sparkling on the water – it kind of keeps everything in perspective!