Win a £50 voucher for Beyond Retro

Come on - you know you want a new 40s tea dress.

Or maybe a 70s jump suit a la Charlie's Angels? Or was it just me that wanted to be Farah Fawcett Majors? It always amazed me that her 70s slow motion flick of the hair action didn't have one the other angels' eyes out. Although truth be known i secretly wanted to be her husband Lee Majors - until I realised the bionic bit in his arm wasn't actually real.

Seriously though, if you do want a jump suit or tea dress, or in fact anything else a little bit, or indeed a lot, retro - get yourself down to Beyond Retro in Brighton's funky North Laine. It's a treasure trove of all things vintage.

Vintage garb that doesn't burn your pocket

Although I've reached an age when 15 year olds look at you a bit tragically when you wear anything too uber retro, hence passing on the jump suit, I did manage to bag myself a rather nice pair of brown cowboy type boots for £30 there recently. Although, again probably because i've passed 35, I felt a relentless urge to cover them in lovely new brown tan boot polish - you know, the ones with the foamy bit where it squeezes out. So, ur they probably aren't very vintage anymore.

But anyway, it' a great shop - isn't over priced and offers an array of great vintage garb from accessories to shoes to everyday funky wear. It's Brighton’s largest vintage treasure trove and offers stand-out sartorial style choices and a warm welcome to everyone who enters the store.

Famous for sourcing well preserved pieces that chronicle a century of style, you can find Beyond Retro at 42 Vine Street - just behind Brighton's Jubilee Library, near to Bills and the Farm Cafe.

Win a £50 voucher to spend at Beyond Retro

Oh and we've got a competition running at the moment too, where we've teamed up with the funky monkeys at Beyond Retro to give away a £50 voucher for one lucky person to spend to their heart's stylish content! Enough for a couple of tea dresses I reckon...

Sarah
VisitBrighton

Brighton in the Spring

Well it looks like Winter is finally over and Spring is cautiously taking over. And while of course we will tell you that Brighton is a fantastic place to visit all year round, there is a strong case for arguing that Spring is actually the best time to plan your trip.

In Spring the weather is starting to get warmer and while visitor numbers are increasing it is still not as busy as in Summer so there is more space for a walk along the seafront and you'll have more elbow room in the quirky shops. However Brighton is also the ideal place to use as a base for exploring the lovely Sussex countryside.

This year the South Downs officially becomes a National Park so why not celebrate by walking the South Downs Way. The trail runs from Winchester to Eastbourne but don't worry you don't have to do the whole walk (approx 100 miles) you can just do sections. There is a circular route from Ditchling Beacon which is just a short bus ride away from Brighton city centre.

In fact there are several walks you can do which start and end at bus stops, including one from Stanmer Park where you can enjoy scenes like this:


However if you are wary about going for a country walk by yourself then you will be pleased to hear that So Sussex do organised walks to make sure you don't miss a thing.

For more information and further suggestions of countryside walks have a look at the Walks and Trails section of our website.

Charlotte

100 years, 100 film clips at Duke of Yorks

Do you have any old memories of the Duke of York's cinema? Or maybe you've picked up some old memorabilia over the years?

During 2010, the Duke of York's 100 Community Archive Project led by CINECITY is looking to amass 100 sound or film clip memories. That's one for each of the 100 year's of the cinema's operation.

The Duke of York's is one of the oldest working cinemas in the country and the aim is to build up a physical archive of social snapshots from across the past century with ticket stubs, film posters, press clippings and old photographs.

The hunt starts on 18th March 2010
The hunt starts on 18th March at the Jubilee Library with an evening of 'Show and Tell'. Anyone interested in sharing their memories about the Duke of York's, or in becoming a volunteer on the project, should come along. The evening starts at 5.30 in Conference Room 2.

There will be further community meetings through March, April and May.

Special screenings continue throughout March
The Duke's year of special screenings commemorating its 100th anniverary also continues throughout March:

• March 21st - B Double Movie Bill screening of TO THE PUBLIC DANGER and WIDE BOY

Find out more about the Duke of York's Picturehouse, Brighton. It's one of Brighton's gems, with lovely comfy seats and a great range of tasty homemade cakes. Yum.

Sarah
VisitBrighton

Brighton Food & Drink

It can sometimes be difficult to drag yourself back to work after having a week off, however I was fortunate enough to have 2 launch parties to attend this week which definitely helped to ease me back into work mode!

The first launch event was yesterday afternoon to celebrate the start of the Brighton Spring Harvest which will be running until the 21st March. This mini Food & Drink Festival (the big festival is in September) has a variety of events including the Sussex Beer Festival. At the launch we were lucky enough to get to sample a couple of the ales and I think my favourite was the Snake Slayer Stout! Also happening this weekend is the Big Sussex Market and Nick & Franco's Deli Pasta Eating competition but check the website as there are events happening every day this week.

Today's event was also linked to the Brighton Spring Harvest as it was the launch of the Chocolate Festival which will be happening in the city next weekend (20/21st March). The festival will take place along New Road between 10-6pm next Saturday and Sunday, and if it's anything like today's launch party there will be plenty of delicious chocolate to sample. Events will include a guide on how to become a chocolate connoisseur in three easy steps; a demonstration of 2 recipes for chocolate mousse without using any dairy as well as chocolate facial and body treatments!

So why not get stuck in to some delicious Brighton Food & Drink, hmmm :)

Charlotte

Snooze wins Best-Value Urban Hotel in the UK

Today brings a huge congratulations to Brighton Snooze hotel, which has just been voted the 'Best-Value Urban Hotel in the UK' in the latest Sunday Times Travel Magazine 'Value for Money' Awards...

If you want to check it out in print, Snooze are featured in the April edition which has just come out

Paul and Tony who run Snooze are lovely, so it couldn't have gone to nicer people. Oh and their boutique hotel is pretty nice too :).

From acid-trip wallpaper to Pop Art...
Here's what the Awards said about Snooze:

'Acid-trip wallpaper, tin-plate Marmite ads, saucy postcards - no retro-chic stone is left unturned at this Kemp Town crashpad.

Ten bedrooms each have their own groovy theme, and there's a Pop Art dining room. All this and what our judges call 'the best breakfast spread on the South Coast.'

Doubles start from £80; £60 for the one on the top floor.

Get in quick if you want to book with Snooze - we reckon they're going to get even busier after this illustrious accolade!

Visit http://www.snoozebrighton.com/ for more details.

Sarah
VisitBrighton