Happy birthday Vinod & Meena
Congratulations and a very happy 40th anniversary to Vinod and Meena ! For four decades , BrightNews has been the heartbeat of West Hill , a cornerstone of our community , and a place where neighbours meet , friendships form , and support is always at hand . As well as undoubtedly being the best stocked , local grocer and newsagents for many miles !
Vinod has not only been a dedicated shopkeeper but also an employer and mentor to many young people , offering them their first taste of the working world . His commitment extends far beyond business , he ensures that his more vulnerable customers are looked after , with home deliveries that have been a lifeline , particularly during lockdown and harsh weather .
In addition to his work at BrightNews , Vinod has been a driving force behind the West Hill Community Association , tirelessly dedicating his time as a guardian of our beloved West Hill Hall . Over the years , not only has he served as keeper of the keys , sponsor and fundraiser , through the ever-present collection tin on his counter , he has been an enthusiastic committee member , Trustee , and Chairman . His leadership and dedication have helped keep the hall at the heart of our community .
We also extend our heartfelt thanks to both Vinod and Meena for their efforts in making the hall ’ s Christmas parties truly special . Together they have ensured that we have been royally fed with delicious Indian food and thoroughly entertained . We still await a tap-dancing performance from you Vinod . Thanks , must also go to the ever-supportive BrightNews staff running the bar , these events have brought joy to so many .
Vinod , your unwavering commitment to our community is deeply appreciated . You embody the spirit of West Hill , and we are all incredibly fortunate to have you , Meena , and BrightNews as part of our lives . Here ’ s to you both — thank you for everything you have
done and continue to do ! Sarah Taylor – Chair
WHCA
Happy now ?
There is a group on Facebook which , if you use that thing , I recommend you join . It ’ s called “ Brighton Skies ” and the description of its page goes like this : “ Photos of Brighton skies , sunsets , sunrises , clouds , blue sky , the stars and the moon or interesting things spotted up there . Created by artist Faye Bridgwater ”. I stumbled across it a couple of years ago and thought : “ ooh , there are some lovely pictures here .” Faye Bridgewater is an artist of whom I confess I had not heard but she runs a lovely website . Or page . Or whatever you call them . You know what I mean .
I am , I admit , a sucker for local FB sites which are mainly devoted to moaning ( and often they moan with good reason ; but the best moments are when people moan without ; or when at least there is an unstable balance between the moaner and the thing being moaned about – that is , everyone is wrong , which makes it funny ). There are of course thousands of these so one has to whittle it down and only look at the ones near you . I find the Seaford and Peacehaven pages particularly moving . The Seaford one says “( Official )” after its name which makes me wonder whether it ’ s a parody , and many of the comments that get published there suggests it is : but it isn ’ t . Such are the times we live in .
Anyway , never mind them ( although I wish them well ). What happened was that I posted a photo of the view from my living room . The cloud was heavy overhead until the Rampion Array : then the sky opened and you could see a band of bright light on the horizon . The sun ’ s rays burst through the broken cloud like a fan . It was extraordinary ; and a few seconds later , the clouds moved on and the effect disappeared . But I got the shafts of sunlight and that was good enough . The view was framed by the backs of the houses on Montpelier Road and temple Street . I thought “ if
Nicholas Lezard
this isn ’ t good enough for a Facebook group called ‘ Brighton Skies ’ then I don ’ t know what is .” I added a rubric which went something like : “ I live in a tiny expensive flat but I never tire of the view so I ’ m staying ”.
The photo was accepted , of course , because it strictly followed the guidelines set out in the rules of the group . What I wasn ’ t prepared for was its popularity . The last time I checked , it had 700 likes and counting . This is a small number in the grand scheme of things but for me it counts as going viral .
I was commended by many commentators for being happy with my circumstances but I found that the remarks from the moaners were what really cheered me up . “ Call that a view its rubbish ” and “ those houses could do with a good clean ”, etc . And this is why I ’ m not going to be leaving Facebook any time soon . There is no view so glorious that someone won ’ t try pissing on it .