The Brighton Babbler

The Brighton General site – for the community, not developers

The fate of the Brighton General Hospital remains uncertain, seemingly destined for redevelopment as housing. But a re-energised community campaign is determined to keep the site in public hands, incorporating social housing and living rents as well as NHS services. The Babbler talks to former Green Party councillor David Gibson about the aims of the campaign – and begins by asking him about its structure. [To contact the Community Campaign for the Brighton General Hospital site, email: bghcommunitycampaign@gmail.com] Produced by Martin Shelley... contact: bysshebash@gmail.com

Asylum tales, forgotten lives

The bodies of 4000 mental health patients are buried, mostly in unmarked graves, in the grounds of St Francis Hospital, formerly the Sussex County Asylum. The last known address of nearly half of those patients was in Brighton. In this episode of the Babbler, historian James Gardner talks to Kevin McDonnell (pictured), head of a team painstakingly uncovering the personal stories of some of those patients, and later catches up with one of Kevin's research team to focus on one particular case study – George Aquila Dubbin, who lived and worked in the city. If you'd like to know more about the Sussex Asylums Burial Grounds Project... visit https://sussexasylumsburialgrounds.org/ Produced by Martin Shelley... contact: bysshebash@gmail.com

From Hove to Havana, fundraising for Cubans' health

The ongoing US economic blockade of Cuba rarely makes the headlines these days, but a dedicated group of Brighton activists is still raising funds to help this Central American country, as they have been doing since the 1960s. Ann Hallam (pictured), chair of the local arm of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign, talks to The Babbler about the group, and explains how she first got involved... If you'd like to know more about this campaign, visit cuba-solidarity.org.uk, or check out the Brighton Cuba Solidarity Campaign page on Facebook.  Produced by Martin Shelley... contact: bysshebash@gmail.com

On Blatchington Road: the carpet guy

Garry Dodd runs a flooring business out of a landmark, double-fronted site – formerly home to the family-run carpet shop where he’d spent most of his earlier working life – in Hove’s Blatchington Road. In this interview about the shop, Portslade-born-and-bred Garry fondly recalls a time not just of deference and smart attire, but also of police stake-outs, dead bodies and naked neighbours, when famous authors and rock stars regularly featured among the clientele. Produced by Martin Shelley... contact: bysshebash@gmail.com

On George Street: the record shop owner

In the second of our series on George Street's independent traders, The Babbler talks to 80-year-old Julian Pelling (pictured, proudly holding some rare Primal Scream vinyl), the proprietor of Fine Records for the past four decades. Sharp-eared listeners will notice the interview took place outside, in the shop's back garden, hence the occasional squawk from passing seagulls... Produced by Martin Shelley... contact: bysshebash@gmail.com