Issue 20 . Winter 2006

We Are Family . Theory & Practice . Herman Schrijver (1904-1972) . Book Review . New in the Archive . Larry Berryman

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We Are Family

It's been all go since the last newsletter – our show, Really Living and our exhibition, Bona Books, both went down well during the Summer's Brighton Pride and we're delighted that the exhibition will have another airing in February (3rd-28th) for the Winter Pride Festival and LGBT History Month.

This time it will be in the Jubilee Library in Brighton city centre and as well as the display panels there will be glass cabinets to show off some of the books from the 1,000+ we have in our Heritage Library. They include fiction (both serious and saucy), biography, history, crime, politics, theory & analysis (both sensible and daft), plays, poetry and some odd things that don't seem to fit anywhere. Thanks are due to all those who have donated books to the archive, to Brighton & Hove Library Service and to Brighton Pride for supporting and funding the exhibition – and to the dedicated band of Ourstory volunteers who have spent a good part of the last year cataloguing this fantastic collection.

LEGACY PACK

We have also taken some time to put together information to help you work out if you'd like to leave Brighton Ourstory something in your will.

The result is an eight-page booklet that contains all you need to know (well, quite a lot) about making or amending a will and about the financial benefits of leaving a gift to charity. We'd particularly like to thank Susy for taking the cover photos and everyone who posed for them.

LOST TRUTHS

Brighton Ourstory is eighteen years old in January – and like all young adults is preparing to make its way in the world. As a bonnie baby, Ourstory drew to it a vast and previously unknown extended family, whose gifts of life stories, photographs, skills and care have enabled it to thrive.

An £18,000 legacy a few years ago has been paying for our adolescent's upkeep and education, along with small grants from local funders and welcome contributions from family. Bursting with ideas for the future and embarking soon on vocational training, in three years time Ourstory will be ready to play a full part in society by providing a centre that has something for everyone of us – bringing back memories, uncovering lost truths and valuing our lives.

As it stands at the moment, though, what it won't have is anywhere to live. Without large-scale support from family and friends old and new, Ourstory is likely to be sleeping on someone's sofa – or worse still, out on the streets.

We live in a time of low taxation and high consumer activity – everything around us encourages us to spend our money on things, whether we need them or not! Have you got cupboards containing household appliances/clothes/bits of mysterious technology, seldom if ever used? Ourstory now really needs those who care about its future to think twice before buying more of those things – or taking another exhausting short break – and consider whether their money might be more productively and creatively spent on supporting the cultural activities for our community that Ourstory uniquely provides.

Sending a donation, setting up a standing order from your bank, asking your employer to deduct an amount from your salary each month are all good ways to keep Ourstory buoyant – and a legacy would help take care of the long-term future.

ROOM FOR ONE MORE ON TOP...

Patrick has been in touch with news that another of the city's bus fleet has been named after one of us. Look out for music hall star Dougie Byng, trolling along the number 25 route from Hove/Kemp Town to the universities. For more about Dougie see Brighton Ourstory newsletter #16.