St Mary's Church,  Kemp Town, Brighton
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What's coming up?



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A Million Dreams Theatre CIC presents-
REVELATIONS
Thursday 26th and Friday 27th May, 5.30pm

Revelations is a new play written by Saoirse D Byrne that is being directed and produced by Applied Theatre Graduate, Elena Yianni. It is a project that has brought 15 early/emerging artists from diverse backgrounds together to collaborate and stage this unorthodox, compelling, avant-garde production.

“When £65 is stolen from a church collection pot, a vicious blame game starts to unravel some of the community’s deepest secrets. Friends turn on each other, families break apart – and amongst the chaos, someone is chewing up something much more sinister than a few missing pounds... Prepare for shocking revelations in this brand-new play exploring faith, religion and power, and how darkness can lurk in the holiest of places.”

Tickets available at brightonfringe.org.

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Actually Gay Men's Chorus presents-
NOBODY DOES IT BETTER
Friday 10th and Saturday 11th June, 7.30pm

Actually Gay Men’s Chorus bring their very own birthday tribute to Her Majesty the Queen, painting Kemptown, red, white, blue and, of course, platinum. 

With performances to celebrate some of the jewels in the crown of British song from the past seventy years, 'Nobody Does It Better' features iconic, emotive, and uplifting favourites from film, charts, and musical theatre, as well as powerfully patriotic numbers marking the majesty of this once in a lifetime occasion.

Expect a procession of Knights and Dames, a fanfare of Bond, Bowie, and The Brits, throw in some Eurovision royalty and a real pageant awaits.

Under the direction of Samuel Cousins the men will be taking advantage of the impressive acoustic in St Mary’s to welcome their audience to join them in this celebration.

Proceeds from this event will support the invaluable work of MindOut. MindOut is a mental health service which works to improve the mental health and wellbeing of all adult LGBT communities within Brighton and Hove as well as providing global online support.

Tickets at £18 are available from TicketSource. 


Regular events


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Chanting and Contemplative Prayer
​with Rev'd Sarah Van den driessche

1st Monday of every month, 2.15pm - at the church and online
Join us for quiet and meditative prayer, led by Rev'd Sarah, at the back of the church or online @ bit.ly/StMarysKTChanting.
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Art & Inspiration Discussion Group
Art & Inspiration will return later in the year.

Monday afternoons, 2.15pm - at the church and online
​​Art & Inspiration Group is a small, friendly discussion group, open to all, which is led by a different speaker each week exploring a work or theme in art, music or literature that is close to his or her heart. We meet in the church and live-stream the group: https://bit.ly/StMarysKTArtInspiration 
Please phone 01273 698601 if you have any queries. 

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Kemptown Koalas carer & toddler group
Tuesday afternoons 2.30-4pm


St Mary's friendly and inclusive carer & toddler group runs in our church hall on Tuesday afternoons from 2.30 to 4 pm. The entrance to the hall is in St Mary's Place, immediately to the east of the church. We welcome people of all faiths and none and hope you'll feel comfortable with us whatever your beliefs. To help cover the costs of snacks for the littlies and afternoon tea for the  grown-ups, we ask that parents pay £1.50 for the first child, and £1 for a second. But this isn't obligatory. Please speak in confidence with one of our volunteers if this would prevent you from bringing a child to the Koalas. 
To keep up-to-date with special events and holiday breaks, please see the Koalas' Facebook page.

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Brighton Aerial Arts
Tuesday & Wednesday evenings

Stephanie from Brighton Aerial Arts teaches fitness classes and workshops every Tuesday & Wednesday evening. Classes range from complete beginners aerial hoop up to improv and combo work.
5-week sessions can be booked in advance; numbers are limited to ensure everyone gets enough time up in the air.
There are also drop-in taster classes and also the option to book dedicated 1-2-1 sessions.
Visit Brighton Aerial Arts' website for all the details and to book. 

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The Young Actors Group: Drama classes for 8-15 year-olds
Thursdays, 4pm and 6pm- termtimes only
The Young Actor's Group offers superb tuition and advice for budding actors, and the classes are also a great way of growing children's confidence and self-esteem.
The classes for younger children (aged 8 to 11) are on Thursday afternoons, 4 pm to 6 pm, while the class for the older group (aged 12 to 15) runs Thursday evenings from 6 to 8 pm. Please see the Young Actors Group website for courses and information about tuition fees and scholarship opportunities.
The congregation at St Mary's sponsors two half-fee scholarships for children from financially disadvantaged backgrounds.

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Bike for Life - Bicycle Maintenance Course
Dates throughout the year - 12 noon - 6pm

Bruce, from Bike for Life, holds regular three-part bicycle maintenance courses. Each session runs for six hours on a Saturday, from 12 noon, and provides intensive, hands-on tuition.
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For details and to book, please see Bike for Life's website or email Bruce or Ronnie via this link.

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The Purlers Charity Knitting Group
Monday mornings, 10am-12 noon
Programme on hold following Coronavirus pandemic

Every Monday morning a cheerful bunch of knitters gathers in St Mary's Church to knit items for local and international charities. Since 2014 our knitters have made dozens of blankets for displaced families in northern Iraq and Syria and scores of tiny baby jackets for the Trevor Mann Baby Unit at the Royal Sussex County Hospital. They also make twiddle muffs, which are occupational therapy mittens for people living with advanced dementia.
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Please drop in if you fancy some convivial knitting and conversation time while also doing something practical to help people in need. We provide all materials, tea and biscuits, and friendly chat, while our lead knitter Jane will also teach you how to knit if it's a skill you've yet to acquire.

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Kemp Town Talks
Free conversational English classes
Friday mornings, 9am and 11am

Programme on hold following Coronavirus pandemic

St Mary's holds free, drop-in classes for adults who need or would like to improve their English conversation skills. We have friendly, experienced ESOL teachers who will get you talking confidently and help you understand colloquial usage. There are two groups. The one at 9am is for beginners and the one at 11am is for more advanced learners. The groups are small, free, friendly and welcoming. No need to book. Just turn up! Tea and coffee included. 

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Art Works - Free creativity classes
Saturdays, 11am - 12.30pm

Programme on hold following Coronavirus pandemic

Would you like to explore your artistic potential? Find out if you could actually draw a passable cat?
If so, come along to our small, friendly Art Works group at St Mary's on Saturday mornings at 11am.
​It's free and tuition and materials are provided for you, along with tea & coffee.

​No artistic experience or training necessary - just a willingness to explore what you may be able to do.
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The Parish Church of St Mary, Kemp Town
61 St James's Street, Brighton BN2 1PR


Vicar: The Revd Andrew Woodward
Phone: 01273 698601
Email: info@stmaryschurchbrighton.org.uk


Registered Charity No. 1158922
Text and images (c) St Mary, Kemp Town 2021