It's good to report some positive news about the environment. Barry Yates and team at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve are finding less litter on the beach, because more visitors have been taking their rubbish home with them, and some are conducting their own 'two minute beach cleans', all of which helps remove plastics and other litter from the marine environment.

This, staff think, is due to increased public awareness of plastic pollution after David Attenborough's Blue Planet II was aired, showing some of the shocking effects plastic pollution is having on our oceans.

Sussex Wildlife Trust is always delighted by the support from corporate groups and the many volunteers who take part in beach cleans along the coast. It makes a difference, and it is really appreciated. 

But, as Lucy Bowyer, Senior Learning and Engagement Officer at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve explains, 'We do need to keep on doing it. Storms and tides wash up debris on the beach, and there are unfortunately also still a few visitors who don't take their rubbish home. We often find pieces of fishing net, rope and lots of bottle tops. Odd things too.  Sometimes we spend ages trying to identify what some things once were! Some of the five million bits of Lego that fell into the sea in 1997 are still being washed up today.'

As part of the new Discover Rye Harbour project, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund,  Rye Harbour Nature Reserve is putting on monthly family weekend beach cleans.
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The first takes place on Saturday, 25th January, 10am - 12:30pm. All are welcome. Litter pickers and bags provided, please bring gloves if you have them. Meet at Rye Harbour Discovery Centre. No booking required
https://sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/whats-on/2020-01-25-big-beach-clean-rye-harbour-25012020

The Inaugural Hastings International Piano Festival has announced an exciting partnership with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) to launch their ambitious 2020 educational offer.

In the lead up to the 2020 Piano Festival, Hastings Piano will host a series of inspirational workshops with NYJO Associates in three local secondary schools: Hastings Academy, Ark Alexandra and St Richards. This work has been made possible by the generous support of the Isabel Blackman Foundation.

Each school will receive 3 visits from a group of NYJO practitioners who will work with children of varied musical ability, developing young musicians’ skills and musical confidence. At the end of the project the children from all three schools will join together for a massed rehearsal ahead of a concert/sharing session for other students. These workshops will address the fundamentals of jazz performance practise such as; feel, ensemble skills and improvisation. All young musicians will learn melodies by ear, explore harmonic possibilities and gain confidence improvising.

This partnership marks the launch of an extensive range of Youth Engagement Opportunities that Hastings International Piano is offering alongside the inaugural Piano Festival. This includes free tickets to many of the festival concerts as well as a wide range of workshops, school visits and inspirational talks from the international artists.

The 2020 Hastings International Piano Festival will take place from February 26th - 8th March 2020 at the White Rock Theatre and St Mary in the Castle, featuring some of the most celebrated artists including headliner Rufus Wainwright with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Jazz Queen Claire Martin with guest artist Liane Carroll, Oscar winning film composer Rachel Porter, Sam Smith's song-writer and collaborator Reuben James with his 10 piece band, songwriter Guy Chambers, The Puppini Sisters with The Pasadena Roof Orchestra, Actors Patricia Hodge and Alex Jennings with pianist Lucy Parham, BBC Young Musician of The Year Martin James Bartlett and film critic Mark Kermode and his band The Dodge Brothers. The Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition returns in 2021.
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Monday 25th November 2019

11am – 1pm

Theatre Royal, Brighton  BN1 1SD

The Artsmark Partnership Programme is an Arts Council England endorsed network of organisations who are devoted to bringing great arts and cultural opportunities to children and young people. Artsmark Partners support Artsmark registered schools and other educational settings on their journey to embed arts and culture across the curriculum. The programme was developed in consultation with the education and cultural sectors.

To become an Artsmark Partner, organisations must adhere to a Code of Practice - renewed annually - and must also attend an Artsmark Partnership Programme Briefing. Click here to find out more about the Artsmark Partnership Programme

This Artsmark Partnership Programme briefing will give you a thorough overview of the Artsmark process and support you to start mapping your offer to it. Click here to find out more about Artsmark https://artswork.org.uk/programmes/artsmark/

Please note places on this briefing are limited to a maximum of 2 tickets per organisation. This briefing is followed by an Artsmark Partner Support Workshop (2:00pm-4:00pm) in the afternoon at the Theatre Royal, which you are welcome to attend. Please book via this Eventbrite page if you wish to attend the briefing, even if you have previously indicated you will be attending the Artsmark Partner Support Workshop.
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MAKE A BOOKING HERE

FREE Professional Music Development Programme 2019 – 20
Creative Futures (www.creativefuturesuk.com), a specialist early years arts organisation, is
recruiting 6-8 primary schools with nurseries (including maintained/ voluntary nurseries) in Hastings and Rother to take part in a FREE professional development programme exploring music and communication, led by experienced early years music specialists.
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During the 2019-20 school year, Sound Communities will include:

• Monthly CPD sessions (Oct 2019 - June 2020) exploring different aspects of music in the early years through a mix of practical guidance, discussion and reflection, e.g. ‘music and communication’, ‘the building blocks of music’, and ‘enabling environments’.
• Opportunities to reflect and share practice with other EYFS teachers locally.
• Creating a local network of early years professionals which can grow in the future.
• Opportunities for some in-setting modelling sessions

To sign up or find out more, please contact Julian Knight at Creative Futures: T: 07980 820323
[email protected]
www.creativefuturesuk.com
registered charity no.1143459
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Discover! Creative Careers is a week-long event launching in England this November as part of the Creative Careers Programme, which will see hundreds of employers from across the creative industries opening their doors to young people to inspire and inform the next generation of workers.

By taking part, you’ll be joining the likes of the National Trust, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Pinewood Studios, Northern Ballet, Channel 4, Norwich Theatre Royal, Birmingham Museums Trust, Cockpit Arts, the Financial Times, Kudos TV, The National Archives, xsite Architecture, Blackpool Grand Theatre, The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Burberry and Hachette Publishing, plus many more.

Discover! Creative Careers Week is an opportunity for your organisation to demonstrate the variety of roles and pathways available and ensure the future demands of our vibrant sector are met by a strong and diverse workforce. To take part, you simply need to welcome local students aged 11+ into your organisation for just one day within the week of 18th – 22nd November 2019.

For more information or to sign up your organisation go to: ​https://ccskills.org.uk/whats-new/news/join-the-300-employers-taking-part-in-discover-creative-careers-week-this-november