Fraser Simpson

Professor Zahid Pranjol of the University of Sussex has written Beneath the Hum of Drones: On Solidarity and the Courage of Gaza’s Students, documenting a grassroots network that connects UK volunteers with students in Gaza. The initiative provides remote education, financial assistance, art therapy, psychological support and healthcare-worker training, and has reached an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 students despite the destruction of universities and continuing conflict. All author royalties will support students in Gaza, while Pranjol is also co-author of the 2025 anthology We Are Still Here, featuring the experiences of 58 Gaza university students.

Sussex Heart Charity funded a Stryker endoscopic camera system costing around £100,000 for the Sussex Cardiac Centre at Royal Sussex County Hospital. The technology enables endoscopic vein harvesting during coronary bypass surgery through a much smaller incision, helping patients recover faster and reducing complications. More than 300 procedures have been performed, with follow-up data showing a sixfold reduction in wound infections and outpatient infection rates below two per cent. Charity-funded educational bursaries also enabled clinicians to present the results internationally, where the team received a conference prize.

The Shoreham Community Food Hub at Shoreham Fire Station provides rescued food, cooking advice and access to support services for local residents. A partnership between West Sussex County Council, West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service and UKHarvest, the hub aims to address cost-of-living pressures, reduce food waste, encourage healthy eating and strengthen community connections. Visitors can also receive health, wellbeing, energy and carer-support advice.

British drag artist La Voix will bring a new theatre tour to Brighton’s Theatre Royal on March 27, 2027, and Eastbourne’s Congress Theatre on March 11. The tour will feature live music, vocals and comedy, and follows La Voix’s appearances on Britain’s Got Talent, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, Strictly Come Dancing and her role as Miss Hannigan in the UK tour of Annie. It will run from March 5 to April 30, visiting venues across the UK.

Peter Kay will perform three charity shows at Brighton Centre on November 13 and 14 as part of the final dates of his record-breaking Better Late Than Never Tour. The performances, including a matinee and evening show, will raise funds for The Lily Foundation, Maggie’s and The Be More Laura Foundation, which support mitochondrial disease, cancer care and brain cancer research. Tickets went on general sale on July 31.

Brighton-based drag queen Snow White Trash will perform two 45-minute shows at London Bridge station on Saturday morning for passengers travelling to Brighton & Hove Pride. Govia Thameslink Railway is supporting the event and will operate additional trains and longer carriages because of expected crowds, while advising passengers to check travel updates and anticipate busier services.

University of Brighton graduate Will Goddard has designed Foot Print, a low-cost 3D-printed prosthetic foot for growing children with lower-limb amputations. The device can reportedly be produced and fitted within seven days, compared with waits of up to six weeks for replacements, while cutting costs by 93 percent. It is designed to integrate with existing clinical workflows and has received runner-up recognition at New Designers in London. Goddard hopes the project will lead to more timely and affordable prosthetic care.

Farleys House & Gallery in Lewes will host Art Laughs, an art-history comedy night created by historian and comedian Verity Babbs, on August 28. The event will combine storytelling, stand-up and unusual tales from the art world in the Lee Miller Gallery. Farleys will also hold its Annual Surrealist Picnic on August 30, featuring music, performance, dance, costumes and picnicking in its grounds and Sculpture Garden.

Southern Water will carry out an 18-month, £2.3 million upgrade in Cocking and nearby areas, replacing ageing cast-iron mains with plastic pipes. Work is scheduled to begin in September and finish by February 2028, affecting several local roads. The project forms part of a wider £100 million regional investment programme aimed at reducing leaks and improving network resilience; Southern Water says leaks have fallen by 12% this year. A public information session is scheduled at Cocking Village Hall on August 5.

Horsham District Council has approved more than £7.2 million in Community Infrastructure Levy funding for projects across the district. The money, generated by new housing development, will support improvements including Jubilee Fields in Billingshurst, Horsham railway station, Chanctonbury Leisure Centre, a new health centre in Mowbray, a cricket pavilion in Pulborough, road junctions, a cycleway and football-pitch drainage. Cabinet member Ruth Fletcher said the investment would help provide infrastructure and services for growing communities, while some funding is also allocated directly to parish councils.

British astronaut Tim Peake will bring his live show, Astronauts: The Quest To Explore Space, to the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea on October 14. The event will combine personal stories, rare footage and discussion of human spaceflight, from the early space programme through the Artemis lunar missions and potential crewed missions to Mars. Peake will also take audience questions and use the tour to promote interest in STEM subjects and the UK space sector.