Welcome to the Christmas edition of the Brighton Bell. At the time of going to print we are all in our second lockdown of this year, but I am as hopeful as I'm sure you all are that things will open up again from December 2nd for the Festive Season.

It has been a very tough year for everybody. Our local businesses, especially retail and hospitality, have taken a tremendous battering, as have our community centres and groups. But we are a resilient community and we will be back again stronger in the New Year. Times like these serve to remind us how important our communities are, and our first duty of care is to each other.

So it is with great pleasure that I can announce a new contributor to the magazine: the students of Brighton Hill School, hopefully the start of a series of articles.

The Brighton Bell AGM was held on Zoom and was a surreal experience. The AGM is normally followed by a big "thank you" to our deliverers in the form of a tea party: somehow a virtual tea party with everyone supplying their own food just didn't have the same appeal! One thing I do look forward to in the new year is the community events starting up again.

It remains for me to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And may the New Year be a whole lot better than this one!

Take care, stay safe!