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Kate’s Plaice

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  • BRITAIN
Dec 16 2015

I’m lucky enough to do a spot of photography for Kate Jenkins, the quite brilliant knitwear designer, and crochet artist. I have to share a couple of pieces of her work here, not only because it adds a bit of Seasonal cheer to my site, but because it may just be the last chance to see her incredible exhibition, ‘Kate’s Plaice the Stitchmongers’. Drum roll please for Kate, as she returns from distant shores, to don her apron and trilby once again, serving up the visual feast that is an entire knitted and crocheted fish counter, in her home town […]

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The British Beard & Moustache Championships

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  • BRITAIN
Sep 17 2012

More than a hundred hairy-faced and stylishly dressed competitors (not to mention a sell-out audience) gathered at Brighton’s Corn Exchange on Saturday, to take part in the first British Beard and Moustache Championships. With a wonderful variety of styles on offer from around the UK, and further afield, it was a hugely entertaining celebration of facial hair, and that’s coming from someone without any (at least not intentionally!) Organised by teams from two great social clubs, The Handlebar Club, and The British Beard Club, all proceeds are to be shared between two charities, The Martlets Hospice and Macmillan Cancer Support. […]

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Brighton Christmas Day Swim

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  • BRITAIN
Jan 03 2012

Brighton’s annual festive dip took place despite Brighton’s Swimming Club officially cancelling the event on Christmas Eve. They said conditions would be ‘highly dangerous even for the most experienced sea swimmers’. The high tide and dangerous currents were likely to make the swimmers entry and exit through the heavy shore break very difficult. However, despite the warning, hundreds of hardy souls went ahead and took part in the Christmas tradition, as they did throughout the country. It was reported that one man had to be dragged to safety from the sea in Brighton, I didn’t stick around long enough to […]

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Brighton Santa Dash

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  • BRITAIN
Dec 12 2011

Santas. Hundreds of them. Some in a dash, some taking a more leisurely pace, or taking their dogs for a run, on what turned out to be a fine winter morning this Saturday for 5km along the seafront in Brighton/Hove. All in aid of a good cause, money raised through the entry fee and individual sponsorship to go to Passing it On, a charity that helps to build schools in Africa.

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FFUK Chilli-Eating Contest

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  • BRITAIN
Sep 19 2011

Fiery Foods’ Chilli Festival took place this weekend in Victoria Gardens in Brighton. Back for a 4th year, it proved to be bigger and better than ever, with new exhibitors, live music, cookery demos, lots of chilli plant, fruit and product competitions, not to mention the infamous Chilli-Eating Contest which is held over both days. Not one to be taken too lightly, now I’ve witnessed it. You have to reserve your place at the table well ahead of the weekend because there’s a limit of 15. Of course not everyone who signs up online actually dares to show up. It […]

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Paddle (Something Unusual) Round the Pier

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  • BRITAIN
Jul 06 2011

Thousands of people headed down to the beach this weekend to visit and take part in ‘Paddle’, Europe’s biggest free beach and watersports festival. Held on Hove Lawns, it features the best in water and urban sports along with live music, kids entertainment, ‘have a go’ opportunities and numerous events. One of the old favourites, along with it’s famous sister’s title event – Paddle Round the Pier, is Paddle Something Unusual. In the organisers words, this event is “the perfect opportunity for those of you less stable in the community to excercise your creativity and join in the Paddle”. Entry […]

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Book-pyramid jenga

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  • BRITAIN
Jun 06 2011

This weekend saw the organisers of Brighton Bookstock kick it all off by attempting to break a world record, by creating the World’s Largest Book Pyramid. Unfortunately they didn’t manage it, the record stands at 1,500 books, and they only had 900. It was a great first attempt though, and everyone had a fun time in the process. Built in Add The Colour cafe on North Street on Saturday, the public brought in all their unwanted books, a dazzling selection, from old text books, fiction, non-fiction, some almost new and others with covers falling off, and pages cut out. They […]

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Easter Egg Rolling Competition

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  • BRITAIN
Apr 26 2011

With an eggstravaganza of Easter egg events taking place across the UK this weekend, West Sussex National Trust celebrated with their ever popular egg rolling competition. Held at Devil’s Dyke, hundreds of competitors turned out with their hand-decorated hard-boiled eggs to enter this popular Easter custom. With three age categories competing, the under 7’s, 7-13’s, and adults, the egg that made it’s way furthest down the dyke valley won. There was also a special prize for the best decorated egg, a tricky one to judge with so many worthy entries. The valley may be steep, but the ground is well […]

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Christmas Day Dip

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  • BRITAIN
Dec 29 2010

Christmas day morning can only mean one thing, and I’m not talking about the birth of Christ. At 11am hundreds of people join with Brighton Swimming Club’s seasoned swimmers, in their annual ritual of taking to the water for a quick splash. Why do they do it? Well, they raised a few hundred quid for charity this year for one thing, but really, why? I don’t doubt that they feel invigorated after taking part, but isn’t there a less painful, fresher way, like taking a shower? Personally I think there’s something missing from under the Christmas tree or in the […]

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Burning The Clocks

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  • BRITAIN
Dec 22 2010

The shortest day of the year was celebrated in Brighton yesterday evening with the ‘Burning The Clocks’ parade. As an antidote to the excesses of commercial Christmas people dress up and parade through the city, some dancing, some playing music, and some with paper lanterns that they have made, to the beach, where they are then burnt as a token to greet the lengthening days.  

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About this blog

The vast majority of posts in this blog are about quirky & eccentric competitions & festivals. I started it in 2006 in France with a competition I’ll never forget. Where contestants battle it out to become the World Champion Pig Squeeler, or ‘Cri du Cochon’. I had little knowledge back then of quite how far my pursuit of these kind of events would lead me. I’ve travelled all over Britain (and occasionally further afield) to capture our curiosities and quirks. There’s nothing uniquely eccentric about the British, you’ll find people all over the world up to all sorts of weird and wonderful activities, but we do have a remarkable capacity to embrace the madness. ‘A Brit Different’ is the book that was born from it, my labour of love! So what next? There’s always something interesting going on, so watch this space, only time will tell!

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