15th December - Hut 279

The hut tonight was created by the good folk at the Grace Eyre centre which supports adults with learning difficulties.  The centre owns hut number 279 and was keen for the various art groups that run there to use their creative talents to create an art installation.  




There were different types of artwork on show, all of which contributed to a wonderful overall look.  A lot of the contributors had created ceramic art and there was a shelf of abstract figures and shapes at the back of the hut.




These included some pots which were inspired by the idea of angels.





Hanging from the shelf were some angel wings which were also made in a pottery class and which were decorated with rainbow colours.

Directly below these and sat on the floor was quite a large 'animal style' angel which looked as though it was modelled on a meerkat.


All of this was placed in a beautiful emerald green environment and the entrance to the hut had a green runway leading up to it.




This was scattered with pebbles under which we could find postcards about the work of the Grace Eyre Centre.

All of this was dominated by a giant multicoloured mandala which represented the peace of the angels beaming down to the world.


Our next hut will feature the Dawn Chorus community choir and is number 332.

14th December - Hut 225

We had an amazing performance at hut 225 tonight as well as a beautifully decorated hut.

Kidz Klub put everything together and they had all been working hard to create a host of angels to hang in the hut.





Kidz Klub runs youth groups across the city and provide valuable support and activities to some of the most vulnerable young people in the city.

Their angels hung in the skies above a small nativity with all the angels looking as though they were praising the baby who had been born in a stable.



They were made of card and had wings made from doilies.

The whole scene was lit up by an array of coloured projected lights and a disco style laser.

This was projected onto the face of the hut with patterns of stars and snowflakes adding to the blue angel scene inside the hut.



But the highlight of the evening was Kirsty Ruiz Vazquez who performs under the stage name Skyflow.  You can watch her work on Youtube here or on Instagram here

She is a 'hooper' and is the current European Hooper of the Year.  Hooping is a mix of dance, gymnastics and hula hooping and is especially effective with light up hoops at night.




Some of the shapes Kirsty created had a hint of angel about them and a large crowd gathered to watch her perform.







Kirsty is a capable gymnast and was able to bend herself into a variety of extraordinary contortions.





The hut formed a fantastic backdrop to her various dance routines and the performance area was defined by a carpet which also protected Kirsty's feet from the gravel and pebbles.

She performed throughout the evening despite the cold.

Our next hut is number 279 and the artwork will be created by the Grace Eyre Centre.

13th December - Hut 362

The Aldrington school art club contributed their talents to create hut 362 this evening, with expert adult guidance from Laura.

The head and shoulders of the angel were made of cardboard and it had a paper chain skirt.





Glowsticks had been made into chains to hang alongside the paper chains to give the skirt some light and colour.  The whole ensemble swayed gently in the breeze once we'd managed to secure all the paper which had got a little damp in a brief shower or rain just before 5.30pm.




The angel had a beautiful white furry halo which was also highlighted with a circle of glowsticks.

A group of children and teachers from the school came along to sing carols in between helping themselves to chocolate, mince pies and mulled wine.



The sides of the hut were flanked with chains of angels made by the children.  They looked as though they were all climbing a ladder of light up to heaven.



It was a very happy, playful evening with lots of children running around and a real sense that Christmas is not far away.

The next hut is close to The View and is number 225.

12th December - Hut 227

We had an all singing and dancing hut tonight, or to be more accurate, singing, juggling, reciting and puppeteering hut.

Susi pulled together a group of diverse performers and there was a full programme of presentations that filled the hour.  To help facilitate the sense of creating a show they had erected a gazebo which served as the performance space.

Two angels watched the show from inside the hut, peering out of the darkness which was gently illuminated by their own light.  

The taller of the two angels was modelled on Susi and the face of that angel was a cast of her own face and sported the same hairstyle.

The second angel was created by Janina and had a hint of the virgin Mary about her as she was bathed in blue light.

We had songs performed by Duncan who also played the guitar, poems from Dave and Janina, a shadow puppet show by Karen and when Susi wasn't juggling, she went around with a collection of 'touched by an angel' cards.  

Each of the attendees was encouraged to take a card and found that they had been given a gift such as forgiveness or redemption.

The rain and wind that had seemed so troublesome as we set up, abated once we started and the evening passed quite peacefully.

Our next hut is number 362.

11th December - Hut 79a

In contrast to yesterday, this evening was back to being beautiful weather, cold and clear, with no wind and a gorgeous sunset.

A team from Youth With A Mission (YWAM) put the hut together tonight and they created the largest angel yet.  It was such a giant that it looked as though it might burst the hut apart.



The wings were a particular feature as they formed curtains of white strips in a variety of materials which glimmered from the light filling the hut behind them.

The ribbons of cascading white weren't just for show or decoration as throughout the evening people were invited to write a message on them to someone who had been an angel to them.



And that wasn't the only form of feather that was put to good use this evening.  

On the table along with the chocolate, mince pies, mulled wine and hot juice was a bowl full of white feathers.  Each one had a label saying "Blessings of joy and good news this season #hope".  





These were given out along with the refreshment to provide refreshment to the souls of those who had come along this evening.








There was also a writing activity courtesy of two blackboards which were provided so that people could leave messages about good news or list the names of people who were good news to them.




So there was lots to do and lots to talk about as well as enjoying the beautiful angel.

We move further west for the next hut which is number 227, quite close to the View.

10th December - Hut 424

Kirsty Tyler created amazing angel wings in hut 424 tonight.  Made entirely from scratch out of an incredible amount of wire, these wings were a labour of love and perseverance as each feather was intricately crafted before eventually becoming a part of the whole.





There were over one hundred feathers in this pair of wings, each one carefully shaped and sized to form the perfect angel wing shape.





Hanging ethereally in space, they had an aura of peace and beauty about them which shone out across the promenade.

The weather was not so peaceful as it was raining when we had the official opening ceremony at 5.30pm and moderately windy.  

The wind made the wings move gently to and fro as though trying to take flight.  This created a sense that angels could be present, playfully making the wings dance in the dark.

Fortunately this all died down after about 20 minutes and the rest of the evening was wet underfoot and a little windy, but slightly more peaceful.





The weather made it necessary for the mulled wine and mince pie distributors to shelter in a neighbouring hut although it didn't seem to deter the visitors as we still had something like one hundred in attendance this evening.

One of the favourite pastimes became standing in front of the wings in order to have your photo taken as an angel.  A number of people did this and it reminded us that there is something angelic in all of us if we choose to allow that to come out.


















As each individual stood to have their photo taken, we were reminded of our uniqueness as human beings and our connectedness as we share values and hope for the light together.

Our next hut is right down by Hove Lawns at number 79a.

9th December - Hut 402

The next door neighbour to last nights hut was host to our ninth opening in this years advent calendar.  It's not often that we get two huts next to each other and we've never had anything like this on consecutive days but tonight we only moved from 403 yesterday to 402 today.

There was another important number associated with the hut tonight and that was the number one hundred and forty.  That was because this hut was created by the wonderful women of the Mother's Union which is 140 years old this year.



To mark this occasion the hut was filled with 140 angels as a celebration of the work of the many angels who have volunteered over the years as part of this wonderful organisation.  With four million members worldwide the Mother's Union campaigns on women's rights and runs a variety of social welfare projects to help women who are otherwise disadvantaged.




Their vision is of a world where God's love is shown through loving, respectful and flourishing relationships. 

They are modern day angels, bringing practical help to places and people who have great need.






The angels they installed in the hut were as varied as the different women who are individual members of the organisation.  

There were stacks of cardboard angels, perhaps demonstrating how it might be possible for a great number of angels to dance on the head of a pin.







There were knitted angels, fan shaped angels, glass angels, peg angels and angel sculptures. 







The most impressive were the book angels, made by simply folding the pages of a book until you have an angel body, and cutting or folding the cover to create a pair of wings.


One in particular was made by folding the pages of an old prayer book which felt a very appropriate combination.

All of this was watched over by a portrait of Mary Sumner, a vicar's wife near Winchester and the founder of the organisation.

We stay at Hove Lagoon for our next hut which is number 424.