Beach Hut 18

Tonight we had our first ever memorial hut as part of the Beach Hut Advent calendar. Lisa bought hut 424 after her friend Laura Beckerson died and wanted to create something in memory of her for her involvement this year. She asked Beyond team member Kirsty Tyler to do something on an angel theme and tonight's hut was the result.

Kirsty produced an absolutely beautiful pair of angel wings which looked as if they were made of steel feathers but in fact were created from mirrored paper which we had experimented with during the summer for our Greenbelt service. Every feather was cut and shaped individually and carefully crafted into an overall wing shape. The wings were then hung in a simple blacked out hut with a few lights to accentuate the detail that had gone into their making.

There was quite a strong, cold wind tonight and this rustled the feathers on the wings and caused them to move and sway so that the light glittered and sparkled across them.

If angels have wings half as fabulous as these then it's no wonder that the shepherds were amazed when they saw them on that first Christmas night.

One of the things we didn't realise until people started to do it was that these were perfectly placed for posing as an angel and at the end there was a queue of people waiting to have their photo taken as the angel of the beach.

Next up is more art from the Beyond team in hut number 381.

Beach Hut 17

The wise men visited Brighton tonight, following the star which hung low over the Pavilion in a beautiful tableau created by Sue and John Murgatroyd. This was the first time hut 27 had been been involved and it was clear to everyone how much work had gone into creating the scene.

Brighton Pavilion was rendered in all it's glory as a large black and white backdrop sitting underneath a giant embroidered gold star set in a clear blue sky.

The wise men were very individual with the leader pointing the way ahead to those who followed behind.

To add to the star theme Sue had made little fairy cakes with a gold star on each one and for the first time these proved so popular that we had some chocolate left at the end of the night.

The layer of snow (and a very dramatic snowstorm at the beginning of the event) added to the magic of the night although it was so cold that the juice that we normally serve to the children froze in the bottle over the course of the hour we were outside!

This hut was the furthest East that the Beach Hut Advent Calendar has ever been and the next hut is at the very opposite extreme as it is almost the furthest West we could go being number 424 by Hove Lagoon.

Beach Hut 16

The heavenly choir came out in full force on Thursday night accompanied by a host of angels in a heavenly light. The people of All Saints Hove put together a fantastic hut with angels from the Christmas tree in church alongside loads of tealights in glass jars and interesting 'candle bags' that lined the way into the hut.

The centrepiece was a beautiful arrangement of angels against a glowing backlit backdrop. The choir from the church came down and entertained us with some carols until the rain started to come down in earnest along with a bitter wind and it was felt that the children should go somewhere warmer.

There were lots of little details to this evenings hut including a pile of pebbles each stamped with a little angel mark to remind people of the message of the angels on Christmas night.


Next hut is our closest one to the centre of Brighton and is number 27.

Beach Hut 15

In the damp and the dark hut 332 brought a little light into the world tonight. The theme was light and the darkness could not overcome it because every part of the hut was festooned with Christmas lights. Even the miniature Christmas Tree had it's own set of lights twinkling away.





Despite the unexpected drizzle and cold there was something summery about the display - maybe it was the deckchairs, maybe it was the driftwood ornaments, or maybe it was books that local writer Cathy Watts was selling all about the Sandies. All of these things conspired to remind of lighter, sunnier days.


No matter what the weather people still turn up and we now have a regular little band of hardy souls who have got stamps on their cards nearly every night and are determined to try and win that chocolate cake.

Next hut is number 73 and will feature an absolutely heavenly choir.

Beach Hut 14

For the 14th hut opening of the Advent Calendar the themes of Donkey, stable and inn all featured as Sam, Tim and Joel created a wonderful, welcoming hut complete with straw bales, a bar and complimentary brandy macs.

The inn rules were on display on the bar and to help keep out the cold there was a chimnea blazing away and hot roast chestnuts available.

At times The Donkey Inn did have no room as people sat around on the straw bales and enjoyed the warmth and good company. Things were going so well that it looked like it would continue long past the usual 6.30 cut off time.





The next hut is number 332.

Beach Hut 13

Janette Tozer has been a great supporter of the Beach Hut Advent Calendar ever since it began and has produced a painting for us every year so far. Tonight her subject was Mary and she produced a new artwork for hut number 374 which is owned by one of her art students.

The evening was cold and misty which gave a lovely atmosphere to the event as the hut glowed in the candlelight and families came towards us through the golden light of the seafront lamp posts.

We had lots of children visiting tonight and it was great to hear their shouts as they ran around the promenade and in and out of the beach huts and to think of Mary listening out for the cry of her baby when he was born and his laughter and tears as he grew up.

Janette also enlisted the help of other artists including a nun who paints icons and collage artist Jenny Buchanan.

Next hut is close to the King Alfred and is number 177.

Beach Hut 12

The 12th of December was launch night for new charity initiative I Leave My Mark who chose the theme of Gifts for their hut as they wanted to focus on the gift of life. I Leave My Mark is inviting people to make their mark by giving their fingerprint and donating £1 or more which will go to a variety of charities to support traumatised and bereaved children.



Their main event will be in beach hut 44 on Boxing Day when the hut will be open all day collecting fingerprints and donations. You can find out more about this on their website.

Debbie and her helpers managed to get a whole Christmas tree into their hut and everyone who came along had the opportunity to put their fingerprint on a small card and then hang it on the tree as a Christmas decoration. In the spirit of charity and helpfulness the tree was donated by a local tree seller and decorations by Lulu and Hitch who have been generous in their support of this new venture.

Next up is hut number 374.

Beach Hut 11

The theme tonight continued to look at the wise men who have featured a number of times in our huts this year. We've had all three wise men and we've also had Frankincense and tonight was all about gold.

The hut was sumptuous as it was all decked out in gold and reds including a treasure chest and some enormous gold coins affixed to the outside of the hut. Ann-Marie collaborated with the same artist that she worked with last year to produce an enormous painting of a gold casket atop her hut in place of the three wise men that she painted last year.

The treasure chest was full of chocolate coins but people didn't want to disturb the display and seemed more interested in the chocolate on offer along with the mince pies and mulled wine.


The next hut is number 44 and will be the launch of the charity I Leave My Mark.

Beach Hut 10

Tonight we were transported to the modern day Holy Land to consider an issue that has been talked about for thousands of years and which is still as relevant now as it was when the angels appeared to the shepherds. Tonight was all about Peace.

At that first nativity the angels gathered above the hillsides of Bethlehem proclaiming peace on earth, goodwill to all, while the people of Israel lived under Roman occupation in far from peaceful conditions. Our hosts for tonight reminded us that this is an area which is still not peaceful as the conflict and occupation of Gaza continues to be a source of unrest.

Local poet Naomi Foyle came along to read some of her poems and to inform us all a little more about the situation.

We were also visited by a local BBC news team who did a live broadcast from the hut just before 7pm allowing us to talk a bit about the way the Beach Hut Advent Calendar aims to remind people of the real meaning of Christmas as well as giving the people of Brighton & Hove a chance to be creative in homage to a creator God.

Next hut is just three huts along from where we were tonight at number 195.

Beach Hut 9

Tonight we went sailing between Hove Lagoon and the English Channel with a display that extended far beyond the doors of the hut and halfway across the promenade. I Saw Three Ships is an odd carol as no-one really knows what it means. There is no sea around Bethlehem so ships couldn't sail into the town. There is some evidence to suggest the song refers to the ships that carried the relics of the wise men to Cologne in the 12th century while others think that the three ships refer to Mary, Joseph and Jesus.

For our purposes we take them to stand for the wise men bringing gifts to the baby Jesus. The children at the White House had spent quite some time preparing for this hut by making the ships as well as numerous little bells hanging from rope tethering the hut to the nearby lamp post.

Inside the hut was not only the star guiding the ships into harbour but a whole crowd of pottery people also made by the residents of the house.

Next hut is number 198.