Copyright © 2025 worthing.yabsta.co.uk
All Right Reserved
powered by 
A social club for disabled young people and adults is opening its door to invite potential new members.
People living near Hove Museum said that they feared extensions to its alcohol licence would lead to more noise, public drinking and potentially weddings at the venue
People living near Hove Museum said that they feared extensions to its alcohol licence would lead to more noise, public drinking and potentially weddings at the venue.
The Verdict Jazz Club is officiallly reopening this autumn, marking the return of one of the region’s most respected venues for live jazz performance.
When I first moved to Brighton I thought that it may only be a for a few years. Twenty one years later I’m still here. Yet I'm struck by a thought that's been nagging at me for weeks: why are people drawn to the sea, and why do so many of us choose to make our homes here?It's a question that's become increasingly relevant as remote work has freed millions from the gravitational pull of big city offices. The pandemic may have faded, but its legacy lives on in the laptops scattered across Hove's coffee shops and the Zoom calls emanating from Worthing's co-working spaces. We're witnessing one of the most significant demographic shifts in generations, and our stretch of the South Coast is right at the heart of it.Research has shown that there really are psychological benefits in living near coastal waters. The phenomenon has been dubbed ‘blue health’. The research suggests that living within sight and sound of the sea can measurably reduce stress hormones, lower blood pressure, and improve overall mental wellbeing.Walking along Brighton seafront on a typical weekday morning, you can see this programming in action. The runners aren't just exercising; they're participating in a form of moving meditation, elderly couples on benches aren't siting; they're engaging in what Japanese researchers call "forest bathing" – except their forest is an endless expanse of grey-green water stretching toward the horizon.This isn't mere speculation. The science is increasingly clear that proximity to water triggers the release of dopamine and serotonin, the brain's natural mood stabilizers. It's no coincidence that so many of our metaphors for mental clarity involve water: we "clear our heads" by going for walks along the shore, we seek "calm waters" in times of crisis.But the pull of coastal living extends far beyond individual psychology. There's a unique quality to seaside communities that seems to foster connections in ways that inland towns and cities struggle to match. Perhaps it's because coastal living requires a certain acceptance of forces beyond our control: the tides, the weather, the eternal push and pull of elements that dwarf human ambition.This acceptance breeds a particular kind of community resilience. When storms batter the seafront, when floods threaten the lower streets, when the winter winds make outdoor living impossible for days on end, seaside residents develop a collective pragmatism that urban dwellers often lack. They learn to help each other, to check on elderly neighbours, to share resources when the going gets tough. The sea teaches humility, and humility, it turns out, is excellent social glue.The remote work revolution has supercharged this community-building effect. When your office is wherever you choose to open your laptop, the quality of that choice becomes paramount. The freelance graphic designer working from a Worthing café isn't just escaping high rent; she's buying into a lifestyle where productivity and pleasure aren't mutually exclusive. The software developer taking client calls from Brighton beach isn't showing off; he's optimizing his environment for creativity and calm.The changes go deeper than individual lifestyle choices. Remote work has created what economists call "location arbitrage" – the ability to earn city salaries while enjoying rural or coastal living costs. This economic freedom has drawn a particular type of person to places like Brighton, Hove, and Worthing: educated, ambitious, but prioritizing life satisfaction over traditional status markers. These new residents bring energy, spending power, and fresh perspectives to communities that might otherwise face the decline affecting many seaside towns.Of course, this influx creates its own challenges. Local residents worry about gentrification, about being priced out of communities their families have called home for generations. The charming independent shops that attract newcomers struggle with rising rents. The very qualities that make these places desirable – their authenticity, their community feel, their relative affordability – are threatened by their success. The city has been called London by the sea by some. An acknowledgement that the cost of living here is higher than many rural areas.Yet there's something about seaside living that seems to moderate these tensions. Perhaps it's the democratizing effect of the beach itself, where millionaire tech entrepreneurs and retired bus drivers share the same stretch of sand, breathe the same salt air, and marvel at the same sunsets. The sea doesn't care about your job title or your postcode.As remote work becomes permanently embedded in our economic landscape, the magnetic pull of the coast seems likely to strengthen rather than weaken. The combination of technological freedom and psychological wellbeing represents something genuinely new: the possibility of having both career success and life satisfaction, both professional achievement and mental peace.Dr James Williams is an emeritus reader in science education and communication at Sussex University.
The Seaside Heritage Network reveals its Bucket and Spade List of the Top Ten favourite seaside places and experiences as voted for by members of the public
Public toilets and a children's play area in Newhaven, East Sussex, will be closed until March 2026, Lewes District Council has confirmed
University of Brighton and Making It Out charity empower ex-offenders through sustainable chair-making, boosting employment, skills and eco-design in the UK.
Eastbourne Borough Council is facing a major challenge over its plans to demolish key parts of the town’s iconic seafront bandstand after a formal objection
A medical building in Horam, East Sussex, containing an NHS GP surgery has gone on sale for £560,000.