The West Pier

Despite two fires in the last thirty years, the West Pier maintains a ghostly presence on the waterfront of Brighton. It used to be a lavish playground for sea-siders, bright with ironwork and paint during the day, and strings of flashing marquee lights at night. A place for gambling, drinking, eating and dancing. Now it's a mouldering and rusty carcass, catching echoes of gaity drifting from the still-functioning Royal Pier - it's former rival - just up the beach.

When I first came to Brighton, Joel and Adriel said that they saw the two Peirs as a metaphor for the city - the Royal Pier was the city as it wished to be seen: beautiful and glittering and full of the promise of a good time, and the West Pier as the dark, gaunt, rotting reality.

Brighton city councel has set several reclamation projects in motion, but funding has always fallen through.

One day...when the peoples' hearts have changed...I hope there will be a new West Pier.

I think it's pretty cool.

Joel and Adriel

This is the young American couple that are pioneering the YWAM base in Brighton. Joel has been in Brighton for almost 6 years now, and Adriel about 3...

Joel is a very good cook, a percussionist, and is - generally - quiet and intellectual, while Adriel has insane administrative skills as well as being the person having the most (noisy) fun in any given situation.

They are both hard working and cheerful missionaries who embrace the view that the best way to undermine Brighton's high and thick walls is through building meaningful relationships with the people there.

Brighton Seafront

This is a view of the seafront at Brighton. It has been a seaside resort since the late 18th century, when the Prince Regent needed a pleasure spot within 50 miles of London to house his mistress. And thus the quiet fishing village of Brighthelmstone became Brighton the gay and licentious.