Origins

We started out in 1982, when a group of concerned local people involved in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) joined together and set up a small shop in Kensington Gardens called 'Give Peace a Chance'. In 1984 we moved to Trafalgar Street, where we became the Brighton Peace Centre. The shop soon expanded to include a library and resource area in the basement.

Broadening our remit

During the late 1980s, we diversified our stock and resources to reflect a wider range of connected issues, including human rights, environmental protection, fair trade, sustainable development social justice. In November 1994 we moved to new premises at 43 Gardner Street, in the centre of the North Laine area of Brighton. The following year we changed our name to Brighton Peace and Environment Centre, to reflect our new priorities.

Centres for Change

In 1991 we hosted the first Centres for Change conference. This brought together organisations from all over Britain who shared concerns about peace, social justice, environmental and international development issues. The Centres for Change network was set up with in partnership with the Federation of Radical Booksellers, the National Association of Development Education Centres, and the National Peace Council. Further conferences were hosted by other centres, including:

• Birmingham FoE [1] (1992)
• York Peace Centre (1993)
• Cheltenham Rendezvous (1994)
• Doncaster Earth Centre (1997)
• Norwich Greenhouse [2] (1998)
• Swansea Environment Centre [3] (1999)
• Green & Away [4](Stroud, 2000).

Charity status

Between 1991 and 1999 we came under the umbrella of the 'Give Peace A Chance' charitable trust, which also included the York Peace Centre (now closed) and Milton Keynes Peace and Justice Centre. We are currently in the process of applying for independent charitable status.

A Development Education Centre

In 1996, BPEC was granted status as a Development Education Centre (DEC) by the Development Education Association. As a part of this network, we have supported teachers and schools in learning about global sustainability issues and how to "think globally, act locally". BPEC has also received support and funding from the Department for International Development for a 3 year programme of Global Citizenship Advocates (GCA) [5] courses provided for local school teachers. The GCA courses focus on the integration of global perspectives into the curriculum and classroom settings. BPEC provides a wide range or resources including teaching packs, globally sourced artefacts, musical instruments and toys to share with local teachers and schools.

Funded outreach projects

In 1998 we gained three years' National Lottery funding, to develop our educational resources and a public access internet service. Peace 2000 was another Lottery funded project, marking the UN Year for a Culture of Peace, and Brighton & Hove's status as a UN Peace Messenger City. This was done through a programme of educational activities, public meetings and cultural events, culminating in May 2000 in a major millennium festival event on Hove Lawns.

New premises

In October 2002, BPEC moved from Gardner Street, largely due to ever-increasing rent in the area. A period of transition found us temporarily housed by Brighton Unemployed Centre in Hollingdean. On 28th February 2004, we moved into the Brighton Eco Centre, a community building managed by the Ethical Property Company (see our Find Us [5] page), and continued our work of providing information and resources for the community to promote and raise awareness on peace and environment issues.