#8: Why Sussex Culture Punches Above Its Weight
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 8: Why Sussex Culture Punches Above Its Weight Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Stuart Drew – CEO and Director, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea This episode is brought to you in partnership with: Creative Crawley – Reimagining Crawley’s identity through world-class public performance, co-created art, and cultural infrastructure. From artist residencies to their million-pound Creative Playground programme, they're growing a new creative economy in the heart of West Sussex. 👉 🔍 Episode summary In this bold and wide-ranging...
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#7: It's Time For A Sussex Digital Strategy
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 7: It's Time For A Sussex Digital Strategy Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Rose Tighe – Innovation strategist, product leader, and co-lead of Brighton AI This episode is brought to you in partnership with: Magenta Associates – A Sussex-based, B Corp certified and employee-owned PR and communications agency using responsible communications to drive social and environmental change - including athical AI adoption. 👉 🔍 Episode summary In this future-facing episode, Richard Freeman sits down with product innovation heavyweight and...
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#6: The Ocean Doesn't Care About Political Boundaries
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 6: The Ocean Doesn't Care About Political Boundaries Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Dr Lewis White – Marine Scientist and Research Lead, Sussex Bay This episode is brought to you in partnership with: Be Well. Live Well. – An integrated wellbeing model transforming Sussex organisations through diagnostic-driven action plans. Powered by Little Jasmine Therapies and Nostos restaurant and catering group. 👉 🔍 Episode summary In this episode, Richard Freeman talks to marine scientist Dr Lewis White, the research lead for Sussex Bay — a bold...
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#5: We Know Sussex Can Be Braver About Housing
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 5: We Know Sussex Can Be Braver About Housing Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Dick Shone – Founder and Managing Director, Boutique Modern This episode is brought to you in partnership with: Silverstone Communications – Sussex’s specialists in stakeholder engagement for planning, development and infrastructure. Helping councils, developers and communities shape more inclusive, transparent growth. 🔍 Episode summary In this ground-level episode of Sussex And The City, Richard Freeman visits the world of modular construction,...
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#4: "Devolution Is A No-Brainer... And This Is Not A Brighton Takeover"
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 4: Devolution Is A No-Brainer... And This Is Not A Brighton Takeover Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Cllr Bella Sankey – Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council This episode is brought to you in partnership with: - The Sussex-based consultancy helping leaders in government, business and charity shape change with communication strategies that drive real results. 🔍 Episode summary Richard Freeman speaks with Councillor Bella Sankey, Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, about the city’s central role in kickstarting the...
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#3: “We Need To Be Hungry - We Need To Be Challenged”
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 3: “We Need To Be Hungry - We Need To Be Challenged” Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Kyriakos Baxevanis – entrepreneur, systems thinker, and founder of Little Jasmine Therapies & Spa, Nostos restaurant, Nostos Catering, Be Well Live Well, and The Brighton Hive This episode is brought to you in partnership with: - Brighton’s home for better business. With two spaces in the heart of The Lanes, Projects offers flexible work space options, including coworking, offices, meeting and event spaces - all designed to bring people...
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#2: Devolution In Sussex? It Will Fail Without More Trust
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 2: Devolution In Sussex? It Will Fail Without More Trust Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Emily O’Brien – Green Party councillor, Cabinet Member for Climate, Nature and Food Systems (Lewes District Council), and Deputy Chair of the Local Government Association’s People and Places Board (speaking in a personal capacity) This episode is brought to you in partnership with: – A Sussex-based consultancy helping leaders in government, business and charity shape change with communication strategies that drive real results. 🔍 Episode...
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#1: Sussex Is Changing - But Is Anyone Paying Attention?
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 1: Sussex Is Changing - But Is Anyone Paying Attention? Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Geri Silverstone, founder of / regional lead at 🔍 Episode summary In the debut episode of Sussex and the city, host Richard Freeman sets the scene for one of the most pressing and under-discussed transformations affecting Brighton and the wider Sussex region: local government reorganisation and the introduction of a directly elected mayor. Joining Richard is political communications strategist Geri Silverstone, who unpacks the complexity of devolution in...
info_outlineThe Sussex And The City Podcast
– Episode 7:
It's Time For A Sussex Digital Strategy
Host: Richard Freeman
Guest: Rose Tighe – Innovation strategist, product leader, and co-lead of Brighton AI
This episode is brought to you in partnership with:
Magenta Associates – A Sussex-based, B Corp certified and employee-owned PR and communications agency using responsible communications to drive social and environmental change - including athical AI adoption.
👉 magentaassociates.co
🔍 Episode summary
In this future-facing episode, Richard Freeman sits down with product innovation heavyweight and grassroots organiser Rose Tighe to ask: is Sussex and Brighton already a tech region – and if so, why isn’t anyone coordinating it?
From leading product strategy at Amazon and Sky, to co-creating Brighton AI (a 1,800-strong community of digital doers), Rose has spent decades navigating change – and building systems that make it useful. Now, she’s at the heart of a regional conversation about what good digital infrastructure actually looks like.
This episode explores how devolution could help shape a bold, collaborative, regional tech strategy - if we get it right.
Topics include:
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What Brighton’s tech community already knows – and what it’s missing
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The power of low-code and no-code tools for new ideas, careers and equity
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How to make sense of fragmented innovation – and avoid duplication
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What a Sussex-wide digital strategy could learn from elsewhere
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Why coordination trumps chaos: Sussex as a live testbed for civic innovation
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Making sure digital decisions are data-informed – and community-owned
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How AI, ethics and public purpose need to grow hand-in-hand
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The need for a shared voice across local authorities, not competitive silos
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What tech professionals aren’t being told about devolution – and why that matters
This is a pragmatic and passionate call to action - for mayors, freelancers, policymakers and product teams alike.
👉 Want to help shape a regional tech strategy?
Start by exploring Brighton AI and other tech meetups supported by Silicon Brighton
👉 Stay up to date with the wider project at sussexandthecity.info
📚 Further reading and links
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Brighton AI: A community exploring the impact of AI, ethics, innovation and skills
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techUK’s Local Digital Capital Index: A framework for understanding tech readiness and digital infrastructure
- techUK’s Mayoral Manifesto: To support vibrant digital economies and better public services
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Silicon Brighton: Community-led digital events and learning
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Greater London Authority: London Datastore: An open data platform as referenced in the episode
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Local Skills Improvement Plan (Sussex): Strategic roadmap for skills planning across the region
🎧 Production credits
Host: Richard Freeman
Guest: Rose Tighe
Sound design / editing / original music: Chris Thorpe-Tracey
Production management: Letitia McConalogue
Recorded at: Projects: The Lanes, Brighton
📣 Get involved
Devolution isn’t just a government thing. It’s a people thing.
👉 Share your ideas, explore resources and shape what’s next at sussexandthecity.info