Saskia

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Saskia from Germany

Photo from private collection

Saskia is from Germany. She lives with her family in Portslade and teaches drama. She remembers clearly when she first paid a visit to Brighton about 12 years ago.

Run down seafront
“The place was so run down!” she says, “Especially at the seafront. The paint was peeling from the railings…” She thought it was a shame that such a beautiful place was left to fall apart. But she was proved wrong, as she found out when she decided to move here in 1994.

Brighton Centre – a horrible place
Saskia enjoys looking at buildings and cares for what a city looks like. But something had taken the charm out of the old face of the city. “Worst of all is the Brighton Centre! How dare anyone place such a horrible thing next to such beautiful old hotels!” You might think that Saskia was disappointed in Brighton. “That was the funny thing!” she smiles, “I still absolutely loved it!”

A city with culture
Her reason for moving here was that she wanted to live in a big city with a lot of culture. “And Brighton has improved brilliantly!” she continues. “It looks so much better. Even if I’m not one of the youngsters who like to hang around in the town centre, I want it to be a nice place.” At the moment she is very excited about the new architecture that is planned for the King Alfred’s Leisure Centre. “It will put Brighton on the map worldwide.”