The history of the calendar

A Brighton original: the story of the Brighton & Hove Calendar

The calendar was the brainchild of NK Swallow, or Nigel as most people know him. After a decade away, mostly travelling in Asia and living on a tiny island off the west coast of Ireland, Nigel returned to the UK in the late 1990s with a mission: to teach himself photography and build a gallery that sat outside the traditional art scene.

That vision became North Laine Photography, a community-focused gallery that aimed to reflect the essence of Brighton through the eyes of those who lived there. It would showcase different artistic perspectives of life in the city, celebrating diversity, creativity and the joy of everyday moments.

But first, he needed to fund it.

An affordable vision

Nigel’s “popular” photographs, candid images of Brightonians and sweeping seafront landscapes, struck a chord with the public. After a successful street exhibition in August 2000, he realised these images could do more than just decorate walls, they could fund the gallery itself. So, he hit the streets – literally – starting out on a fly-pitch outside a disused funeral parlour in the North Laine.

He kept up regular exhibitions and street sales for three years, working to make high-quality prints affordable and accessible to everyone. His aim was always for the gallery to reflect and serve the whole community. That meant beautiful, well-made images that appealed across demographics, and a platform for other photographers to share their perspectives too.

Enter the calendar

To support the gallery and studio, Nigel launched the Brighton & Hove Calendar. From the start, it was a love letter to the city, celebrating its beauty, oddities, events and nature in a format that was both affordable and full of heart. With over 60 images in each edition and a distinctive design layout, it quickly became the flagship product of North Laine Photography.

The first edition, released in 2000, sold out in just six weeks.

For the first few years, all the photos came from Nigel himself. But by 2005, running the gallery above Snoopers Paradise had become a full-time job, so he opened the calendar up to others, beginning with winners of the photo competitions he’d been running.

A growing collective

A chance encounter with the brilliant Roger Bamber, twice Newspaper Photographer of the Year and a Brighton local, led to the 2006 edition being devoted entirely to Roger’s work. His humour, character and knack for capturing Brighton’s quirks became a regular feature for the next decade.

Meanwhile, Flickr, the pre-Instagram photo-sharing platform, ushered in a new era for the calendar. Its open, collaborative spirit aligned perfectly with Nigel’s ethos, and by 2010 it had become the main source of submissions.

Although he’d originally planned to run the calendar for just five years, Nigel kept going, often jokingly declaring each new one “the last”. He said this in 2009, 2010, 2011 and again in 2013.

Passing the baton

In 2015, Nigel passed the calendar on to photographer Finn Hopson, who had just opened Brighton Photography in the seafront arches to the west of the i360. Finn’s stunning landscapes and clean graphic compositions had already been gracing the calendar for a few years, with one of his ‘End of the Pier’ images chosen for the cover in 2013.

Finn produced three beautiful editions but eventually had to step back too. Juggling the gallery, calendar stalls and family life was too much. Nigel, refreshed after a break, returned to curate the 2019 edition, with Finn managing online sales.

The "final" calendar

The 2020 calendar was subtitled “The 20th and final edition” and featured a ‘best of’ selection from the previous two decades. It even had a choice of two covers, Finn Hopson’s ‘Surfer in the snow’ and Alex Bamford’s ‘Carousel closing’.

At this point, the reins were passed to local artist and photographer Petrusco and the ArtHoc collective. They continued the calendar in Nigel’s spirit, while also running exhibitions and supporting local artists.

The next chapter

Now in its 26th year, the Brighton & Hove Calendar has found a new home with us, Alex and Lisa Bamford. Alex’s images have featured in the calendar for over a decade, and Lisa brings her background in design and project management to the team. Together, we’re proud to carry on what has always been a joyful, grassroots celebration of this weird and wonderful city.

What began as a fundraiser for a community gallery has grown into a Brighton tradition, shared across kitchen walls, gifted to friends, and posted to faraway places as a reminder of home. It’s loved by thousands, and for many households, buying one each year has become a ritual.

We’re proud to keep this Brighton institution going. It’s always been a celebration of the city; inclusive, curious, funny, weird and wonderful. Just like Brighton itself.