Anita Rani gives a free talk at the Reading Room at Saltdean Lido on Tuesday 10 November at 11am, part of a Vodafone pop-up day. Book on Eventbrite.

Anita Rani, who presents Countryfile and Woman’s Hour, will give a free talk at the Reading Room at Saltdean Lido next Tuesday, 10 November. The session runs from 11am to noon and is the main draw of The Opportunity Hub, a free one-day pop-up from Vodafone for people thinking about a hobby, side hustle or small business.

Tickets are free, but Vodafone’s Eventbrite page is where you reserve a place. Vodafone recommends booking because spaces are limited, and says a limited number of walk-ins will be available.

What Anita Rani will talk about

Vodafone says she will cover her journey from hosting her first radio show in Bradford at just 14 to presenting Countryfile and Woman’s Hour, and more recently launching her own production company and creating her podcast, Sisters of Defiance.

She will draw on “her experiences of taking risks, challenging expectations and creating new opportunities”, the event listing says, and give her advice on “turning a lightbulb moment into your next big move”. A live audience Q&A follows.

What else is on

The Reading Room, which Vodafone describes as a café, is open to the public for the event from 10am to 4pm. The Anita Rani talk and the afternoon workshop are the two sessions to book. Through the day there will also be:

  • “From passion to paying customer”, 2pm to 3pm. A practical workshop led by Enterprise Nation on how to turn an experience, skill or passion into something others will pay for, with a particular focus on finding and attracting your first customers. It covers working out what people might value, telling the story behind what you offer, using local connections and digital channels, and turning interest into a first sale or booking. A Q&A follows.
  • One-to-one digital skills help. VodafoneThree’s Discovery Team will offer tips, “from getting to grips with AI to learning to communicate more confidently”. If it is computer basics you are after, Brighton also has free weekly drop-ins for getting online.
  • Free professional headshots for LinkedIn and social media.
  • Complimentary drinks and treats.
People talking in small groups at long wooden tables with orange chairs and vases of flowers, with red and white Vodafone-coloured walls behind them
People talking at tables at The Opportunity Hub, before the Saltdean event. Photo: via Vodafone's Eventbrite listing

Why Vodafone is doing this

The day is also a promotion for Vodafone’s mobile network, and visitors can sign up there for a free seven-day network trial.

VodafoneThree, formed when Vodafone UK and Three UK merged in June 2025, says it has committed to spending £11bn on its network by 2034. The company says upgrades in Rottingdean and Saltdean, including around Ovingdean Beach and Rodmell Avenue, are bringing some areas 5G coverage for the first time, with download speeds in places seven times faster than before. We have not independently tested those figures.

The firm also says that over 17 million moments of inspiration become real side hustles or small businesses across the UK every year. That figure comes from research it commissioned from OnePoll, which surveyed 2,000 UK adults online between 12 and 17 August 2026.

Rottingdean and Saltdean is one of five places hosting the pop-up this autumn, with Mansfield, Hoddesdon, Abergavenny and Tynemouth.

A room with benches facing orange armchairs and a large red screen reading On The Nation's Network, with The Opportunity Hub written on the wall
A talk space set up for The Opportunity Hub, before the Saltdean event. Photo: via Vodafone's Eventbrite listing

What it means for you

If you want to go, the details are:

  • When: Tuesday 10 November, 10am to 4pm. Anita Rani at 11am, the workshop at 2pm.
  • Where: Reading Room at Saltdean Lido, Saltdean Park Road, Saltdean, BN2 8SP.
  • Cost: free.
  • Booking: reserve a place on Eventbrite. The page was still taking bookings when we checked on 4 November.

Looking for more to do this month? Our guide to things to do in Brighton has more ideas.