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Hove MP Weatherley, encourages at risk residents to get HIV test

Mike Weatherley, the Conservative MP for Hove and Portslade, is calling on residents in at risk groups in Brighton & Hove to get tested during National HIV Testing Week, in the run-up to World Aids Day on Sunday, December 1.

Mike Weatherley, MP
Mike Weatherley, MP

HIV and sexual health charity Terrance Higgins Trust has launched the National HIV Testing Week to encourage at risk groups to take an HIV test.

The HIV Testing Week runs from Friday 22 – Friday 29 November ahead of World Aids Day on December 1.

In recent years, Mike has taken a rapid HIV test in Parliament on World Aids Day to raise awareness of the need for early diagnosis of HIV in the UK. Sadly, the number of new HIV cases across the country and in Brighton & Hove continues to rise.

Mike said: “Given that instances of HIV continue to rise in Brighton & Hove, it is vital that both gay and straight residents from at risk groups in the city get tested. Up to a quarter of people living with HIV in the UK do not know that they have it, so increasing testing and reducing the stigma attached to it will help reduce this figure.”

For more information on National HIV Testing Week, CLICK HERE:

 

Leicester University Lecture: Ten Things I hate about you

Stories of prejudice, bigotry and violence in Leicester. Lecture to be held by University of Leicester on November 27.

University of Leicester

A free public lecture held by the University of Leicester looking at new perspectives on ‘hard to reach’ communities in largest ever study of hate crime victimisation is to take place on Wednesday November 27 between 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm at the Bennett Lecture Theatre 2.

For those who cannot make the lecture – entitled – “‘Ten Things I Hate About You’ Stories of Prejudice, Bigotry and Targeted Violence in Leicester” can keep up with their progress by following @HateCrime_Leics on Twitter.

Hundreds of participants came forward in the study throughout Leicester to share their experiences through surveys, interviews and focus groups.

The research suggests that acts of hate and prejudice can be directed towards a wide variety of minority groups, whose voices can often go unheard, including the homeless, asylum seekers, people with mental health problems, people with learning difficulties and many others.

One victim said: “I was in Tesco and a man said: ‘I bet you’re ugly under that Burqa.’”

Another commented: “Buses are the worst. I get told that wheelchairs just get in the way and we shouldn’t use public transport.”

These stories, amongst others are to be explored and discussed by Dr Neil Chakraborti from the University of Leicester’s Department of Criminology who will outline ten of the most significant themes to have emerged in the project.

Dr Chakraborti said: “Our findings will be released next September but already we have heard from over 1,000 victims, making this the largest study of hate crime victimisation ever to have been conducted.

“We have found that grassroots engagement – for instance, speaking to people from all kinds of different backgrounds and walks of life, whether at community events, leisure sites, places of worship or neighbourhood centres – has been key to our success, rather than relying solely on community leaders, gatekeepers and representatives to give us access to particular communities.

“Many of those from so-called ‘hard to reach’ communities have welcomed the opportunity to share their experiences with us, and this suggests that they are not so much ‘hard to reach’ in research terms as ‘easy to ignore’.

“We can use our findings to help criminal justice agencies and other key service providers provide effective answers to the challenges posed by hate and prejudice.”

The lecture draws from research conducted as part of the Leicester Hate Crime Project, a two-year ESRC-funded study exploring people’s experiences of hate, prejudice and bigotry.

For more information, or to share your experiences with the research team, CLICK HERE:

 

LGBTicons.com: Social media campaign celebrates LGBT lives on November 29

Blogsite LGBTicons.com, which celebrates the achievements and lives of the LGBT community, is reaching out for people to take part in the social media campaign LGBTearth on Friday, November 29 to capture a day in the life of LGBT people and the people who love them.

LGBTearth

Anyone can take part, whether they are a member of the LGBT community, a friend, family member or associate. All they need to do is take a picture throughout the day: Whether it be a gym selfie, family portrait, or a shot of the landscape around them, and use the #LGBTearth to tag the snapshot through Twitter or Facebook.

Barry Church-WoodsFounder Barry Church-Woods, said: “We’ve been profiling LGBT people of significant achievement, and sharing news about LGBT communities globally, for over a year now and the more we research and write, the more depressing it gets.

“Coming from a position of privilege as an out gay man in the UK, it struck me that so many people are still being oppressed across the world. You need only look at the situations in Uganda, Russia and Malaysia today to realise how far behind we are, as a planet, in realising basic human rights.

“As such, I’m hoping that LGBTearth will offer a great showcase of exceptional people all over the world. A digital pride so to speak.

“Over the past two years I’ve been really impressed with The Advocate’s ‘A day in LGBT America’ campaign, though it’s definitely missing the global reach. That’s what I hope LGBTearth will achieve.”

‘Thoughtshift’ stage charity fashion auction to benefit Starr Trust

Local business, ‘ThoughtShift’, are staging a fashion auction from 5pm-7pm on Thursday, November 28 at The Theatre Royal in Brighton to raise money for Hove charity the Starr Trust.

Edwin Starr Trust

The Starr Trust are a family run charity that support individuals aged 10 –18 to fulfil their potential in sports, arts and education, by giving a helping hand to achieve their goals at a time when they really need it.

Fashion items up for grabs include labels such as Calvin Klein, French Connection, Oasis, Lipsy and Lacoste. There will also be jewellery and hand bags on sale at bargain prices.

The Theatre Royal are showing their support by offering use of their venue and contributions include high street brands, vintage collections and designer pieces that will be part of the main auction, which will kick off from 6pm.

Mel Perry, Operations Director at the Starr Trust, said: “ThoughtShift have already raised a substantial amount for us organising a variety of events including face painting at the Big Screen’s Kids Scene, Churchill Square pig racing and bake sales. We can’t wait to see the results from the fashion auction. Any money raised will be used to champion local young people to fulfil their potential in sports, arts or education.”

To RSVP and book a place, CLICK HERE: 

 

Late night Xmas shopping night at Churchill Square

The countdown to Christmas is on!

Churchill Xmas Shopping

Brighton’s Churchill Square Shopping Centre will be hosting a special late night Christmas Shopping Night on Thursday, December 5 from 5pm – 9pm

Many of the stores will be offering fantastic one night only discounts and offers and there will be entertainment to get you in the Christmas spirit, with music from The Rockabellas, mulled wine and a roulette table.

Whether you are shopping for stocking fillers, a party outfit, slippers for granny or a new diamond ring you will find everything you need at Churchill Square:  top toys, beauty and fashion gifts, the latest gadgets, technology, music, jewellery, fragrances and foodie gifts all under one roof – Christmas shopping just got a whole lot easier!

What: Late night Xmas shopping

Where: Church Square, Wester Road, Brighton

When: Thursday, December 5

Time: 5pm-9pm

 

 

Date for Brighton Pride 2014 announced

Tories fight on to reinstate Pride grant!

Rainbow Fund

Pride 2014 will be on Saturday, August 2. Brighton & Hove Council granted Landlord’s Consent last week to Brighton Pride Community Interest Company (BPCIC) to use Preston Park for the weekend starting Friday, August 1 to Sunday, August 3, 2014. The council have suggested to Pride organisers they make use of the infrastructure on the park all weekend to make the event more sustainable and help control overhead costs.

Paul Kemp of Brighton Pride Community Interest Company said: “We hope to expand the programme of LGBT cultural events and explore new elements to maximise the use of the park event infrastructure by creating a weekend of fundraising activities. These may include a comedy performance on the Friday and the possibility of a Sunday afternoon ‘Proms on the Park’ style event. Plans are very much in the exploratory stage but it is our intention that any future developments would broaden the entertainment offering of Pride weekend to appeal to a greater cross-section of Brighton’s diverse communities.”

Withdrawal of annual grant puts parade in jeopardy

Concerns remain about the withdrawal of the council’s annual grant of £25,000 from the council’s main budget. Pride organisers have told the council the withdrawal of the grant could put the parade in jeopardy. The Conservative Group supported by Labour attempted to table a motion to have the Pride grant reinstated but Cllr Geoffrey Bowden, the committee Chair, ruled that the grant in 2013 was not a grant it was a transitional contigency fund and ruled the ammendment out. The Conservative Group will take the ammendment to the next Policy and Resources Committee for consideration. Cllr Theobald said to a meeting of Gay Businesses last week that if Labour support the ammendment the grant will be reinstated.

Here is what the politicians have to say:

Cllr Geoffrey Bowden
Cllr Geoffrey Bowden

Geoffrey Bowden, Green councillor, and former Pride South East trustee, said: “We are massive supporters of Pride and are particularly pleased that the ticketed format for the event is delivering a healthy surplus and allowing LGBT charities to benefit from grants administered by the Rainbow Fund.

“This year’s Pride’s fundraising initiatives broke all previous records, so far generating £43,103 for donation to local LGBT and HIV causes. Indeed, in the face of the continuing squeeze on funds from central government to local authorities such as Brighton & Hove, it is essential that major events such as Pride become sustainable.

“Pride CIC has demonstrated that it has a financially sustainable model, which we applaud. We continue to work closely with Pride organisers to ensure the longer term future of the event and are currently looking at proposals for 2014. We are also proposing to grant landlord’s consent for the organisers to stage the parade and event in the park for three years. The impact of such a move will be to provide the organisers with greater stability and strengthen their position to bring on board long term sponsor support.

“The £25,000 we set aside this year was a ring-fenced contingency fund in case it was needed to ensure the viability of the event. Some of this was used to ensure the safety of the Gay Village Party. The Pride event itself did not require any support from the contingency fund beyond some assistance around managing cash-flow.

“While Pride is self financing, the authority continues to make very significant contributions of support, this year worth nearly £64,000. We also still provide grants to small scale LGBT organisations wishing to take part in the Parade as we have done for many years.”

Cllr Geoffrey Theobald
Cllr Geoffrey Theobald

Geoffrey Theobald, Conservative councillor, said: 

“I am a great supporter of the Pride festival and have always tried to do what I can to help if difficulties arise. I recently met with the organisers and I am pleased to say that the Conservative Group supports their call to reinstate the grant which enables the annual parade through the city to take place.

“Brighton & Hove’s Pride is an internationally renowned event which, last year, was attended by 160,000 people and contributes an estimated £13.5 million to the local economy, in other words, money in the pocket for our local businesses and traders. It also generates significant sums of money for local LGBT and HIV good causes – over £43,000 last year. In an ideal world the whole of Pride would be self-financing but this is such an important event for the city that this grant is a relatively small price to pay for its continued success.”

Cllr Warren Morgan
Cllr Warren Morgan

Warren Morgan, Labour councillor, added: “Pride is an essential event in the city’s calendar bringing millions to the local economy, and we are totally committed to do all we can to ensure its long-term future. The council currently provides support through fees it waives and helping to meet other costs. I’ve met with Pride leaders to look at ways of ensuring Pride can get through the next three years and become a sustainable, self-funding event.

“I’d like the city council to be able to help Pride and events like it, but over £100 million in government cuts to our funding in the next four years makes that very difficult.”

James Ledward
James Ledward

James Ledward, editor of Gscene Magazine, concluded saying: “After years of losing money Pride has been run for the last two years by people who have financial acumen and are keen to produce an event for the city which benefits LGBT organisations that can demonstrate they are providing effective front-line services to the LGBT community.

“The model needs to be given the chance to prove it is sustainable and this won’t happen by removing a grant that is essential to its cash flow. All that will do is put the Pride parade at risk in 2014.”

Brighton & Hove City Council have still not provided to Gscene evidence of where the annual grant to the organisers of Pride was allocated in 2012 and is the subject of a Freedom of Information Request. The council have also not seen the accounts of Pride for the last two years to enable them to say the organisation is now sustainable. The Council budget is set in February 2014.

Rainbow Fund announces record funding for local LGBT and HIV groups thanks to Brighton Pride

In what will be seen as a significant end of year boost to the local LGBT and HIV voluntary sector, the Rainbow Fund has announced its autumn grants round, giving out over £46,000 in grants to the community groups who need it most locally.

Rainbow FundBrighton Pride made a significant donation to the fund of over £43,000, raised through ring-fenced funding of £1 per ticket and their general fundraising, making this the biggest Rainbow Fund grants round ever.

Paul Kemp
Paul Kemp

Paul Kemp, Pride Director, said: “A vibrant voluntary sector is essential for all communities to develop. I hope that these grants to local LGBT/HIV organisations providing front-line services to the community will enable them to continue to make the lives of LGBT people in Brighton & Hove much easier.”

Funding for more projects

The Rainbow Fund has continued funding some of its core groups, including Allsorts for its trans youth work; Lunch Positive for its volunteer-led lunch project; the LGBT Community Safety Forum for its advocacy work with victims of hate crime; and Brighton GEMS, the Gay Elderly Men’s Society. However, the increase in the funding donated this year means that the Rainbow Fund is also funding new groups and projects for the first time. The Clare Project is being funded for its work on speech therapy and psychotherapy with trans people; Peer Action will receive a large grant for its health and wellbeing activities for people living with HIV; and a new housing advice project from MindOut will receive support in addition to its mental health service.

Subject to final agreement by Sussex Community Foundation and any grant conditions, the approved grants are:

• Allsorts – £5,000 for a youth engagement worker to support the Transformer group for young Trans* people

• Clare Project – £4,640 to extend for psychotherapy and speech therapy sessions for Trans* people

• Brighton GEMS – £4,000 towards support costs for befriending & support work for older gay men

• LGBT Community Safety Forum – £7,000 towards hate crime advocacy

• LGBT Switchboard – £2,500 towards clinical supervision for counsellors

• Lunch Positive – £7,000 towards food, venue hire and lunch club running costs for people with HIV

• MindOut – £7,000 towards peer support groups and housing advice for people with mental health issues

• Peer Action – £5,000 for health and wellbeing activities for those living with HIV

• Sussex Beacon – £4,000 towards a new occupational therapy project

The remaining funds were earmarked for a feasibility study to develop a funding needs assessment of all LGBT organisations, the services they provide and their future grant needs.

Priority for local LGBT groups & frontline services

Paul Elgood
Paul Elgood

Paul Elgood, Chairman of the Rainbow Fund, said: “I would like to thank the many fundraisers who made these grants possible. In particular the support from Pride can be seen directly benefitting the local LGBT and HIV voluntary sector. The Rainbow Fund offers an independent and needs-led mechanism to ensure that the funds donated go out to the local causes who need it the most.

“We are here predominately for the volunteer-led LGBT and HIV community groups and charities, providing front-line support. They are our highest priority and this is reflected in many of the grants that we have made.

“We are delighted to be supporting new groups and projects this time; including the Clare Project, who work with people exploring their gender identity, and a new project on housing support from MindOut.

“We do not directly fundraise ourselves but rely on groups, individuals and businesses who support us through high profile events and fundraising in LGBT venues. “We can’t support every group who applies, every time, but in this grants round we have literally spent every penny we are currently holding, and so we will be asking for the support of the community again next year. I would also like to thank the independent advisory grants panel for their time and expertise once again.”

Local LGBT Fundraising

The Rainbow Fund autumn 2013 grants round is made possible thanks to fundraising from: Brighton Pride, Brighton Bear Weekender, Legends, Tony Chapman, Queen’s Arms, A Bar, Charles Street, David Raven, James Ledward, the Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus and many others.

David HarvieDavid Harvie, of the Brighton Bear Weekender, concluded saying: “From us here at Brighton Bear Weekender, we are so glad to lend our support to the Rainbow Fund. We love how the fund works to help all parts of the gay community in and around Brighton & Hove.

“We know the Rainbow Fund will use the money to help fund vital services and programs that are so needed and greatly help our community, whether the money we raised is used to help raise awareness of HIV or help people living with it.”

The Rainbow Fund provides grant funding to the local LGBT voluntary sector. It does not fundraise directly but benefits from a number of high profile events and activities. There are no salaries, expenses or office hire costs associated with the fund, except in terms of the professional advice it receives in terms of administrating the fund by the Sussex Community Foundation. All panel members are volunteers and give their time freely.

To find out more about the work of the Rainbow Fund, CLICK HERE: 

Labour Kemptown candidate calls for free bus travel for a day

Nancy Platts Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven is calling on Brighton and Hove buses to offer passengers free bus travel for a day on December 7 to tie in with a day of free parking in the city.

Nancy Platts
Nancy Platts

Drivers in Brighton will be able to come into the town centre and park for free on ‘Small Business Saturday’ when charges are being waived at five car parks in a bid to encourage more town centre shopping to benefit local businesses

Nancy is backing the free parking idea but would also like to see bus companies doing their bit to help Christmas shoppers who don’t have cars.

She said: “Many people who don’t have a car are also on low incomes so I am calling on Brighton and Hove Buses to give them an early Christmas present too by offering free bus travel on the same day as drivers get free parking.

“Free parking is on offer in other parts of the South East but bus users deserve a helping hand as well. We need as many people as possible to come into the City centre and do their Christmas shopping locally at our unique and independent shops and this could help boost numbers.”

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