Over 70 representatives from a range of local LGBT voluntary sector community groups gathered last night to hear Rainbow Fund Patron Zoe Lyons launch this year’s main Grants Programme at the Emporium venue on London Road.
From left to right: Daniel Brookbank, Paul Kemp, Dulcie Weaver, Zoe Lyons and Paul Elgood
Speaking at the event, Zoe wished the groups luck in their funding applications, and said:“I joined the Rainbow Fund because they are committed to an open, transparent and fair way to distribute grant funding to the community groups who need it most. I am delighted to support them in any way I can.”
Brighton Bear Weekender present cheque to Rainbow Fund chair Paul Elgood
Paul Kemp and Dulce Weaver from Pride updated those present on plans for this year’s festival, just 80 days away now, the Brighton Bears Weekender organisers presented a cheque for £184 from their recent Saints & Sinners night at Subline Bar and Daniel Brookbank was introduced as the new Independent Treasurer for the Rainbow Fund, to provide additional transparency for the fund in its financial processes.
Speaking at the launch, Paul Elgood, Chairman of the Rainbow Fund said:“Thanks to our supporters, such as Brighton Pride, the Bear Weekender and many venues we are able to launch our grants programme to tie-in with Pride this year – clearly demonstrating the community benefits of the event. There was a real community buzz last night, thanks to all those who attended.”
The Rainbow Fund is launching its 2014 main grant funding round tonight, thanks to the financial support of Brighton Pride the Brighton Bear Weekender and the fund’s other donors.
Local eligible LGBT and HIV community groups are being invited to apply for grants of up to £5,000.
Last year £53,550 was distributed by the Rainbow Fund to a range of community groups, hugely benefitting the local LGBT and HIV sector. The deadline for this year’s grant round has been timed to coincide with Pride, and applications need to be made by 5pm on Friday, August 8, 2014.
Applications should be made via the Rainbow Fund’s website – www.rainbow-fund.org – under the ‘apply for a grant’ section.
Decisions on successful applications will be made by the Independent Grants Panel, which has a majority of independent members on it to ensure an open and transparent decision-making process. Decisions will be made and announced in September.
For the first time, a short consultation process in June has been incorporated into this year’s process to allow people to give their views on funding priorities. This will be reported as part of the decision-making process and help inform the grants process.
The Rainbow Fund provides needs-led grant-based funding to Brighton & Hove-based LGBT volunteer-run groups, providing frontline services in/for:
· HIV/Aids
· Community safety
· Health
· Community development
Funding will not be made available for:
· Groups who cannot demonstrate that they are led, constituted or run predominately for, or by, the LGBT/HIV community
· Projects not considered frontline or not available on a city-wide basis
· Events
· Overseas trips
· Co-ordination or umbrella groups
· Replacement of statutory funding
· Individuals
· Groups who donate to the Fund
Paul Elgood
Paul Elgood, Chairman of the Rainbow Fund said:“We are grateful to our supporting organisations and venues for providing the funding for this year’s main grants round. It is excellent for the local LGBT and HIV sector that we can plan ahead and time our main grants around Pride, making these grants very much part of the outcome of the success of the event. We want to pass through this funding as quickly as possible so that the benefit can be felt in the community as quickly as possible after Pride.
“We usually find that we cannot fund every application we receive as the money isn’t always available, but we wish the community groups the best of luck in their applications.”
If you are considering applying to the Rainbow Fund, you can discuss your plans at a special advice session during the week of May 19.
For an appointment or more information about the process, EMAIL:
All groups who apply will need to undertake such a one-to-one session before applying.
A Rainbow Fund grant helps the busy volunteer-led LGBT Community Safety Forum respond to 12 calls for help a day.
The LGBT Community Safety Forum is an established independent LGBT forum of volunteers working with the LGBT Community to address and improve safety issues throughout Brighton & Hove. They undertake cultural, educational and social safety community activities and any type of LGBT community/inclusion and accessibility initiative.
The Forum was formed to give the community a much needed voice on a wide range of safety issues in Brighton and Hove. They act as a bridge between the community and statutory services such as the city council and Sussex police and to enable there to be more accountability and transparency of the services provided.
In the last year they have continued to provide core services of safety awareness, advocacy and community events, and have developed the provision to empower the community to ‘help themselves’ and support each other.
They now advertise a landline and text number as well as an email address to provide immediate contact with the LGBT CSF.
The forum receives or makes 12 calls each day on community related and hate crime issues. In addition they receive or send approximately 5 emails per day regarding community related questions. This workload requires a further 14 calls and 20 emails per day to administer the volunteer-led group.
They aim to respond to inquires within two working days.
After receiving a grant from the Rainbow Fund in November 2013 they approached Varndean College to develop an accredited counselling skills course. The organisers worked closely with the course provider and organised an interpersonal skills class that they could deliver successfully to empower and generate a bank of neighbourhood listening ear volunteers.
They are currently training 12 individuals, with candidates already delivering other services in a front line capacity. From bars and hotels to the church and health projects the group is diverse and reflective of the multifaceted community.
With thanks to the Rainbow Fund they currently have four committee volunteers undertaking British Sign Language training at level one standard. Results are noticeable and impressive. The outcomes already reveal a vast improvement between the Hearing and Deaf / Hearing Impaired LGBT community interaction. Strong relationships have been made over the past six months between the LGBT Community Safety Forum and the Deaf LGBT Community.
The forum recently launched their ‘Accessibility Matters’ programme and have since been asked by Brighton Pride to deliver all aspects of Accessibility and Inclusion for this years event. To achieve this they have engaged with Conversant, an LGBT run BSL interpretation organisation who will provide the BSL communication over the Pride festival. This is a great step forward in the direction of inclusiveness and equality as many deaf, elderly and disabled LGBT people had slowly started to shun pride as access and inclusion had become a significant concern for them.
11th annual Equality Walk raises over £55,000 to tackle homophobic abuse.
John Whaite and Adele Roberts cut the ribbon
Over 700 Stonewall supporters took to the streets of Brighton for the charity’s eleventh annual Equality Walk on Sunday. The annual fundraiser was part of Stonewall’s 25th anniversary celebrations and raised over £55,000 to tackle homophobic language in Britain’s schools.
Radio 1Xtra DJ Adele Roberts and Great British Bake Off’s John Whaite hosted this year’s walk which included live entertainment and a picnic in the Royal Pavilion Gardens for the hundreds of families and fundraising teams.
MPs Caroline Lucas and Simon Kirby, and the Mayor of Brighton & Hove Cllr Denise Cobb, also attended the 10k walk.
Following the walk Adele and John handed out prizes to the top fundraising team – PwC who took the title for the third year running – and the best individual fundraiser, Kate Harris, who raised over £1,400 and won a weekend in Paris courtesy of American Express.
Catherine Bosworth
Stonewall’s Director of Fundraising Catherine Bosworth said: “I can’t think of a more fantastic way for so many people to help celebrate our 25th anniversary. It was inspiring to be joined by individuals, teams and families whose hard work means we’ve raised a remarkable £55,000 to help tackle homophobic language in Britain’s schools.”
Research conducted by Stonewall shows that 99 per cent of young people regularly hear phrases like “that’s so gay” or “you’re so gay” in school. These insults can have a devastating impact on lesbian, gay and bisexual young people’s self-esteem and confidence.
Stonewall’s campaign, Gay: Let’s Get the Meaning Straight, is helping schools and young people tackle this abuse and put a stop to homophobic language.
The Independent Drug Commission for Brighton & Hove is releasing its final conclusions at a public meeting this morning (May 12) on drugs policy in Brighton & Hove.
Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion
The Commission, brought together by Brighton MP Caroline Lucas, and chaired by crime writer Peter James, has now considered the response by the city’s public agencies, including the police, probation service, the voluntary sector, the city council and NHS who collectively have responsibility for drug policy.
In its 2013 report [PDF 253kb] the Commission made far-reaching recommendations on how to ensure services could better meet the needs of people using treatment services or who need support.
The Commission has now reviewed the report issued by the public agencies in the light of the recommendations. The partner agencies have adopted a number of key measures with the objective to reduce drug related deaths, share best practice and focus all agencies more effectively on end point of harm reduction and the recovery of an individual drug-user.
Commission recommendations included a call for more training for people to be able to administer a life-saving overdose antidote; more integrated services for people who have mental health problems and drug addiction and for a separation between drug services for young people and adults so that younger users don’t have to mix with more established users.
These recommendations have been accepted by the city drug agencies and are being implemented.
Some examples of action by agencies as a result of the Commission’s recommendations include:
• Significant expansion of the treatment Naloxone to counter the effects of opioid overdose, and “First Aid for Overdose” training. The expanded programme (managed by St John’s Ambulance) covers service users, families, carers, hostels and the wider recovery community.
• Closer working between agencies on sharing information about drug use patterns through participating in a Home Office-led Forensic Early Warning System to test substances seized by police that are not believed to be class A and then ensuring information is shared with partners.
• Pioneering work on reaching young people to educate on the dangers of drug and alcohol use. There is evidence of how improvements have been put in place in the process of identification and sharing of ‘real time’ information that is then taken directly to the population affected for example school-based responses to concern about the promotion of the ‘Neknomination’ (high intensity drinking at dangerous levels) on social networking sites.
Mike Trace
Mike Trace, Vice-Chair of the Commission and former national ‘drugs czar’, said:“The harm, suffering and loss of life caused by drug addiction is significant in the city. We believe our work and the response of all the agencies and contributors to our review will ensure that drug prevention and treatment services in Brighton & Hove will continue to improve.
On behalf of the Commission, I thank everyone involved for the co-operation, insights and support shown as we undertook our work.”
Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion, added:“Drugs policy should be founded on the over-riding principle of reducing harm, both for users themselves and for wider society; any approach has to be led by the evidence about what works in practice. The Commission in its bold set of recommendations has helped to further embed evidence-based approaches to drugs policy, prevention and treatment and it is why I offer my sincere thanks to its members who have given their professional time over the last two years.
“They have shown the way for future UK drugs policy – a rational non-alarmist policy where health, welfare, harm reduction and decisions based on evidence are deservedly the drivers in tackling drug addiction. Thank you to the city’s public agencies for their support and cooperation in this project and the professionalism of their staff who are making a life-saving difference on the frontline.”
One well-publicised recommendation was that public agencies should explore the feasibility of a drug consumption room (DCR): a safe space supervised by health professionals to minimise the risks of overdose, unsafe practices and contaminated drug-taking equipment.
An expert working group was set up by Brighton & Hove City Council and partner agencies to examine the feasibility of a DCR in more detail. After a detailed investigation the working group concluded that a DCR was not an appropriate measure at this time, saying “….while the evidence suggests that a DCR could meet the needs of some local injecting drug users, at the present time the overall need of the local community, not just injecting drug users, is not considered to be sufficient by local organisations to agree to support establishing a DCR.”
In response the Commission Vice-Chair Mike Trace, said: “Although, after careful consideration, the response by the working group was that the time is not right to pilot a drug consumption room in the city, we believe the detailed feasibility study undertaken will ensure a strong evidence-base to inform decision-making on whether a local DCR should be deployed in the future.”
The Commission’s 2013 report was the culmination of a year long process of hearing evidence from experts, public agencies including the police, housing, the city council, public health and people who use services.
Reductions in suicide and self harm achieved by inspirational Trans* youth project funded by the Rainbow Fund, thanks to Brighton Pride and the Bears Weekender fundraising.
Fifty four young people have accessed an inspiration Trans* youth project, funded by the Rainbow Fund following donations by groups such as Brighton Pride and the Brighton Bear Weekender.
Transformers, the Allsorts Trans* Youth Project meet two Fridays in a month, from 5pm to 7pm, in a central Brighton location.
The group offers:
· An opportunity to make friends with other trans* young people
· Support and information about transitioning, your rights, coming out and much more
· Fun activities and workshops e.g. art activities, drama games, film nights etc
· Discussions about what matters to you as trans* young people
They also offer individual support with a Trans* Youth Support and Education Worker and a confidential setting to talk through concerns.
In the last year the project ensured that 54 trans and gender questioning young people have benefited from individual and group support. This includes 22 in the 19-25 age bracket, and 31 aged 11-18 year olds, with one under 10 year old also receiving support.
325 practitioners and parents/carers of trans children and young people have received advice and guidance interventions (including group training sessions).
The project has reported significant reductions by beneficiaries in suicide attempts and self harm whilst they also report improvements in building confidence and self esteem.
Paul Elgood
Paul Elgood, Chairman of the Rainbow Fund said:“It has been a privilege for the Rainbow Fund to support a project as special as this. The outcomes which have been achieved are both inspirational and very moving. This is all about improving the life chances of these young people, who otherwise could become bullied and disengaged from the community. Our funding for projects such as this is only possible due to the fundraising work of our supporters, thank you.”
National Union of Students (NUS) call for zero tolerance to LGBT bullying following publication of new research.
Pioneering research released today by the NUS Education beyond the straight and narrow, reveals that one in five LGB+ students, and a third of trans students, have experienced bullying or harassment on campus, with the union calling for LGBT specific zero tolerance policies in UK institutions.
The research, the first of its kind, explores the experience of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) students in higher education, focusing specifically on their everyday life on campus, their access to services and factors that influence their academic success and the completion of their studies.
The research showed that:
· 20 per cent of LGB+, and a third of trans respondents, have experienced at least one form of bullying or harassment on campus
· Just two in ten trans students felt completely safe on campus – less than half the proportion of their heterosexual counterparts
· Over half of trans respondents (51 per cent) have seriously considered dropping out of their course.
· LGB+ students are more likely to consider dropping out than heterosexual students: 25 per cent of heterosexual have seriously considered dropping out of their course compared to 27.7 per cent of gay, 26.6 per cent of lesbian, and 30 per cent of bisexual.
· More than half of LGB+ respondents (56 per cent) cited the feeling of not fitting in as the main reason for considering dropping out.
· LGBT students who have experienced a form of homophobic or transphobic harassment are 2–3 times more likely to consider leaving their course.
· A focus group with trans students found that the main difficulties faced on campus for trans students are the lack of gender-neutral toilets and facilities, the lack of policies to update their name and gender in the student register, issues with university security services; and the prevalence of transphobia.
One respondent explained that the use of homophobic terms such as “that’s so gay”, have become “so commonplace that I don’t feel justified enough in speaking out against it…even though it continues to feed the idea that being “gay” is bad.”
Another stated: “The general attitude on our campus is extremely anti-gay or bi, and I would not feel comfortable coming out to anyone.”
NUS is now calling for the enforcement of zero tolerance policies on campus specifically about homophobic and transphobic behaviour, harassment and bullying. Current zero tolerance policies can be vague and do not include rules about homophobic and transphobic bullying or harassment. Some institutions still do not have any zero tolerance policies at all.
NUS wants to see clear procedures put in place on campuses across the UK, with points of contact established so that students can easily report bullying experienced by themselves, or someone they know.
Other recommendations include more staff training on LGBT issues, more peer to peer support, and improving access to information and services on campus for LGBT students.
Sky Yarlett and Finn McGoldrick, NUS’ LGBT Officers,
Sky Yarlett and Finn McGoldrick, NUS’ LGBT Officers, said: “This research confirms our fears about the impact that isolation, discrimination and coming out, has on LGBT students. It’s appalling to hear that LGBT students don’t feel safe in an educational environment and are experiencing bullying just because of who they are.
“Many LGBT students continue to feel alone in education and society as a whole. Many suffer mental health and financial issues, and all too often we hear cases of LGBT students leaving education altogether as an indirect result of their identity.
“We can no longer ignore the plight of LGBT students. We absolutely need to enforce zero tolerance policies for homophobic and transphobic behaviour, “banter”, and bullying to make sure our campuses are inclusive and that all students, regardless of their sexuality or identity, have a chance to succeed.”
Luke Tryl
Luke Tryl, Head of Education, Stonewall, added: “This rigorous research from the NUS makes plain that too many lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans students don’t feel safe whilst studying and that too many universities haven’t yet taken the simple steps to make them feel both safe on campus and able to report harassment. We hope that all of Britain’s Higher Education institutions implement the recommendations of this report, and look forward to working with them and the NUS to make this happen”
We’re All Human official theme tune for IDAHO on May 17, breaks into the UK charts.
We’re All Human, the new charity single from the L Project and official theme tune for the 10th International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHOT) on May 17, has entered the UK official independent singles chart at no 36.
The song, which last week was tweeted by celebrities such as Stephen Fry, Clare Balding, and Martina Navratilova, now stands a chance of breaking into the mainstream over the next week. If it does, it will carry with it IDAHOT’s message to stand against violence and oppression, and promote freedom, diversity and acceptance.
Georgey Payne one of the project’s coordinators, said:
“Diversity and love is a message everyone can get behind, whether LGBT or not,”
“We hope that everyone – especially non-LGBT people – takes the opportunity this week to download the song and add their vote of support for a world without prejudice.”
The song, recorded over a weekend at London’s Dean Street Studios, combines the talents of 19 LGBT artists, many of whom are established on the LGBT scene. All these artists gave their time for free to The L Project, who have been raising funds and awareness to promote diversity for the last two years.
The L Project’s 2012 single It Does Get Better reached number 11 in the UK independent charts and has so far raised almost £10,000 for the Stonewall and Diversity Role Models charities.
We’re All Human will be donating 100% of all proceeds to LGBT charities Kaleidoscope, who fight to uphold the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people internationally; The Russian LGBT Network, who will help victims of LGBT abuse in Russia; and Mermaids, a UK youth transgender charity.
The song can be downloaded on all good download sites, including iTunes and Amazon.
“Samaritan volunteers are ordinary people doing something extraordinary”
Samaritan LGBT volunteers Peter, Henry, Lyn, Daniel and Abby
Samaritan volunteers in Brighton and Hove answered a staggering 55,273 calls for help last year, which supports the Samaritans vision that fewer people die by suicide.
Once a minute, somebody calls Samaritans because they are in great distress; many consider ending their lives.
Samaritans are non-judgmental and your call will be completely confidential, they are wholly supportive of the LGBT community and around any issue regarding sexuality, 10% of calls to Samaritans by men are related to sexual orientation, 3% of gay men tried to take their own life, increasing to 5% for bisexual men as quoted in the Government Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. 26% of gay or bisexual men and women talked about loneliness and feelings of isolation (2012-13).
They have a diverse group of volunteers at the Brighton and Hove branch and are keen to recruit more volunteers from the LGBT community.
So what do their current LGBT volunteers say about Samaritans?
Peter
Peter is 40 years old and has been volunteering for 2 years. “I looked into volunteering and I found that Samaritans as an organisation was very flexible and it really fitted my availability with the hours I work as cabin crew. As a volunteer I have found that I am doing something that feels very beneficial to the community and it has opened my eyes to different aspects of life that I was previously unaware of. As a gay man living in Brighton I really liked the aspect of confidentiality that Samaritans offers because I know that being open about your sexuality is difficult. Personally, I have noticed that my communication skills have improved and I find I am less shocked by situations than before, I think being non-judgmental has helped with this. Training opportunities with Samaritans are excellent, I am now involved in training and recruitment of new volunteers and I also work as a shift leader which is really important as part of the support that volunteers on shift receive”.
Henry
Henry is 40 and has been volunteering for 2 years. “I chose Samaritans because a number of work colleagues had committed suicide and I saw how difficult it can be to go on living without support. Samaritans is an organization that is well respected because of its professionalism and particularly valuable for the LGBT community because of its non-judgmental, self determination and confidentiality policies which are so important for people who are coming out.”
Lyn
Lyn is 41 and has been volunteering for 3 years: “I chose Samaritans because I have been a caller in the past. I found that the power of talking to somebody who was non-judgmental and not related to my family took away my fear, I decided I wanted to be able to offer that back to other people. Being a volunteer has given me a sense of value and purpose within a great organization. As a bisexual woman living in Brighton it has given me increased confidence in my ability to deal with difficult and emotionally painful situations with my friends and family.”
“If you are thinking about volunteering come along to one of our information events, take a risk on us and you will encounter a very supportive training process where you will learn about yourself. As a bisexual woman myself I found that the policy of being non-judgmental is integral within the organisation, no assumptions are made about sexuality whether you are a volunteer or a caller. The training that you will receive as a volunteer from Samaritans is second to none and as you become an established volunteer you will find that there are many more training opportunities including leadership training, recruitment and community outreach. There is something to suit everybody and you will be made to feel welcome”.
Daniel
Daniel is 36 years old and has been volunteering for 6 years.“When I joined Samaritans I thought I was a good listener but I found that listening is a skill that needs to be mindfully taught, the Samaritans training is really excellent for that. I found that I really enjoy being part of the organisation and meeting other Samaritans, there is a stereotype of a Samaritan being a white, middle aged heterosexual woman wearing a twinset and pearls, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Diversity is very important. When I joined this organization as a 30 year old gay man I had no idea how my life would change. At Samaritans we are very supportive of the LGBT community which is commonly sited as a high risk group, at Samaritans sexuality doesn’t matter, the essential nature of being non-judgmental ensures this. If you are thinking of becoming a volunteer, give it a go, you will gain new skills, new self awareness, change your views and be part of a diverse organization that makes a difference in other peoples lives”.
Abby is 25 and was the youngest volunteer to join Brighton and Hove District Samaritans aged just 19. “I really liked the Samaritans organisation because talking about suicide is a taboo. To be able to give an individual the opportunity to talk about suicide is really valuable. Being part of Samaritans volunteer community is great and my life has taken on extra meaning. It is brilliant to get up in the morning and do something so worthwhile. Samaritans is a massively inclusive organisation for both volunteers and callers. If you are thinking about volunteering do it, it will give you new insight and perspective.”
If you are interested in volunteering for Samaritans the next information events will be at the branch on:
Or visit their branch at Dubarry House, Newtown Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 6AE, entrance in Newtown Road open daily from 10am-10pm.
Samaritans is available round the clock, every single day of the year. They provide a safe place for anyone struggling to cope, whoever they are, however they feel, whatever life has done to them.
Telephone 08457 90 90 90 (UK) 1850 60 90 90 (ROI), Text: 07725 90 90 90, email jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org to find details of the nearest branch.
Lee Tracey hosts The Slip it to me show starring Bobby Davro with Janie Voltaire, Maisie Trollette and Jason Lee Howlett.
Bobby Davro
The Showbizz Agency presents an evening of classic cabaret at Legends on May 11 to raise money for the Rainbow Fund.
Hosted by established panto dame and founder of the Pure Corn Company, Lee Tracey, the show is headlined by comedian, actor and impressionist extraordinaire Bobby Davro.
Bobby rose to stardom in the 80s and 90s when he regularly appeared on a variety of television shows culminating with his own regular, prime time Saturday night shows including Bobby Davro on the Box, Bobby Davro’s TV Annual and Bobby Davro’s TV weekly. He is a legendary Panto Dame.
In 2007-8 he appeared in the role of Vinnie Monks in EastEnders, in 2010 he starred in Dancing on Ice and in 2013 appeared on Your face Sounds Familiar impersonating among others, Paul McCartney, Sir Tom Jones, Mick Jagger, Ozzy Osbourne and Tammy Wynette singing her country classic, Stand by your man.
Janie Voltaire
Sharing the bill with Bobby will be The voice of the north, Janie Voltaire, one of the UKs most talented Shirley Bassey Singalikes who has been knocking them for six on the northern club circuit for over 40 years.
Maisie Trollette
If that is not enough entertainment for one night, David Raven as Maisie Trollette and West End star Jason Lee Howlett will be joining the bill to make this truly a night to remember.
Jason Lee Howlett
What: Legends at Legends: Lee Tracey hosts The Slip it to Me Tour starring Bobby Davro with Janie Voltaire, Maisie Trollette and Jason Lee Howlett.
Where: Legends, 31-34 Marine Parade, Brighton
When: Sunday, May 11
Time: 7.30.pm.
The Rainbow Fund is a volunteer led organisation who award grants to LGBT organisations providing effective front line services to the LGBT community in Brighton and Hove.
Local eligible LGBT and HIV community groups are being invited to apply for grants of up to £5,000.
The LGBT Community Safety Forum is an established independent LGBT forum of volunteers working with the LGBT Community to address and improve safety issues throughout Brighton & Hove. They undertake cultural, educational and social safety community activities and any type of LGBT community/inclusion and accessibility initiative.
National Union of Students (NUS) call for zero tolerance to LGBT bullying following publication of new research.
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