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Rainbow Fund continues support for AIDS and HIV projects

Besi Besemar December 12, 2012

The Rainbow Fund is continuing its support for AIDS and HIV work in the city.  Three projects will benefit from its recent grants announcement.

The Rainbow Fund was formed out of the fundraising from the AIDS Memorial, to give the project a living legacy, and this area of work has always been a high priority for its independent grants committee.

Lunch Positive has received funding from the Rainbow Fund for three successive years, the Sussex Beacon twice and this is the first time money has been allocated towards the upkeep of the AIDS Memorial.

Welcoming the grant to Lunch Positive, Gary Pargeter from Lunch Positive, said:

“Lunch Positive is a weekly lunch club for people with HIV, which runs every Friday and is provided entirely by a team of 25 volunteers.
 
“This is a locally unique service, used by over a hundred people, with an average of 45 coming along to each session.
 
“Despite improvements in treatments for HIV, living with a positive diagnosis can still be a life changing and difficult experience. Many people are isolated, through challenging life circumstances and the stigma still associated with HIV. The lunch club provides a safe and supportive space for people to meet over a healthy lunch, to develop friendships and to find peer support. The lunch club also signposts other organisations and groups, and hosts visits from other organisations.
“The Rainbow Fund grant has enabled Lunch Positive to fund room and kitchen hire and a proportion food costs during 2013-14, which means the service can continue to run weekly sessions and support a growing number of people living with HIV.”

Paul Elgood

Paul Elgood, Chairman of the Rainbow Fund, said:

“We are delighted to continue our work supporting Lunch Positive and the Sussex Beacon. Both organisations provide vital support to the community and have developed links to the Rainbow Fund
 
“I’ve dropped into Lunch Positive on a few occasions to monitor the previous grants and cannot commend their volunteer –led approach more highly.
 
“As the legal guardians of the AIDS Memorial we are pleased to keep an active eye on its maintenance and care. This is the first time we have allocated money to it after three years.
 
‘Thank you to our donors and supporters who make this work possible. I hope you can see how the money given is being used effectively.”

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