This year’s World AIDS Day Candlelit Vigil is being staged with grant funding from the Queens Park Community Fund and the Community Development Foundation. Lunch Positive, the HIV lunch club, has been awarded £1,985 in recognition of the events importance to the local community.
Gary Pargeter, Volunteer Project Manager, said: “We’re grateful and delighted to have received this funding for such an important and meaningful event. We have been able to buy new equipment including a marquee, signage, matting to make the grass more accessible for wheelchair users, and cover the purchase of candles and small equipment hire. A condition of the funding is that we are able to match the amount awarded with the value of volunteering for the event. This year a collective of volunteers from the World AIDS Day Partnership will volunteer and gift their time which has the equivalent value of £2,100.”
Details of the World AIDS Day Vigil can be viewed at www.facebook.com/worldAIDSdayBH
Lunch Positive Christmas opening times: Lunch Positive will be open throughout the Christmas period. In addition to the lunch club regular Fridays there will be a Christmas Lunch Celebration on Friday December 20 and a Christmas Lunch Buffet on Friday December 27.
Gary Pargeter, added: “We know that Christmas time can be particularly difficult for some people, particularly if we are lonely or isolated. We hope that people will join together with us over the Christmas period and help make this time easier and more enjoyable. As it’s the end of a very busy year, I’d also like to thank everyone who has supported us and especially our team of twenty five volunteers who have shown huge commitment and enthusiasm and generously given up their time to make the lunch club happen week-on-week.”
Lunch Positive Community Report: Lunch Positive publishes its annual community report online on World AIDs Day – December 1: The report gives insight into the need for and growth of the service, a summary of results from recent service use, volunteering evaluations and feedback from partner organisations. Together with the report will be a Thank You Certificate’ for the vital support given by the wider community.
To view the report visit the ‘What’s Happening’ section on the Lunch Positive website: www.lunchpositive.org
