Out to Lunch – Today – 1-5pm

Your invitation to a free* LGBTQ+ Community Lunch Sunday 18th July 1pm

Lunch Positive & BHCC LGBTQ Workers Forum are Out to Lunch  this Sunday,  a gentle celebration of LGBTQ+ community at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church & Gardens on July 18 from 1pm where you can eat, meet, and chat over some delicious food cooked by teams of dedicated volunteers. Lunch is free/pay what you can ( donations to Lunch Positive are much appreciated) & there will be a buffet selection of hot food, including vegan and gluten free options, so bring some LGBTQ+ friends, family, neighbours or colleagues &  sit and share and enjoy being in the company of other LGBTQ+ people in a relaxed and laid-back atmosphere. You eat inside or outside in Dorset Gardens.

Please share this invitation with any LGBTQ+ people you think would like to come along.

Alongside this free tasty buffet lunch will be:

Gentle entertainment from local composer and performer King Jamshed on piano throughout the afternoon to provide musical accompaniment and you can request a favourite Broadway tune.

Chris Jepson will be inviting you to be part of his ongoing photo LGBTQ+ portrait exhibition, The Identity Project . Check it out and get in touch with Chris if you fancy being photographed on the day, we’d recommend taking part! Details of how to take part on the website.

HIV charity Lunch Positive has been hosting community-oriented spaces for more than 12 years with a focus on providing social opportunity, peer-support & nutritious tasty food for people to eat together. The charity understands the importance of providing space which is safe (and fun) for LGBTQ+ people, to support community engagement and to provide a place where people relax, share space, food, and experiences.

Gary from Lunch Positive, said: “We understand that many people may not have been out much or been in a space with more than a handful of other LGBTQ+ people. We recognise the anxiety many people feel about venturing out again into a social space and ask those of us who feel more confident to consider asking a more cautious friend to join us.

“A welcoming hand and smile can go a long way to making someone relearn and regain the confidence of accessing social spaces again. We have all been starved of LGBTQ+ spaces this last year, we invite you to feast with us and mingle once again in a happy group of LGBTQ peers.

“Our food preparation, volunteers, and the Dorset Garden building all have an acute awareness of Covid safety, to make sure that – vaccinated or not – you can share a space with others in a comfortable way. We are asking everyone who attends to please be aware of social distancing and recognise that many people may still experience discomfort in social spaces.”

*Lunch is free but we are asking working folk to consider pay what you can; donations will be much appreciated on the day and will help cover the cost of the food and also support the Lunch Positive HIV lunch club. There will be a card reader to minimise the use of cash.

More info on Lunch Positive, visit: www.lunchpositive.org