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WORLD AIDS DAY:
CANDLELIT VIGIL
) The lives of those lost to HIV/AIDS were
remembered at the 25th Anniversary World AIDS
Day Candlelit Vigil at the Brighton AIDS Memorial
on Sunday, December 1.
Representatives from the voluntary sector, council,
police and politicians from all political parties read
the name of those who had been lost to HIV/AIDS
over the last 25 years.
BRIGHTON’S LGBQI MUSIC GROUPS
RAISE £1,812 FOR LUNCH POSITIVE
A cheque was officially handed over on
December 13 to Lunch Positive during their
weekly lunch at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church
by a number of representatives from the various
music groups that took part in the concert.
The 2013 World AIDS Day Concert: We All
Live Together, organised by Brighton Gay
Men's Chorus and featuring all the city's LGBTQI
music groups performing together, raised an
amazing £1,812 for Lunch Positive, the HIV
charity and lunch club who provide a healthy meal
for HIV positive men every Friday.
The We All Live Together concert is an annual
event with music, songs and mince pies donated
by the Co-op supermarket, which took place on
World AIDS Day at St Mary's Church in
Kemptown, Brighton. For the first time in a
number of years, all of the local LGBTQI music
groups (and a few of their friends) were able to
take part including the Actually Gay Men's
Chorus, Actually Gay Women's Chorus,
Brighton Belles, Brighton Gay Men's Chorus,
Rainbow Chorus, Resound Male Voices,
Qukelele and special guest for the evening, The
Theatre Workshop. It was a magnificent event.
GARY PARGETER
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Gary Pargeter from Lunch
Positive, said: “A huge and
heartfelt thanks to everyone
involved in the concert. The
‘We All Live Together’ theme is
incredibly relevant to our work
at Lunch Positive, and
especially poignant for World AIDS Day. Lunch
Positive is all about being together, and the
support this provides for one another. Knowing
that members of our LGBT communities support
us and help raise such valuable funds makes a
massive difference.”
The event was staged with help of a grant of
£1,985 from the Community Development
Fund through the Communities First Queens Park
Ward programme, awarded to Lunch Positive, the
HIV charity who provide a weekly lunch club for
people with HIV. The funding was spent on
improving wheelchair access, signage and
promoting the event.
Picture taken by Nick Ford Photography
LUNCH POSITIVE CELEBRATE WORLD
AIDS DAY WITH FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS
) Lunch Positive, the HIV charity, hosted a
special lunch on November 29 to commemorate
World AIDS Day.
Methodist Church, MindOut, CRI LGBT Brief
Intervention, Gscene and Sussex Police LGBT
Liaison.
The HIV lunch club welcomed 72 people, including
guests from partner organisations, who support the
LGBT community. Guests included: Lawson Unit,
Public Health, HIV Community Specialist
Team, East Sussex Avenue Clinic, THT, HIV
Chaplaincy, Peer Action, Dorset Gardens
Gary Pargeter, Volunteer Project Manager,
said: “It’s important that we continue to recognise
that despite improvements in HIV treatment,
isolation, loneliness and stigma are still
experienced by many people with HIV. There are
still huge social and psychological challenges for
people with HIV, and many still experience poorer
health and well-being.
“We all enjoyed a fantastic gathering. It was
hugely uplifting to have so many people join with
us who celebrated the value and importance of
togetherness. Our volunteer team did a fantastic
job on what was one of our busiest lunch
sessions.”
For more information about Lunch Positive, view:
www.lunchpositive.org
Lunch Positive supports World AIDS Day events
as a member of the Brighton & Hove World AIDS
Day Partnership, which is formed from a wide
range of local charities and organisations which
include the Sussex Ecumenical HIV Chaplaincy,
Sussex Beacon, THT, CDO Sussex, Bear Patrol,
Gscene Magazine, Peer Action, Brighton & Hove
City Council Community Safety Team and AVERT.