TRANS DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
Brighton & Hove’s trans community and allies to come together on Sunday, November 17 ahead of Trans Day of Remembrance on November 20
) On Sunday, November 17 from 11.30am-2pm, Brighton’s trans community and allies will gather together to mark Trans Day of Remembrance, a day to commemorate trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people who are targeted and killed for living authentically and courageously.
This year’s event, which will be held at wheelchair accessible Fabrica (Duke Street, Brighton, BN1 1AG), will include speeches, music and space to remember those lost, as well as food and community. Accessible and
all-gender toilets will be available and seating will be provided.
The gathering welcomes both community members and allies. Organisers politely ask that you do not attend on behalf of an organisation, including police and media, out of respect for the community and those who have died.
Speeches will be BSL interpreted and live-streamed. Call-outs for speakers and volunteers will be shared over the coming weeks, along with further details of the event.
WORLD AIDS DAY 2024
What’s on where in Brighton & Hove this World AIDS Day, Sunday, December 1
) BRIGHTON AIDS MEMORIAL CANDELIGHT VIGIL, New Steine Gardens, Brighton at 6pm
All welcome to attend the remembrance event of those lost to HIV/AIDS in Brighton & Hove. There will be a reading of the names and a candle light vigil. Space will be available for anyone seeking quiet moments of reflection.
Information: www.facebook.com/ worldAIDSdayBH
The annual Brighton AIDS Memorial Vigil is hosted by Brighton & Hove World AIDS Day Community Partnership. New names to be read (in addition to those read in previous years) can be emailed to susshivchap@ gmail.com by 12am on November 26, or can be added to the list at the
New Steine Gardens Memorial Space between 4-5pm on the day of the vigil.
) COMMUNITY LUNCH with Lunch Positive at Community Rooms, Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, BN2 1RL from 1pm
An open invitation to the whole community to spend time together over an enjoyable community lunch as part of the city’s World AIDS Day activities. Provided by Lunch Positive volunteers. No charge, donations welcome.
Doors open at 12pm with buffet lunch from 1pm. Community space open until 5pm
Information: www.lunchpositive.org / hello@lunchpositive.org
) WARM REMEMBRANCE with HIV Ecumenical Chaplaincy at Dorset
WORLD AIDS DAY COMMUNITY LUNCH
Gardens Methodist Church, Brighton BN2 1RL from 2.30pm.
Join us for warm remembrance, a free, cosy afternoon of reflection and connection:
• Short act of remembrance to honour those we’ve lost (2.30pm)
• Screening of How to Survive a Plague (3pm)
• Hot drinks and inclusive company
• ‘Chill and craft’ space for creative responses to WAD
All welcome to share in any of these activities in a safe and comfortable space.
Information: Revd Heather Leake Date - susshivchap@gmail.com
) WORLD AIDS DAY CONCERT (ticketed event) at St Mary’s Church, 61 St James’s Street, Brighton, BN2 1PR from 7pm
The much loved annual event will feature a comprehensive line up of local LGBTQ+ choirs and musical groups, all coming together to raise awareness and for remembrance. This concert raises funds to benefit Lunch Positive.
Doors 7pm for 7.30pm start. See press for tickets and information.
) Exhibition at Jubilee Library, Jubilee Street, Brighton from Monday, November 25 - Sunday, December 8
Jubilee Library will be hosting a public display of photos from the 1993 ‘Brighton Remembers’ exhibition, two 3 by 6 feet fabric panels created in recognition of a person who died from AIDS-related illness, and the Brighton Hankie Quilt Sponsored by the Brighton & Hove City Council LGBTQ Workers Forum.
Take Action. Lace Up.
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VARNISH
***** “You simply must see it - Dazzling, sharp and hilarious” - Binge Fringe
) It takes star quality to get adopted… and Jonathan Mayor has it!
Ropetackle Arts Centre in Shorehamby-Sea is delighted to stage this new play on Wednesday, November 20 at 8pm Varnish is a brave and bold exploration of trans-racial identity, told by someone who has been adopted, and who also happens to be gay.
Jonathan Mayor – one of the UK’s most in-demand headline acts and – stars in this outrageously funny one-man show based on his real life.
In an explosion of sequins and songs, our prince of stage and screen is every inch the superstar.
It’s been a tough journey from the cobbled streets of Oldham to the glamour of Hollywood. Tougher still for a Scottish-Mauritian adopted son of white parents. But let’s not dwell on that… your fabulous host will be here to entertain you!
Exploring trans-racial identity using theatre, music and song in a cabaret audience style show, we invite you to become part of Jonathan’s starstudded fictitious audience and brush shoulders with the likes of Oprah, Dame Judi Dench and Angelina Jolie.
Varnish is Jonathan’s first theatre show and has been written by new playwright Janet Taylor. Featuring original music by Steve Pycroft, the play dramatises the tension between Jonathan’s attempts to maintain a fantasy version of his own life, in which he shares National
Treasure status with Judi Dench, and the gloomier reality of his existence.
Jonathan Mayor has been working across the UK as a stand-up comedian since 2002, and draws heavily on his life experiences, especially his personal history as a transracial adoptee. He was the warm-up for Sarah Millican, on stage and television, and for Countdown (Channel 4) and is currently the studio warm up for Joe Lycett’s Late Night Lycett (Channel 4).
He appears in/hosts comedy, cabaret, burlesque and Pride events, including
Europride, Glasgay Arts Festival, Homotopia, Queer Up North and Manchester/Leicester Comedy Festivals. He has hosted sporting events at Manchester Pride Games and the Gay Rugby World Cup Jonathan hosted the Manchester Pride Candlelight AIDS Vigil for many years.
Produced by Doubletake Theatre, a new collaborative theatre company which relishes in work which is curious, witty, queer, and genre-bending, this quirky and emotional yet hugely entertaining show previously had a successful run at VAULT, London’s home for immersive theatre and alternative arts.
Nicky Thornton, Marketing Manager at Ropetackle, says: “We are so looking forward to bringing this brilliant new drama to our stage. Janet Taylor’s acerbic and hilarious script sees Jonathan Mayor move from standup into a solo performance that is an absolute riot but will leave you with a deep provocation about how much more challenging it is for some to find their identity than others.”
So, snap up your hot ticket to join Jonathan’s live, star-studded audience and buckle-up for belly laughs in this darkly flamboyant, varnished version of the truth.
) VARNISH at Ropetackle Arts Centre, Little High St, Shoreham-by-Sea BN43 5EG on Wednesday, November 20 Age suitability: 14+. Running time: 60mins (no interval).
) Tickets, £13, here: https:// ropetacklecentre.ticketsolve.com/ ticketbooth/shows/873661910/ events/129552864
Royal British Legion defends release of poppy paired with Progress Flag
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*We are aware this might be an elaborate stunt
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WORLD AIDS DAY CONCERT
Celebrate the power of music and community
) Get ready to celebrate the power of music and community as our LGBTQ+ choirs commemorate World AIDS Day with another spectacular World AIDS Day Concert at St Mary’s Church, Kemptown on December 1
The annual event – a night of unforgettable music, community, and celebration, which will honour those affected by HIV/AIDS and look towards a brighter future – will feature a comprehensive lineup of local LGBTQ+ choirs and musical groups, all coming together to raise awareness and funds for local HIV charity, Lunch Positive.
This year’s concert will feature a diverse range of performances from Actually Gay Men’s Chorus, Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus, Rainbow Chorus, Resound, Rebelle, Brighton Rox, Quekelele, and special guests Hullaballo
The concert will be held at the historic St. Mary’s Church, which provides the perfect backdrop for this special event. Doors at 7pm for 7.30pm start, leaving plenty of time for those attending the Reading of the Names and World AIDS Day Vigil at New Steine Gardens to make their way to the church.
Tickets £13 and free for accompanying carers. All proceeds will benefit Lunch Positive, a local charity dedicated to providing HIV community spaces, including lunches,
drop-ins and support groups. In 2022, it was awarded the prestigious lifetime Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
Gary Pargeter, Director of Lunch Positive, said: “We’re overjoyed at the support from everyone involved in the World AIDS Day Concert. This amazing community event wonderfully captures the solidarity, remembrance and hope surrounding World AIDS Day.
“Every pound raised will go directly to providing our community-based support, for which there is more demand than ever. Please buy a ticket and come along to this fantastic evening of togetherness and music for World AIDS Day and help provide community support that has a huge impact on people’s lives.”
D Tickets here: https://tickets.brightongmc.org
HIV HOUR
Hope and Optimism from the HIV Hour
) Sue, Josh and David are just three members of the HIV Hour team that has featured interviews with charity workers and volunteers, poets and authors, entrepreneurs, migrants, parents and other people telling their stories and sharing their experiences.
What is it like to live with HIV these days? Well, it would be presumptive for us to tell you as there is more than one answer. Over 2,000 people access treatment for their HIV in Brighton & Hove, and each person would have a different answer.
The ‘Gold Standard’, (if that is what we can call living healthily with HIV), is to have an undetectable viral load with less than 40 copies per millilitre of blood, and no co-morbidities, (no other health challenges).
This goal involves taking one antiretroviral pill or (long-lasting injectable) and maintaining a schedule of blood tests, a minimum of six months apart, to make sure the medication is suppressing the virus to the extent that HIV is “Undetectable”.
Being certain of this, we can confidently, and scientifically, say that we can not pass on HIV to our sexual partners. This means that HIV is “Untransmittable”.
The science behind this is where we get the catchy slogan U=U or “Undetectable equals Untransmittable”. Tell everybody about this.
However, we must be honest and say that some of us take more than one pill a day. And, particularly for what are called “legacy patients” we have comorbidities such as diabetes and earlier ageing to avoid or manage.
According to the Fast Track Cities website (www.fast-trackcities.org), Brighton & Hove reports that 99% of people living with HIV are virally suppressed. This is fantastic news and we should be very proud of our hospitals, clinics, charities, community groups and our citizens for all working together to achieve this.
Looking back at the last 12 months David recalls some of the people he interviewed on the HIV Hour radio show.
“What I love about working for the HIV Hour is to meet and learn from people who are from communities different to my own. For me, one of the most impactful interviews I took part in was that of Robert, who was infected with HIV and Hepatitis C as a child. He received contaminated Factor 8, which was used to treat his Haemophilia B
“The inquiry into the scandal of contaminated blood revealed that 30,000 people were infected and 2,900 people have subsequently died. What the people affected went through astonished me and made me so angry.
“No amount of money can compensate a person for the pain
suffering and grief that people have been put through with this scandal. Thankfully Hep C can be cured now, and HIV is completely treatable, but this does not take away from the struggles that people have had to endure.”
“On a lighter note,” says David, “I have been inspired by some of our guests too. I have met migrants who have made the UK their home and are now thriving members of their communities.
“One was rejected by his family abroad for being gay and now has been adopted by a supportive “Brighton family”, so much so that he is an entrepreneur and philanthropist. Another, a migrant mother has been to university and has obtained a degree and a masters degree, and is working for the NHS”.
Josh adds that over the last year, the HIV hour has been going from strength to strength. Being more visible within the HIV community in Brighton and worldwide. Josh feels that sharing people’s HIV stories is so important for our own well-being as well as educating others.
“The guest that comes to my mind,” Josh says “is Liz, a personal trainer and a trans feminine person who had been diagnosed late, turning her situation into a positive and thriving one since her diagnosis and becoming an HIV advocate within the Sussex area.”
Learning that you are living with HIV can be a catalyst for positive change in your life and that seems to be a theme that we see in many of our HIVpositive guests.
Sue says: “Not only are we talking about the effects of HIV stigma, we are reaching people from all communities living with HIV and saying we hear you we see you and feel your pain too. Together we can fight this, together we aim to get our messages out to everyone.”
The reality of living with HIV today is one of hope and optimism. Yes, we must acknowledge that there have been dark days in the past, but with successful treatment, and the many ways of preventing HIV we can look forward to a future which we once thought was out of reach.
The HIV Hour is broadcast on 97.2 FM and DAB+ radio every first and third Thursday. Check out www.HIVHour.org.uk for further details.
D www.sussexbeacon.org.uk
NOW & THEN
Reflections on need and support for World AIDS Day.
Words by Romany Mark Bruce, sculptor and creator of Tay, Brighton & Hove AIDS Memorial
) During the second part of 1991 and first part of 1992, I spent much of my time driving to London to visit my friend Paul who had been diagnosed with AIDS. For many months I would visit Paul at his mother’s house in Kingston-upon-Thames. Paul grew sicker, afflicted with Kaposi’s sarcoma, a type of cancer that forms masses on the skin, and lost weight dramatically, and eventually he was transferred to Guy’s hospital, and thereafter to the Middlesex Hospital.
As Paul’s health declined I would visit him more frequently, eventually making the journey from Brighton to the Middlesex Hospital in Fitzrovia every other evening after work in always worried that my my 1967 Triumph Vitesse. Once, when the exhaust pipe fell off, I had to tie to up with my shoe laces before I continued my journey.
Looking back I struggle to remember what Paul looked like when he was very sick, I blocked out those images very early on. What I do recall with great ease and clarity is the bleakness of the Broderip ward. It was grim. The walls were a dull yellowing cream, and there was one portable television to be shared by all the patients. Everything about Paul’s surroundings echoed the hopelessness of his situation.
Paul died on 20 May 1992, on a day when I was not due to drive to London. I did not share with anyone that Paul had AIDS, I just let them assume it was cancer that caused his death.
Lack of resources and stigma were two issues that overwhelmed me at the
time of Paul’s death. Thirty-two years on, many might presume that these are issues of the past. They would be wrong. HIV is a medical condition that still carries a lot of stigma, which can lead to discrimination and abuse, isolation and loneliness. Many of those with HIV are reliant upon charities for support.
As World AIDS Day approaches, these charities will be out and about in Brighton. Donor fatigue is understandable in the present climate, but do remember, any contribution, however small, could make a significant impact on those living with HIV. Much may have changed since 1992, but many of the issues remain.
PAUL
TAY
LUNCH POSITIVE
Continuing community support, and a call to action
) This year Lunch Positive celebrated our 15th anniversary as Brighton & Hove’s locally HIV founded, led and delivered HIV charity. Some may remember our formation back in 2009, as a continuation of the decades of support provided by the Open Door HIV community project, which sadly closed in 2008.
Much loved, we have continued its community ethos. We are rooted in inclusivity, caring and compassion, engaging and supporting large numbers of people who are otherwise unreached. People are at the very heart of everything we do.
It’s been another busy and impactful year for us, as always reaching hundreds of people living with HIV and providing support that isn’t found elsewhere.
Much has changed in living with HIV over the forty years that many of our staff, volunteers and members have lived with HIV, but nothing has diminished the need for many people living with HIV to have a safe and supportive community space of their
very own to meet and support each other, to overcome many of the life challenges caused by HIV or seriously exacerbated by having an HIV diagnosis; experiences and feelings of HIV stigma, loneliness, poverty and financial difficulties, homelessness and insecure housing; getting older with lack
of support, ageing and often frailty.
Also for some people living with HIV as we age, coping with other serious illness, caring for others, loss of our friends and loved ones. These are all experiences and circumstances that we encounter at Lunch Positive; and those which are relieved through the wonderful gathering of people with HIV who care for each other, our volunteers and their amazing support, and the help provided by our brilliant community organisation partners that visit and provide ‘add on’ specialist support.
Being at a Lunch Positive HIV community service, lunch club, sanctuary space, drop-in session, or peer-support group is so impactful and valued. Very often people who are new to our services are moved, close to tears of joy and relief when they first visit, commenting on finally “feeling I am not alone, not the only one with HIV”, “part of a family”, “normal and worth something”, and more.
“People are at the very heart of everything we do.”
It is so uplifting to see meaningful friendships made, support shared, lives transformed and changed for the better. For many people these are the only services they feel a genuine part of, comfortable and safe to be themselves, available at any point of life despite often challenging and turbulent life circumstances. “It’s so much more than lunch,” is what we always here, and that’s so true.
In addition to the amazing food prepared by our volunteer kitchen team, food bank, and outreach of food to people at home in need, our incredibly committed and capable volunteers fulfil an important wider mission.
With great skill they share time with people making them feel welcome, often at times of crisis or experiencing anxiety. They provide an empathic listening ear at times of difficulty and sometimes distress. They help people to make connections, share conversation and peer support.
In addition to this, our volunteers, including those living with HIV, have helped develop unique community projects and enhancements to the wraparound support we provide – a specialised HIV befriending scheme, HIV community based social prescribing
project, peer-support groups, wellbeing workshops and activities, and our fast developing peer-support, social and lunch groups happening in other towns across Sussex.
Our wellbeing worker plays an important role in providing specialist 1-1 advice and support, and linking our work closely with HIV clinics, the NHS and other organisations. We’ve received numerous awards, including the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, and we’re active contributors to national, regional and local HIV action plans, and policy development.
Tens of thousands of volunteer hours are given every year, and we’re immensely proud that we reach, involve and support so many people who value and take such benefit from our truly community based work.
At each World AIDS Day, we take the opportunity to celebrate these amazing achievements of community supporting community, and reflecting on the continuing needs that exist in living with HIV. This year, we are also reaching out to people reading and caring about this. Never before has funding for community based work such as ours been so precarious, and we very much need the support of the wider community to help us.
People often aren’t aware, for example, that we pay rent which has almost doubled in the last two years, additional energy costs have soared, donated food is declining and the cost of food
to provide support increased. Grant funding has become far less secure, much reduced, and massively more pressured overall.
Smaller charities like ours are disproportionately affected, and we do not employ fundraising staff and teams – our resources and energies so greatly focussed on directly supporting people. We work hard to raise our own funds and hope that individuals and businesses, if not already one of our amazing supporters, will become involved in helping us raise more to keep our services running.
There are so many ways to do this, through donations, businesses supporting us with fundraising drives, people taking part and sponsoring us at challenge events, coming along to community events held to benefit us, birthday giving, and more.
If you haven’t before, please also choose us as charity that you can help. Please help us to continue our unique and much needed work. Every pound raised will provide direct community support and make a difference to people’s lives.
Thank you for hearing more about our work and the incredible efforts of our volunteers to support the HIV community. If you can support us or want to talk about ways to help, get in touch, we would love to hear from you.
) Email hello@lunchpositive.org or visit www.lunchpositive.org
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PAINT THE TOWN RED
“Let’s make a difference together!”
) On Sunday, December 1 our LGBTQ+ venues are painting the town red for World AIDS Day
) Charles Street Tap, one of our favourite LGBTQ+ venues in Brighton, is hosting a star-studded fundraiser for Terrence Higgins Trust on World AIDS Day, Sunday, December 1
Head along for a massive night of raffles, fundraising and fabulous performances from 7pm: Alfie Ordinary, Drag With No Name, Baga Chipz, plus special guests Rose Garden, Dave Lynn and Sally Vate
D Book a table now: www. charlesstreettap.co.uk/party-booking
) Local gallery Brighton Box is holding a special World AIDS Day event with ‘80s
pop star SONIA on Sunday, December 1 from 3 – 6pm, with all profits donated to Lawson Unit and Sussex Beacon.
A celebration of diversity and creativity, this event is an opportunity to explore a showcase of art and performances that celebrate our LGBTQ+ communities.
In the evening, head to LGBTQ+ hotspot Centre Stage (11-12 Marine Parade,
BN1 1TL) for the main event with SONIA lighting up the stage from 6pm. The popstar, who famously came so close to winning Eurovision with Better the Devil You Know, will be joined by cabaret stars Tanya Hyde, Portia and Ruffles
D Tickets include meet and greet with SONIA: https://buytickets.at/ thebrightonboxgallery/1400767
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BRIGHTON AIDS MEMORIAL
) In Brighton on World AIDS Day, we huddle in the chill air of New Steine Gardens to ‘hear the voices of dead friends.’ Two hundred souls taken by the virus are remembered as names are read, one after another.
Brighton was hit hard by AIDS, and due to the number of victims and their age, many likened the experience to being in a war. But as writer and activist Neil Bartlett once reminded me, using war as a metaphor is dangerous because it suggests an end. World War One stopped at 11 o’clock on the 11 November 1918 with an armistice, but HIV, AIDS and the stigma that surrounds it continues to this day.
I started the Brighton AIDS Memorial in 2021 as a remembrance project to collect stories, photos, and ephemera after being directly inspired by the AIDS Memorial on Instagram. It concerned me that with each passing year more Brighton stories were being lost, fading like photos left out in the sun.
My hope was to create a space for memory, recollection, and reminiscence to celebrate lives and ignite memories like the sea of candles on World AIDS Day. It saddens me that despite the carnage the disease brought to our
city, little remains of the heroes of the epidemic or its history, just some shadows and a few buildings turned into flats. Lastly and equally importantly, the project also joins the fight against stigma by talking openly about the past and empowering those living with HIV.
Over the last few years, a steady stream of contributors has come forward which I believe demonstrates a need for the project. Many appear to have experienced a sense of cathartic release because of sharing their stories, tinged with healing and hope.
If you would like to add something to the Brighton AIDS Memorial, however small, please get in touch –brightonaidsmemorial@gmail.com. Look in those old shoe boxes under the bed, or the scrapbooks and photo albums in a cupboard and help me build this collection. It can be viewed on Instagram as ‘The Brighton AIDS Memorial’ and on Queer Heritage South – www.queerheritagesouth.co.uk - as one of the collections. Physical objects like letters, books and photographs have been archived in the Bishopsgate Institute’s LGBTQ+ history collection where they will be accessible for future generations.
Some exciting news…
This year for World AIDS Day, Jubilee Library will be hosting a public display of photos from the 1993 ‘Brighton Remembers’ exhibition, two 3 by 6 feet fabric panels created in recognition of a person who died from AIDS-related illness, and the Brighton Hankie Quilt The exhibition will be on display from Monday, November 25 until Sunday, December 8. A big thanks to the LGBTQ Workers’ Forum for sponsoring the project and making the exhibition possible
‘Love is life that lasts forever.’
Harry Hillery – The Brighton AIDS Memorial
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Positive Words
Lunch Positive delivers Words for Wellbeing.
Words by Simon Maddrell
) When I plucked up the courage to attend Lunch Positive one Friday three years ago, I thought it was simply about feeding those living with HIV. But I knew it wasn’t about stomachs as soon as I entered the room, stepping into a community buzzing with everything from energetic banter to more hushed 1:1s.
Lunch Positive is more than a meal, offering 1:1 support, befriending, day trips, a gateway to other support services and, perhaps most importantly, friendship. All members are living with HIV –– volunteers include allies who recognise the wellbeing importance of connection with others, and facilitate a safer, inclusive environment for that to happen in a meaningful way.
To enhance the wellbeing initiatives for members, Lunch Positive has just completed delivering a series of six Words for Wellbeing workshops. Six participants have explored living with HIV through reading, writing, and listening to poems and prose during three-hour weekly workshops. Half of them were not writers of any sort and only one had written about their experiences of living with HIV.
During the sessions we explored diagnosis – Mum, I have something important to tell you; stigma – Stigma and stones will not break my bones, but society’s views will hurt me; and the grief about those that we lost – And who exactly are you? Does his family know? You know it’s AIDS, don’t you?
Excavating our memories, many also recalled the awakening of their sexuality
- An impressionable lump of clay that didn’t fit the mould that others easily filled… I had discovered my difference from my brushes with boys; and how many had ‘escaped’ to BrightonI’m on my way out of a small-minded
huddle; and what they had found here – I have a tribe now that offers me protection.
Writing, reading and listening to literature has been scientifically proven to improve wellbeing in a range of contexts, which is why it is such an important initiative. Those of us living with HIV know that silence still equals death - epitomised by the two-five times increase in male suicide rates driven by HIV Stigma.
To measure wellbeing impact we used ‘Before and After’ questionnaires using the nationally accepted WEMWBS rating. Average scores improved by 1.8 –– which is significant even though a cohort of six participants cannot prove statistical significance. We also asked participants to rate (from 1-5) how comfortable they were about three aspects of living with HIV –– their HIV status, being asked about it, and talking about it –– as these were areas we were specifically hoping to influence improvements. The average ratings for
all the three questions improved 38% from 9.3 to 12.8 (or from 62% to 85% of the maximum possible score of 15).
In addition, all the participants said they would either read, write or listen to literature more as a result of the workshops with 83% saying they would do each of them ‘more often’ or ‘much more often’, which suggests that participants will continue to benefit from their experiences. All participants were satisfied with the workshops overall, and 83% ‘very satisfied’.
“I
have a tribe now that
offers me protection.”
As the facilitator, I found the whole experience very enriching, and it taught me more about the experience living with HIV stretching back thirty years. It was a delight and a privilege bearing witness to people’s stories, as well as how they embraced different ways of expressing themselves. I hope we will be able to develop the project further.
The last words, of course, must be reserved for those who attended: I never thought I had a creative part of my brain, but this proves I have.
It was good to revisit things from the past.
It was good we didn’t have to share the content of our writing if we preferred not to.
Surprised how well it pulled out memories and that I could portray them in poetry.
We’ve all been on a journey. HIV wasn’t the elephant in the room, it was a common thread.
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TAKING THE LEAD
Brighton & Hove takes a lead ending HIV stigma by Gary Pargeter, Zero HIV Stigma Group
) World AIDS Day marks and commemorates many things, none least than the importance of raising awareness of the true facts about HIV, reducing and ending HIV stigma which can be so damaging to people and communities, and which can prevent people from getting tested and takingup care.
Brighton & Hove became the first UK Fast Track City in 2017, committed to ending new cases of HIV and AIDS by 2030 by working in partnership between Brighton & Hove City Council, NHS services and voluntary sector organisations. The Brighton & Hove Fast Track City Taskforce collaborates with a national and global network of other Fast Track Cities, as well as our local communities.
We have a Local HIV Action Plan based on the National HIV Action Plan which was published in 2022. The aim is to ensure that everyone in Brighton & Hove can access free world class HIV prevention, and the support they need. By 2030, our goal is to achieve ZERO-HIV stigma, ZERO-new HIV, infections, ZEROdeaths from HIV. This is called “getting to zero”. In Brighton & Hove 99% of people living with HIV are on effective treatment and unable to ‘Pass It On’.
But HIV stigma still exists, and everyone can play a valuable part in ending HIV stigma. The Brighton & Hove Fast Track City Taskforce has been working hard all year, consisting of a wide range of public sector, NHS, and voluntary sector organisations, and involving people living with HIV. From this taskforce, a dedicated Zero HIV Stigma Group has progressed with a range of new
work streams, projects and tools to end stigma, including education of HIV stigma in health care settings; empowering people living with HIV, public awareness, engaging culture and arts projects, engaging directly with faith communities, and developing activities with education providers. Our focus in 2024 has been on delivering a comprehensive programme for International Zero HIV Stigma Day on July 21.
Following on from the success of the previous year’s event in Jubilee Square, with funding from Brighton & Hove City Council alongside a contribution from the Martin Fisher Foundation, there was a programme of activities leading up to July 21, 2024.
This included a digital media campaign developed by Terrence Higgins Trust, bus stop adverts, photo exhibition by the More to Me than HIV group in Jubilee Library, briefing for faith organisations and video distribution in healthcare settings. Brighton & Hove Buses arranged for the Martin Fisher Foundation bus to be on the busy No 7
bus route throughout the day on July 21, sharing displays and messages towards ending HIV stigma.
A community awareness raising event was held in the afternoon in Jubilee Square, outside Jubilee Library. The aim of this event was to promote positive actions to tackle HIV Stigma in the city and to redefine the negative narratives associated with HIV. With Mary O’Kart hosting and speakers from the Martin Fisher Foundation, Terrence Higgins Trust, HIV Hour, Lunch Positive, the Sussex Beacon and Brighton & Hove Community Works,
people shared moving, powerful, and authentic accounts of living with HIV and experiencing HIV stigma, how they overcame these, and the real facts of living with HIV.
The Rainbow Chorus opened and closed the event in wonderful rousing song, drawing in many passers-by to the important messages around HIV stigma.
Going forward, the Zero HIV Stigma Group will be building on the work streams developed in 2024, with a broad and increasingly wider reach across organisations and communities in Brighton & Hove, reducing HIV stigma through a range of activities, research and programmes.
) For more information on what’s happening locally with HIV stigma you can look at the Martin Fisher Foundation, where much of this information is curated and find ways to become involved www. themartinfisherfoundation.org/themartin-fisher-foundation/
) All photos by Simon Pepper Photography
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designed support those with concerns about thinking and memory and to offer clear and helpful information about brain health.
AGEING WELL WITH HIV
Community Lunch & Learning
) People who are fifty and over are the fastest growing group of people living with HIV in the UK. October 1 was the International Day of Older People, and Brighton & Hove held an Ageing Well Festival – a series of celebration and learning events surrounding getting older. Lunch Positive and Sussex HIV Chaplaincy were pleased to co-host a special HIV community event on ageing with HIV, bringing together people living with and local support organisations, hearing about what’s available and developments in their work.
Held at Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, over 60 people came along, with short presentations given from wide ranging local providers. These included Lawson Unit HIV Clinic; the Silver Clinic, which supports people to age well with HIV; the Orange Clinic, which supports people living with HIV who have cognitive issues or concerns; NHS community services; and voluntary sector organisations such as Lunch Positive, Sussex Beacon and Terrence Higgins Trust, who all provide community and outreach support.
People attending heard how people living with HIV who are growing older may become affected by multiple health conditions, frailty, be taking lots of different medications, experience reduced mobility, social isolation and falls.
People listened with great interest to all that’s available for people living with HIV as they age, including the invaluable contributions of services such as specialist community services, research, and support with brain health.
Beth Freeborn, Community Nurse Specialist, said: “It was a privilege to be asked to come back and present the Community HIV Specialist Services (CHIVSS) in relation to ageing well. We
work collaboratively across primary, secondary and voluntary services. The team consists of eight clinical nurse specialists, one apprentice and two psychologists.
“We aim to bridge the gap in care that exists for patients who are unable to get to clinic regularly or at all, by providing equitable services; to our ageing population. It is acknowledged that people living with HIV tend to develop age related co – morbidities earlier than others owing to the inflammatory process of HIV. To keep abreast of this, CHIVSS is upskilling, we currently have three nurse prescribers, one advance clinical practitioner and one in training.
“Our ongoing training and networking enables us to provide an evolving service for people living with HIV. By completing assessments (alongside clinical skills) in people’s homes we often find areas of need that we can address in-house or by referring out to other specialist services or clinics.
“We are a small team so there is continuity of care from a named nurse and our work aims to reduce hospital admissions due to early intervention. This has been enhanced by our documentation system being open to GPs and other community servicesreducing HIV stigma and possible drug interactions.”
Katie Alford from Brighton & Sussex Medical School updated on research happening on ageing with HIV, and an innovative new website resource around HIV and brain health: “A new website will be launched on World AIDS Day to support people living with HIV who are experiencing memory or thinking problems. Created by researchers at Brighton & Sussex Medical School, alongside service users from the Sussex Beacon, the website is
“This resource was developed following research showing that many people with HIV who are experiencing cognitive issues, as well as their healthcare providers, reported a real lack of information on how to maintain and support brain function, especially as they age. Many also expressed confusion about how HIV can affect the brain and what it means to be diagnosed with cognitive impairment.
“The website explains what cognitive impairment is, why it might happen, and the signs and symptoms to look out for. It offers practical advice on where to get help if you’re concerned, what to expect if you reach out for support, and tips on keeping your brain healthy. It also provides strategies for managing everyday challenges if you’re dealing with thinking or memory problems.
“For healthcare professionals, the website offers guidance on understanding the various causes of cognitive impairment in people with HIV, how to assess them in clinical settings, and how to create personalised care plans based on the root causes. This novel website is an important resource for people living with HIV and those who care for them, offering crucial support for understanding and managing brain health as part of overall wellbeing in people with HIV. Please visit www. MemoryHIV.org to learn more.”
Gary Pargeter, Director at Lunch
Positive, concluded the event by saying: “It was a real pleasure to host this important community event for the second year running, and to bring together people living with HIV, clinic and research teams, and voluntary sector organisations. Locally we have an amazing range of support services which have developed because of the close connections between people who use services and those that provide them.
“People living with HIV having a voice is fundamental and essential to ensure services and support remain relevant, impactful and develop for the future. It has felt hugely inspirational to be part of this collaborative community event where this is so evident.”
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TERRENCE HIGGINS TRUST
Working to increase HIV testing, addressing the stigma surrounding HIV and ensuring that those living with HIV can access the care and support they need
) Terrence Higgins Trust is the UK’s leading HIV charity. At the forefront of the charity’s efforts is the government’s ambitious goal of achieving zero HIV transmissions by 2030. Terrence Higgins Trust has long been a key player in responding to this challenge, working to increase HIV testing, addressing the stigma surrounding HIV and ensuring that those living with HIV can access the care and support they need.
One of the primary services offered by Terrence Higgins Trust in Brighton & Hove is free, rapid & confidential HIV testing. The service includes clinic-based testing at our central clinic, outreach testing in various venues across Brighton & Hove and the distribution of home testing kits. This flexibility is essential in making testing accessible to everyone. Regular testing is vital to achieving zero transmissions by 2030, as it ensures that individuals who are HIV-positive are diagnosed early, allowing them to start life-saving treatment as soon as possible.
Alongside testing, the charity promotes PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a highly effective medication that can prevent HIV transmission. PrEP is available for free from Brighton Sexual Health (SHAC) or Terrence Higgins Trust’s communitybased prep clinic, Prep2U.
Once diagnosed, access to effective treatment is essential for people living with HIV. Terrence Higgins Trust helps individuals navigate the healthcare system, ensuring they can access antiretroviral therapy (ART), the treatment that suppresses the virus in the body. Through ART, people living
with HIV can achieve an undetectable viral load, meaning the virus cannot be transmitted to sexual partners. This is the foundation of the U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) campaign, which is central to Terrence Higgins Trust’s work in Brighton & Hove.
The fact that people on effective HIV treatment can’t pass it on has been important in reducing the stigma around HIV, as it confirms that effective treatment prevents the transmission of the virus. Terrence Higgins Trust actively promotes this campaign, educating both those living with HIV and the wider public to ensure that everyone understands the importance and benefit of treatment adherence.
The emotional and psychological impact of living with HIV can be profound, and addressing mental health is an integral part of Terrence Higgins Trust’s work in Brighton & Hove.
The charity offers counselling and peer support services to help individuals cope with the emotional toll of an HIV diagnosis and manage ongoing health issues. These services provide a safe and supportive environment where individuals can speak openly about their experiences, reducing feelings of isolation and helping them maintain a positive outlook on life.
Terrence Higgins Trust also offers practical support, such as help with navigating the benefits system, housing advice, and guidance on how to manage relationships and disclose their HIV status to partners. This holistic approach ensures that people living
“Through community engagement, Terrence Higgins Trust is working to tackle misconceptions about HIV and reduce the stigma that still surrounds HIV.”
with HIV are supported in all aspects of their lives, not just their health.
The charity provides a free, nonjudgemental, and confidential service to help you start getting control over unwanted behaviours. This programme is tailored to the client’s needs.
Generally delivered between four to six sessions, but this can be flexible. Through this programme you’ll have a safe space to explore any difficulties you might be having such as:
• Chemsex
• Drug and alcohol misuse
• Safer sex
• Sex work
• Relationships.
Through this, Terrence Higgins Trust can help to identify triggers, initiate behaviour change and set goals.
The charity runs numerous training courses, campaigns, and outreach programmes aimed at raising awareness about HIV. Through community engagement, Terrence Higgins Trust is working to tackle misconceptions about HIV and reduce the stigma that still surrounds HIV.
) For more information about Terrence Higgins Trust’s services in Brighton & Hove visit www.tht.org.uk/brightonandhove or call us on 01273 764200.
LIVING WITH HIV TODAY
The Sussex Beacon’s service provision
) On 31 March 1992, the Sussex Beacon’s foundation stone was laid at its Bevendean Road location overlooking the South Downs, marking the creation of a new centre of care for people living with HIV.
The Beacon was formed in response to a major need from the Brighton and wider Sussex communities, during the AIDS pandemic of the 1980s and ‘90s. Acknowledging the need for a specialist centre to care for people at the end of their lives, members of the local community rallied around, organising a series of activities to raise the funds necessary to make the Sussex Beacon a reality.
Over the past 30 years the Sussex Beacon has adapted its services to support the ever changing needs of people living with HIV. Our community and inpatient services work closely together with the NHS and other charities to optimise the physical health and mental wellbeing of our service users.
The Sussex Beacon is working with increasing numbers of people ageing with HIV, growing numbers of women and migrants many of whom are refugees or asylum seekers; our support to people living with HIV has remains as vital as ever often due to complexity of need, poverty and health inequalities.
We are proud that we have been able to continue our unique model of care, demonstrating a range of services that are still very much in demand by people living with HIV.
Our services focus very much on mental health, drug and alcohol detox, ageing with HIV, social health challenges and peer support, alongside palliative care. We are honoured to be able to support our local NHS hospital trusts through preventing admissions or enabling discharge through step down into our care.
Much of the Beacon’s work, via our Inpatient Unit and Community Services Team, is keeping patients and service users across Sussex healthy and engaged with their HIV treatment. Our services support people who are newly diagnosed, adults who acquired HIV as babies/children and those who have been living with the effects of HIV for decades. Our focus is to support people to be physically and mentally healthy and engaged in their treatment, and to challenge 40 years of HIV stigma and the pressure that brings to people’s lives.
Our Community & Outreach Services Manager, Alan Spink, says: “There is a lot of discussion about what it is to live well with HIV and we have encouraged our service users to contribute to the new national HIV Action Plan to share what they need to live their best lives, as well using that information to deliver relevant offers at the Beacon such as our Positive Living fitness and cognitive programme, case work and group work.”
Tracey Buckingham, who has delivered and overseen HIV nursing care for decades, reflects on why a specialist inpatient unit remain an integral part of the local HIV care pathway. “Many of the patients we care for are now presenting with co-morbidities such as cardiac conditions, diabetes, mental ill-health, neurocognitive changes and certain types of cancer.
“Our inpatient nurses and client support workers are a highly skilled team and have developed expertise in managing many of these conditions. Our holistic, patient-centred care approach to care completely supports the needs of our service users in a safe space.”
) www.sussexbeacon.org.uk
MORE THAN RIBBONS
Words by Terrence Higgins Trust
) It’s more than a ribbon. It’s remembering everyone lost to HIV. It’s a promise to support people living with HIV. It’s a pledge to end new cases of HIV by 2030. It’s a stand against HIV stigma.
This World AIDS Day, as we remember those we’ve lost to HIV, join with our community to promise, pledge and take a stand for people living with HIV – because it’s more than a ribbon. Many of those who died from AIDSrelated illnesses in the early days of the epidemic were deliberately forgotten due to the stigma and discrimination that was rife at the time.
“The stigma hasn’t gone anywhere.”
It wasn’t long ago that a HIV diagnosis was a terminal one. In fact, more than 38 million people have been lost to HIV globally since the start of this epidemic. Mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. Friends and chosen family.
That’s why on World AIDS Day, and every day, it’s so vital to pay tribute and give thanks to those who came before us. The progress we’ve made in the fight against HIV wouldn’t be possible without their contributions.
The red ribbon is also a commitment to be there for people living with HIV.
It’s remarkable how much an HIV diagnosis has transformed since the 1980s. It’s crucial to know that you can now live a long, healthy life with HIV thanks to incredible advancements in treatment. For many, this is just one tablet once a day.
HIV treatment works by stopping the virus from reproducing and reducing the amount of virus in the blood to an ‘undetectable’ level. This means that the virus can’t be passed on to anyone else. It also keeps people living with HIV healthy.
There is so much to celebrate but sadly, the stigma hasn’t gone anywhere. It’s completely unacceptable that so many people living with HIV face stigma and discrimination – we clearly need to redouble our efforts to ensure those affected by the virus can thrive, not just survive.
Every one of us must pledge ourselves as allies against stigma and keep shouting about the facts on HIV. Because we will never truly end the epidemic without eradicating the stigma.
The HIV epidemic in the UK is now within our reach – this would have been unimaginable in the dark days of the HIV epidemic. This goal means so much to so many that it would be unforgivable to not do everything in our
power to achieve it. The opportunity is there because we have incredible tools to prevent HIV transmission. There’s the HIV prevention pill PrEP, there’s quick and easy access to HIV testing, there’s condoms, there’s the life-changing fact that someone living with HIV and on effective treatment can’t pass it on to their partners. We have all the tools.
“Join with our community to promise, pledge and take a stand for people living with HIV.”
Get it right and we could be the first country in the world to end new HIV cases. And it would be the first time in history that we have stopped the onward transmission of any virus without a vaccine or a cure. What a legacy that would be.
For our namesake, Terry Higgins, one of the first to die from AIDS-related illnesses in the UK, for everyone we have lost and for everyone living well with HIV today, it is our duty to make it happen.
Terrence Higgins Trust is the UK’s leading HIV charity providing support, advice, and information services to people living with HIV. Our vision: We strive for a future where there are no new cases of HIV and where people living with HIV get the support they need.
) Please, if you can, donate so we can continue our life-changing work: www.tht.org.uk/donate
1 Affinity Bar m
129 St James’s St, BN2 1TH www.facebook.com/AffinityGayBar/
2 Bar Broadway m
10 Steine St, BN2 1TE 01273 609777
www.barbroadway.co.uk
3 Bar Revenge m
5-7 Marine Parade, BN2 1TA www.revenge.co.uk
4 Barber Blacksheep m
18 St George’s Rd, BN2 1EB 01273 623408
wwww.barberblacksheep.com
5 Bedford Tavern mm
30 Western St, BN1 2PG 01273 739495
6 Brighton Birdcage m
35 Gloucester Rd, BN1 4AQ 01273 624010
7 Brighton Box m
25 Dukes Lane, Ship Street, BN1 1BG, 01273 722 036
8 Brighton Sauna m
75 Grand Parade, BN2 9JA 01273 689966
www.thebrightonsauna.com
9 Brighton Tavern m
99-100 Gloucester Rd, BN1 4AP 01273 680365
10 Bulldog m
31 St James’s St Mews, BN2 1RF
11 Camelford Arms mm
30-31 Camelford St, BN2 1TQ 01273 622386
12 Charles Street Tap mm
8-9 Marine Parade, BN2 1TA 01273 624091
www.charles-street.com
13 Centre Stage mm
11-12 Marine Parade, BN2 1TL 01273 688 826
www.facebook.com/centrestagebrighton
14 Curzon m m
7 Rock St, BN2 1NF, 01273 697054
www.facebook.com/CurzonBarBrighton/
15 Dental Health Spa m
14–15 Queens Rd, BN1 3WA 01273 710831
www.dentalhealthspa.co.uk
16 Engleharts m
49 Vallance Hall, Hove St, BN3 2DE 01273 204411
www.engleharts.co.uk
17 Fallen Angel m
24 Grafton St, BN2 1AQ
18 Glamorous Brighton m
24 Grafton St, BN2 1AQ
19 Grosvenor Bar m
16 Western St, BN1 2PG 01273 438587
20 HITZone Hove m
Unit 23, Waterside House, Basin Rd N, Hove, BN41 1UY
21 Legends Bar, Club & Hotel mmm
31-34 Marine Parade, BN2 1TR 01273
Advertisers’ Map
624462 www.legendsbrighton.com
22 Marine Tavern mm 13 Broad St, BN2 1TJ 01273 681284
23 Nautilus Lounge m 129 St James’s St, BN2 1TH www.nautiluslounge.com
24 New Steine Hotel & Bistro mmm 12a New Steine, BN2 1PB 01273 681546 www.newsteinehotel.com
25 Paris House mm 21 Western Rd, BN3 1AF 01273 724195
26 Prowler m 112-113 St James’s St, BN2 1TH, 01273 603813 www.prowlerpoppers.co.uk
27 Queen’s Arms m 7 George St, BN2 1RH www.theqabrighton.com
28 Railway Club m 4 Belmont, Dyke Rd, BN1 3TF 01273 328682
29 Regency Tavern mm
32-34 Russell Sq, BN1 2EF 01273 325 652
30 Revenge m
32-34 Old Steine, BN1 1EL www.revenge.co.uk
31 Three Jolly Butchers mm
59 North Rd, BN1 1YD 01273 608571
32 Trading Post & Cup of Joe’s mmm
28 St George’s Rd, BN2 1EE 01273 698873
33 Velvet Jacks mm
50 Norfolk Sq, BN1 2PA http://tinyurl.com/VelvetJacks
34 Zone m
33 St James’s St, BN2 1RF www.zonebrighton.co.uk
Key
m Bars/Pubs
m Food m Clubs
m Hotels
m Legal Services
m Cafes
m Shopping m Fitness/Health
m Sauna
SERVICES DIRECTORY
LGBTQ+ Services
l Allsorts Youth Project
Youth Groups and One-to-One Support for LGBTQ+ young people under 26 (in-person & online). Weekly sessions 01273 721211 or email info@ allsortsyouth.org.uk allsortsyouth.org.ukk
l Brighton & Hove Police
Report all homophobic, biphobic or transphobic incidents to: 24/7 assistance call police on 101 (emergencies 999) Report online at: www.sussex. police.uk
LGBT team (not 24/7) email: LGBT@sussex.pnn. police.uk
l Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard
• LGBT Older People’s Project
• LGBT Health and Inclusion Project
• LGBTQ Disability & Neurodiversity Project
• Rainbow Café Project: support for LGBT+ people with dementia
• Trans and Non-Binary Link Project
• LGBT Grief Encounters Project
• Volunteering opportunities, call Riley 07599 434057
Helpline hours: Wed & Thur, 7–9.30pm; trans-only webchat on Sun 3–5pm: call 01273 359042 or email info@switchboard.org.uk or helpline@ switchboard.org.uk Webchat www.switchboard. org.uk/helpline. www.switchboard.org.uk/brighton Office Number: 01273 234009
l Brighton OneBodyOneFaith Brighton sexuality, gender, & faith Group. Meets monthly. Contact: Nigel Nash nigelnash@me.com. www.onebodyonefaith.org.uk
l Brighton Women’s Centre Info, counselling, drop-in space, support groups admin@Womenscentre.org.uk or visit www. womenscentre.org.uk
l Lesbian & Gay AA
12-step self-help programme for alcohol addictions: Sun, 7.30pm, Chapel Royal, North St, Btn (side entrance). 01273 203 343 (general AA line). www. alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk
l LGBTQ+ Cocaine Anonymous
Meeting every Tues 6.30-8pm, 6 Tilbury Pl, Brighton, BN2 0GY, CA isn’t allied with any outside organisation, and neither endorses or opposes any causes. Helpline 0800 6120225, www.cocaineanonymous.org.uk www.sussexcocaineanonymous.co.uk
l LGBTQ+ NA Group
Brighton-based LGBTQ+ (welcomes others) Narcotics Anonymous group every Tue 6.30–8pm, Millwood Centre, Nelson Row, Kingswood St. 0300 999 1212
l LGBT+ Meditation Group
Meditation & discussion, every 2nd & 4th Thur, 5.30–7pm, Anahata Clinic, 119 Edward St, Brighton. 07789 861 367 or www.bodhitreebrighton.org.uk
l Lunch Positive
Lunch club for people with HIV. Meet/make friends, find peer support in safe space. Every Fri, noon–2.30pm, Community Room, Dorset Gdns Methodist Church, Dorset Gdns, Brighton. Lunch £1.50. 07846 464 384 or www.lunchpositive.org
l MCC Brighton
Inclusive, affirming space where all are invited to come
as they are to explore their spirituality without judgement. 01273 515572 or info@mccbrighton.org.uk www.mccbrighton.org.uk
l MindOut
Independent, impartial services run by and for LGBTQ people with experience of mental health issues. 24 hr confidential answerphone: 01273 234839 or email info@mindout.org.uk and out of hours online chat www.mindout.org.uk
l Navigate
Social/peer support group for trans, non-binary & intersex, AFAB, FTM, transmasculine & gender queer people. Every 2nd Friday of the month from 6-8pm (currently on Zoom) at Possability Place, Windlesham Venue, BN1 3AH (formerly Space for Change) navigatebrighton.co.uk
l Peer Action
Regular low cost yoga, therapies, swimming, meditation & social groups for people with HIV. contact@ peeraction.net or www.peeraction.net
l Rainbow Families
Support group for lesbian and/or gay parents 07951 082013 or info@rainbowfamilies.org.uk. www.rainbowfamilies.org.uk
l Rainbow Hub
Information, guidance and hate incident reporting services for LGBTQ+ communities in Brighton, Hove, and Sussex. Based at the Ledward Centre, Jubilee Street, BN1 1GE. Call 07714 782585 or visit www.therainbowhubbrighton.com
l Some People
Social/support group for LGB or questioning aged 14-19, Tue 5.30-7.30pm, Hastings. Call/text Kerrie Tolley-Cloke 07874 637593 or email somepeople@ eastsussex.gov.uk
l TAGS – The Arun Gay Society
Social Group welcome all in East & West Sussex Areas. Call/Text 07539 513171. More info: www.tagsonline. org.uk
l Victim Support
Anyone seeking help can contact our free 24/7
Supportline number on 0808 16 89 111 or get in touch via the website www.victimsupport.org.uk. A range of tools to help people cope and move forwards after crime can be found at www.mysupportspace.org.uk/moj
l The Village MCC
LGBTQ+ affirming church worship and pastoral care in Kemptown. See www.thevillagemcc.org, or call 07476 667353 for details.
HIV Prevention, Care & Treatment Services
l AVERT
Sussex HIV & AIDS info service 01403 210202 or confidential@avert.org
l Brighton & Hove CAB HIV Project Money, benefits, employment, housing, info, advocacy. Appointments: Tue-Thur 9am-4pm, Wed 9am-12.30pm Brighton & Hove Citizens Advice Bureau, Brighton Town Hall. 01273 733390 ext 520 or www. brightonhovecab.org.uk
l Clinic M
Free confidential testing & treatment for STIs including HIV, plus Hep A & B vaccinations. Claude Nicol Centre, Sussex County Hospital, on Weds from 5-8pm. 01273 523388 or www.brightonsexualhealth.com
l Community HIV Specialist Service
NHS nursing team supporting patients with HIV in the community and offering free HIV training for groups across Brighton & Hove and West Sussex. www.
sussexcommunity.nhs.uk/hiv
l Lawson Unit
Medical advice, treatment for HIV+, specialist clinics, diet & welfare advice, drug trials. 01273 664 722
l The Martin Fisher Foundation
STI HIV self-testing kits via digital vending machines available from: Jubilee Library, Wellsbourne Centre, Portland Road (between Wish Park Surgery and Kamson’s Pharmacy), BMEC Partnership Centre, Prowler and Brighton Sauna. www. themartinfisherfoundation.org
l Substance Misuse Service
Brighton & Hove Recovery Service manages and delivers the adult drug and alcohol services for the city. Change Grow Live (CGL) provides tailored support to adults in Brighton & Hove who identify as LGBTQ+. CGL offers 1-to-1 support, a variety of online and face to face groups. They offer LGBTQ+ specific groups via the peer-led Speakout group and have established links with a wide range of LGBTQ+ services. To refer to the service, email brighton.info@cgl.org.uk or phone 01273 731 900. More info: www.changegrowlive. org/brighton-hove-recovery-service/info
l Sussex Beacon
24-hour nursing & medical care, day care 01273 694222 or www.sussexbeacon.org.uk
l Terrence Higgins Trust Brighton & Hove For more info about these free services go to the THT office, 61 Ship St, Brighton, Mon–Fri, 10am–5pm 01273 764200 or info.brighton@tht.org.uk, facebook.com/THTBrighton
For people living with HIV:
• HIV support services: Info, support & practical advice
• Welfare rights advice: find out about benefits
• Counselling from qualified counsellors for up to 12 sessions
Health Promotion in Brighton & Hove: Provides services for men who have sex with men, anyone from African communities, sex workers of any gender, and trans or non-binary people.
• Visit clinic for free fast HIV & STI testing with results in <10 mins
• Free condoms and lube
• Confidential info and advice on sexual health & HIV
• Face2Face for gay/bi men; negotiating sex, chemsex, newly diagnosed
• Tailored support for sex workers, trans people and African communities
• Outreach - say hello online and in person for info, condoms & lube, and HIV/STI testing at Brighton Sauna, Boiler Room Sauna, Amsterdam, Charles Street Tap, and Legends bar. For details please check facebook.com/THTBrighton
l Sexual Health Worthing Free confidential tests & treatment for STIs inc HIVA; Hep vaccinations. Worthing-based 0845 111345645
National Helplines
l National LGBT Domestic Abuse Helpline at www.galop.org.uk and 0800 999 5428
l Switchboard 0300 330 0630
l Positiveline (Eddie Surman Trust) Mon-Fri 11am-10pm, Sat & Sun 4-10pm 0800 1696806
l Mainliners 02075 825226
l National AIDS Helpline 08005 67123
l National Drugs Helpline 08007 76600
l THT AIDS Treatment 08459 470047
l THT direct 0845 1221200