Blackburn Cathedral Vigil

posted: 24/11/2010

A candlelit HIV vigil at Blackburn Cathedral is one of the events in East Lancashire organised for World AIDS Day. The cathedral vigil will be on Thursday December 2nd 2010 at 7.15pm. The service is to be led by Canon Andrew Hindley. There will be speakers from Thrivine and music from the Cathedral Choir and Blackburn People’s choir.
 

Buffet and exhibitions in the Crypt

After the service wine and a light buffet will be served downstairs in the Crypt Cafe where you will also have the opportunity to view the exhibition of The Positive Picture, the results of a project funded by the NHS Dragon’s Apprentice. Painted lanterns and art works by local youth groups will also be on display.

Thrivine awards success
This year the East Lancashire HIV charity Thrivine was nominated for a CVS Community Award, and has recently won the Gilead “Putting patients 1st” Award for England and Northern Ireland, for 'Integrity, Teamwork and Excellence, thereby making a significant contribution to the lives of people living with HIV.'
 

Thrivine are very proud of their achievements so soon after their founding and welcome people to attend the vigil and help put an end to HIV related stigma.

More information
email Thrivine

Celebrating Our 25th with Pride

posted: 06/10/2010

George House Trust made a big impact at this years Pride event in central Manchester. 25 years ago six volunteers set up the organisation that became George House Trust. We've been at the heart of 25 years of campaigning and support for thousands of people with HIV across North West England ever since.
 

25th actions
The LGBT pride festival over the late August bank holiday weekend gave us a chance to promote our services to thousands of people in Manchester city centre. We chose silver on red for our 25th anniversary colours in the parade, had some human birthday cakes, gave out hundreds of 25th stickers, wore amazing retro George House Trust 25 T-shirts, shook a lot of cans, ran a popular stall in the Expo, photographed suggestions for T-shirt campaign slogans, and organised the vigil in Sackville Gardens.
 

Thanks
We are, as ever, immensely grateful to everyone who supported us at Pride in a hundred different ways, including all who volunteered and gave money. The warmth in the faces of so many people in the crowds lining the city centre streets, clapping and cheering us around the parade route for our 25 years of collective community efforts brought tears to our eyes. Thank You.
 

We are still waiting for the official announcement of the amount raised by Manchester Pride that is to be distributed to HIV and LGBT projects.
 

Appreciations
We would like to thank Beverley Knight for closing the vigil, Antony Crank for being our compere and Jonathan Mayor for his rallying call to action.
 

Vigil poem
Poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy wrote and read this moving poem for the vigil. She’s gifted the rights to George House Trust and we are happy for others to use this poem non commercially. 

VIGIL

When you lived,
no-one could hold a candle to you.
Tonight, small flames of memory
which scald the hands with wax tears
yearn to be tongues
uttering your name in light.

You burned bright,
illuminated right –
the vigilance of science,
the grace of tolerance;
this silence now
a deep, warm gathering of breath
to blow out guttering words:
stigma, ignorance, fear.
Let them know death.

One lit taper touches another,
contagious with fire,
and darkness glitters; brief flowers
each with its own smoke ghost -
they could be dancing, that close;
the living holding candles
for the lost.

CAROL ANN DUFFY August 2010
© george house trust Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives Licence
 

Candlelit Vigil 2009

posted: 03/09/2009

The Candlelit HIV Vigil is the climax, heart and soul for many people of Manchester Pride. Often talked about as the ‘spiritual heart’ of Manchester Pride, it saw Sackville Gardens, with its Beacon of Hope beside the Rochdale Canal, transformed on Monday night into a sea of candles. It offered an opportunity to remember those that have been lost to HIV and to celebrate the lives of thousands who are living with HIV in the North West of England, and the millions across the globe.

Organised by Colin at George House Trust, it was hosted by Jonathan Mayor in his usual flamboyant style. He spoke strongly about HIV stigma, and whipped up the mainly gay crowd to shout 'Good As You'.

There were a whole series of performances -

The Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus modelled their support and solidarity for people living with HIV by all wearing the STOP HIV STIGMA and GO TAKE ACTION T-shirts that George House Trust workers, volunteers and supporters had sported throughout the weekend. They gave us a beautifully sung version of Terence Trent D’Arby’s “Sign your name”. It's now on YouTube

Andrew Stokes, Chair of Manchester Pride, reflected on the weekend’s festivities and the importance of the Vigil as the closing point of Pride.

Simon Gilks, from the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra joined us to perform “Ashokan Farewell” on the violin, modelling a fine example of the STOP HIV STIGMA t-shirt.

Coronation Street and Queer as Folk star Antony Cotton led us into the minute silence with a beautiful reading of “They Are Not Dead” (words below). It is also now on YouTube.

Finally, Natasha Hamilton (formerly of Atomic Kitten) ended the Candlelit Vigil with a fantastic performance, and her own personal message of support.

Extra special thanks to speakers Paul and Craig
 

Manchester city councillor Paul Fairweather

Firstly, to long-standing friend, co-founder and supporter of George House Trust, of the LGBT community, and especially people living with HIV, Councillor Paul Fairweather. Paul has spoken at the Vigil many times, inspiring us and emphasising the support that Manchester City Council provides to the LGBT community and to people living with HIV. This message was reinforced again this year, but Paul made the occasion really special with a very personal message, as he declared publicly for the first time, on the stage, his own HIV positive status. Paul Fairweather told the crowd, and listeners on the radio:
“We have to beat the stigma and the nonsense surrounding this.
We can never put pressure on anybody to reveal their status – it's an incredibly individual, personal thing.
And I cannot stand here tonight and talk about being HIV positive without [mentioning] the love and support of my family, friends and colleagues. Many of us have this love and support, but many of us don't.
I and many other HIV positive gay men have experienced rejection and even hostility from within the gay community, as well as support.”

Paul’s announcement was greeted with a delighted round of tumultuous applause in support and solidarity.

He made the decision to become public about living with HIV to challenge the stigma and discrimination that exists towards people living with HIV. We are delighted to say Paul gave by far the best speech we can remember him ever deliver at a Vigil or anywhere else.

It is an honour that Paul chose to make such a personal announcement at the Vigil, at the climax of a Pride where we made ending the silence and stopping the stigma the heart of our message and campaigning. His declaration sends an extremely powerful message, that now especially, very many people living with HIV lead long, productive and inspiring lives.

Paul tells us that he has had a huge amount of support following his public declaration about living with HIV, by email and by text which he much appreciates. He was interviewed on Radio Manchester on Wednesday, and sounded very confident and relaxed. Manchester City Council deputy leader councillor Val Stevens commented: "Manchester City Council commends councillor Paul Fairweather in his decision to announce his HIV status at this Monday’s candlelight vigil during the Manchester Pride celebrations."

Craig - Positive Speaker

Craig, one of the George House Trust ‘Positive Speakers,’ who go out and talk about living with HIV to schools, colleges and workplaces, was up next. Craig was introduced by Kath Morgan, who coordinates the ‘Positive Speakers’. Kath spoke passionately, challenging and urging us all to take whatever action we can to STOP HIV STIGMA.

Craig spoke honestly and with candour about his personal experience of living with HIV, signalling that he was both comfortable and not in the least ashamed about it. In front of around 3000 people inside Sackville Gardens, mostly from the twin cities of Manchester and Salford’s gay community, radio listeners, the gay and city’s media, that is quite some risk and step for anyone to take.

This demonstrates, as did ‘Secrets and Lives’ earlier in the Pride festival, how profound a difference being a ‘Positive Speaker’ makes to the lives of the people joining it, as well as to its intended audience in schools, colleges and the wider community.

The Vigil crowd went away moved and empowered to take their own steps in challenging the HIV stigma and silence within the gay and wider community in which we all socialise and live our lives.

We would like to thank Manchester Pride, Manchester City Council, and the Lesbian and Gay Foundation for their support in making the Vigil such a landmark event in this year's LGBT Pride.

Listen Again to the Vigil

You can “listen again” to the Candlelit Vigil on BBC Radio Manchester until Monday 7 September.

Beacon of Hope

YouTube of Terence Trent D’Arby performing “Sign your name.” Lyrics to “Sign your name.”

“Ashokan Farewell” - information and performance links

George House Trust's ‘Positive Speakers’ programme details

Secrets and Lives event - Positive Speakers at the Frog and Bucket comedy club as part of the Pride Festival

Media coverage of Councillor Paul Fairweather’s declaration of his HIV status includes
PinkNews and Manchester Evening News and Manchester Advertiser

‘They are not dead’ – by the prolific, if unknown, Anonymous

They are not dead,
Who leave us this great heritage of remembering joy.

They still live in our hearts,
In the happiness we knew, in the dreams we shared.

They still breathe,
In the lingering fragrance, windblown, from their favourite flowers.

They still smile in the moonlight’s silver,
And laugh in the sunlight’s sparking gold.

They still speak in the echoes of the words we’ve heard them say again and again.

They still move,
In the rhythm of waving grasses, in the dance of the tossing branches.

They are not dead;
Their memory is warm in our hearts, comfort in our sorrow.

They are not apart from us, but part of us,

For love is eternal,
And those we love shall be with us throughout all eternity.