Weekends in the Country
posted: 14/02/2011
The next Living Proof weekend, for people who have lived with HIV for five years or longer, will be from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 March, near Stafford, south of Manchester.
The nltsg – National Long-Term Survivors Group - provides support to people who have been living with HIV for 5 or more years. nltsg is open to anyone who has been diagnosed HIV positive for five years. They welcome everyone as members.
Weekends : some funding help
nltsg receives no funding and charges for the Living Proof weekend cover the costs - £170. Help may be available for some people - if you live in NW England ask our services team about this.
Thanks to a generous award from the Elton John AIDS Foundation, nltsg offers a limited number of places to people who have not attended a nltsg weekend before. To qualify, you must
• be either over 50, OR
• be socially isolated (living in a rural location, low HIV prevalence area or otherwise unable to use local HIV support services), OR
• be a worker (paid or volunteer) in the HIV support sector.
Please contact them for details.
Weekends
The weekends are a safe space for people to come together for peer support, sharing experiences and discussing issues. Professional facilitators hold discussion groups and workshops, but users decide what is discussed.
Complementary therapists offer a wide range of treatments throughout the weekend.
All activities are optional.
Weekend details
The weekends run from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, with people arriving from 3:30pm on Friday. They expect everyone is ready by 5:45pm for the Opening Circle.
On Friday evening, they hold a 'Getting to Know You' session, which gives everyone the opportunity to talk in small groups about their reasons for attending, their hopes and expectations for the weekend, as well as voicing any concerns they may have.
Throughout Saturday and on Sunday morning they hold discussion groups, workshops and complementary therapy sessions.
There is plenty of free time during the weekend, which offers an opportunity to relax and network. Many find this the most beneficial aspect of the weekend, as it provides the chance to talk, listen and learn in an informal but safe environment with other people living with HIV.
The weekend is fully catered and there is a bar available in the evening. Most dietary requirements can be accommodated.
The weekends end with a Closing Circle at around 2:45pm on Sunday afternoon.
Bookings by email
07967 430797 by phone
by post :
National Long Term Survivors Group
BM LTSG
London WC1N 3XX
Living Proof Weekend dates
2011:
25 - 27 March
8 - 10 July
23 - 25 September
16 - 18 December
2012:
23 - 25 March
6 - 8 July
28 - 30 September
14 - 16 December
What people said about their Living Proof weekend experience
"Just what I needed at this time, a lovely group of people, everyone I met here was friendly and I did not feel excluded."
"The best thing was getting to make new friends and meeting old ones; meeting other positive people and coming together as a group "
"I enjoy the weekend away from home. As a long-term survivor, I enjoy passing on my experiences and learning from new and old members. It goes a long way in helping a person living with HIV, and I leave refreshed and wanting to do more."
"The best thing was discovering other people's example of how they deal with the virus: peer support - sharing experiences - able to relax completely - a chance for personal recharge."
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