November Gay Men's Residential

posted: 08/10/2009

The popular residential weekend for gay men living with HIV returns once more, on Friday November 6th to Sunday 8th.

Gay men living with HIV have the chance to join others for a weekend to explore what living with HIV means for you. It's a safe and secure place and time to talk about these issues.

This weekend runs from the late afternoon Friday November 6th to Sunday 8th, and we are staying in Whaley Bridge. Whaley Bridge is on the River Goyt in the High Peak, Southeast of Stockport. In this photograph, Whaley Bridge is visible in the valley bottom, left of the reservoir dam.

This weekend is the opportunity for a small group of gay men to explore issues around living with HIV in a safe and secure environment. You need to have been diagnosed for at least one year to join this weekend.

Topics will include:
• Living day to day with HIV
• Planning for the future
• Support networks

These weekends are popular and make a real difference in men's lives and outlook.

Free transport, meals, accomodation. You will be expected to share a room with one other person.

If you would like to know more about the weekend please email Colin or phone him on 0161 274 4499.

To request a place please fill in the booking form and email it to Colin. The booking form is here  Please apply before Monday 26 October.

Residential Weekends are funded by a grant from Elton John Aids Foundation.

LongTerm Survivors Weekend

posted: 17/08/2009

The National Long Term Survivors Group runs weekends to help combat social isolation for people who have been HIV positive for longer than five years and who are unable to use local support.

There are a few last minute places available on their next weekend - Friday 18th – Sunday 20th September.

The weekends are not free but they have money from the Elton John AIDS Foundation which can help pay. This could pay the costs for some people, or part of the costs such as for childcare and travel. If you need help with funding, please ask NLTSG about the help that might be available for you.

Who can go on these weekends?

You need to have been HIV positive for 5 years and be "unable to access local support". The Group will make its own decisions on who gets places, but we think people living in Cumbria, and some parts of Lancashire and Cheshire will be able to show there is no or limited local HIV support available for them. They are also keen to offer places to other people in their priority groups

• Firstly, people living in rural areas where existing services are either thin on the ground or non-existent (eg we suggest this means most of Lancashire, all Cumbria, rural Cheshire)
• The second group is the over 50’s, which is a group that can find itself excluded from contemporary society and the social ‘scene’
• The third group is people who have been living with HIV for over 10 years
• The final group is HIV positive volunteers and workers in the HIV sector who often have difficulty accessing support and services in their local area as they try to maintain a professional relationship with other service users.

Booking

If you would like to attend this NLTSG weekend please be quick

• email bookings for an application form, or 
• leave a message on 07967 430797, or
• write to National Long Term Survivors, BM LTSG, London, WC1N 3XX.

Living Proof weekend dates in 2009

• 18 - 20 September
• 11 - 13 December

Weekend dates in 2010

• 26-28 March 2010
• 9 - 11 July 2010
• 24 - 26 September 2010
• 17 - 19 December 2010

The weekends start on Fridays at 3.30pm and finish on Sundays at about 4pm. They are held not far from Manchester, in nearby Staffordshire. The programme for the weekends is here

The weekends provide a safe, relaxed place to meet other people who have also been living with HIV and AIDS for five or more years.

A programme of activities is arranged for each weekend - group workshops, one-to-one counselling, complementary therapies - but it is entirely up to each person who attends the weekends as to whether they take part or not in these activities. Many people find the company and ability to talk freely about HIV, as well as many other issues, provides the greatest benefit.

National LT Survivors Group

Group Facilitator Jobs

posted: 27/07/2009

The National Long Term Survivors Group (of people living with HIV) is looking for enthusiastic and experienced facilitators for groups, individual counselling and general support at their residential weekends. They run these weekends four times a year at a peaceful location in rural Staffordshire.

Applicants should have appropriate professional qualifications, experience and good references.

NLTSG pays its facilitators a fee, travel expenses as well as providing meals and accommodation (should these be required).

Applications should be sent to:

National Long Term Survivors Group
BM LTSG, London, WC1N 3XX

The NLTSG is a vibrant user-led group that provides support to people living with HIV for 5 years or more. It is a registered charity.

The group has recently secured funding from the Elton John AIDS Foundation to enable people living with HIV over 50 or who live in an isolated location to attend a weekend, or for people who are paid or unpaid workers with an HIV Group.
 

NLTSG website 

July Weekend for HIV Positive Christians

posted: 02/06/2009

Positive Catholics invite all Christians living with HIV to a weekend at the end of July / beginning of August for Reflection, Sharing, Prayer and Fun. Financial help is available. This will be an opportunity to reflect upon what HIV means in the context of Christian faith, with others, living with HIV. All Christians are invited.

‘Positive Catholics’ is a peer support network of catholic men and women living with HIV, meeting together for mutual support, prayer and fun, since 2004. They are especially keen to encourage women and people in the North West region to join the weekend.

The Retreat Centre at Douai Abbey, near Reading, Berkshire is the home for the weekend, like last year. The weekend starts at teatime Friday July 31st and ends on Sunday afternoon August 2nd.

Through sharing stories, using art and music, and praying together, we hope to understand more clearly how God is present with us, and shares in our experience of life with HIV.

Last year's Retreat received extremely favourable feedback, and was clearly a great encouragement for those who attended.

Book now

Places are limited of course, so they ask people to reserve a place quickly.

They expect the cost to be £110 for adults, and £55 for children.

Subsidies will be available for those on low incomes, or with limited means. If you need financial help towards the cost please contact Vincent in confidence. Questions to Vincent too.
For those who may wish to attend, early booking is strongly recommended in order to obtain the best possible train fares ahead of time. Saver tickets are around £70 from Manchester - but summer weekends mean they sellout very quickly> It takes about 4 hours to get to the nearest station from Manchester.

The Retreat is open to any Catholic or Christian living with HIV.

There are limited places available fopr parents who can only attend with their children. However, the Retreat is for adults, and where possible parents should try to make alternative arrangements for their children.

HIV+ Gay Men's Weekend

posted: 07/05/2009

Gay men living with HIV have the chance to join others for a weekend to explore what living with HIV means for you. It's a safe and secure place and time to talk about these issues.

This weekend runs from the late afternoon Friday June 5th to Sunday June 7th, and we have booked a place in Whaley Bridge.

Whaley Bridge is on the River Goyt in the High Peak, Southeast of Stockport.

In this photograph, Whaley Bridge is visible in the valley bottom, left of the reservoir dam.

This weekend is the opportunity for a small group of gay men to explore issues around living with HIV in a safe and secure environment.

Topics will include:
• Living day to day with HIV
• Planning for the future
• Support networks

These weekends are popular and make a real difference in men's lives and outlook.

Free transport, meals, accomodation

The weekend is free of charge including transport to and from the venue, meals and accommodation.

You will be expected to share a room with one other person.

If you would like to know more about the weekend please contact Colin by email or phone 0161 274 4499.

The booking form is here
 

Please apply before the end of May  to be considered for a place.