Gather a group of fun friends together for a fantastic four-hour dance party at Concorde 2 in Brighton and have a ball raising money for Martlets hospice on Sunday, April 22.
Dance Through the Decades with club DJs Lucy “Elle J” Small from Funk the Format and Soul Casserole as they pump out the very best dance anthems from the 60s to the 90s over the course of four hours.
If you like to strut your stuff, throw some shapes or disco like a diva then this will be your idea of dance heaven.
Go full-on retro with fancy dress if you dare; Unfurl those flares, dig out your shoulder pads, go all double-denim or perhaps sprinkle on some glitter for a totally fabulous look!
Clem Hunnisett from the Martlets Fundraising Team. said: “We’re promising some top tunes; your twinkle-toes won’t be able to resist the dance floor!
“There will be some big, feel-good anthems, songs to singalong to and tracks that will definitely put a smile on your face. Before you know it, you’ll be dancing your socks off!
“It’s going to be a fantastic afternoon and every penny raised through sponsorship will go towards caring for people from the Brighton and Hove area. Martlets is a charity so it’s thanks to the kind support of local people that we can provide our support free from charge.
“Entry is £16 and we are looking to raise as much money as we can in sponsorship.”
Since Concorde 2 is a licenced venue, this event is only open to those aged 18 or over.
Continuing their work with hard to reach and seldom heard of groups, Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard are to open an LGBT+ dementia café today.
With an £11,725 grant awarded by the Rainbow Fund, the Rainbow Café is an exciting new initiative for LGBT+ people living with dementia or memory loss and their friends, families and carers.
This new project will help to show that LGBT Switchboard is more than just a telephone helpline as the charity continues to diversify and aims to ensure that Switchboard is responsive, relevant and accessible for the present-day needs of the LGBT+ communities.
Switchboard’s CEO Daniel Cheesman, says:“Through the Rainbow Café, we aim to raise awareness of dementia within the LGBT+ communities and hope that both LGBT and non-LGBT services will have a better understanding of the specific and unique needs of LGBT+ people living with dementia.
“Our Older Person’s Project has highlighted the need for this service and we are thankful to the support that we have been given by the Rainbow Fund to get the service up and running”.
The Rainbow Café will be launched today, Thursday, February 15, 2018, with an opening event from 11am to 2pm attended by the Mayor of Brighton & Hove, at Brooke Mead (the new extra care housing accommodation to be opened by Brighton and Hove City Council) in Albion Street, Brighton.
As part of this launch, the awarding winning play The Purple List: A Gay Dementia Venture, will be performed by Ian Baxter. This is a 35 minute one man performance exploring the highs and lows of the lives of same-sex couple, Sam and Derek’s who live with the reality of dementia. The performance will be followed by a Q&A session, a chance to hear about the Rainbow Café and a buffet lunch.
Daniel adds:“Everyone is welcome to attend the launch event today at 11am. Whether you are interested in attending the group, want to find out more or if you are interested in volunteering. The play is a powerful portrayal of the impact that dementia can have and in this scenario in a same-sex relationship – I would encourage everyone to come and see it”.
Event: Launch of The Rainbow Cafe and performance of The Purple List
Healthwatch Brighton and Hove, the local consumer champion for health and social care finds vulnerable people applying for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Employment Support Allowance (ESA) have their applications routinely declined.
Healthwatch Brighton and Hove found:
A lack of empathy by assessors who appear to know little about common medical conditions
Advocates treated with disrespect with reasonable requests e.g. for a home visit declined without explanation
Benefit assessment reports contained factual inaccuracies and bore little resemblance to assessment interviews
An approach which is more about ‘catching people out’ and declining claims rather than actively helping vulnerable people
Healthwatch Brighton and Hove reports:“Assessments begin as soon as individuals arrive at the centre and observed actions are subsequently included within final assessment reports: e.g. if the person can walk from the lift to the assessment room then they are able to walk a certain distance (ignoring how slowly or painfully this occurred); or if a person is seen raising their hand to their hair, or holding their handbag, or sipping water from a glass then that person can raise their arm implying they can carry out physical activity unaided.”
“….an assessor described an applicant as being “happy and chatty”, yet this ignored the fact that the person’s mental health led them to become over accommodating to others.
David Liley, Chief Officer, Healthwatch Brighton and Hove, said: “There is concern in Parliament over the way vulnerable people are treated by the benefits assessment system. Here on the streets of Brighton and Hove we see the reality, decent people trying to live a good life but challenged by chronic ill-health treated in a shocking and insensitive way.
“One local organisation helping people with high level autism and Asperger’s Syndrome took 17 cases in a row to appeal and not one appeal was declined. Why should people who clearly need help be forced routinely to appeal their first assessment decisions. The cynical conclusion is that some folks will not have the capacity, ability or motivation to appeal and claimant numbers will fall.”
Healthwatch Brighton and Hove is challenging those who provide these assessments to show that they treat local people with respect, that they do not use underhand techniques in assessments, that they can explain why almost everyone who appeals wins?
Nearly 50 per cent of LGBT+ people living in social housing accommodation do not feel a sense of belonging in their local community and over a quarter report feeling lonely in the area they live, a new study has found.
Researchers from the University of Surrey and Goldsmiths, University of London also found that 60 per cent of trans people and more than a third of LGBT+ people do not feel safe in their neighbourhood.
In the largest study of its kind in the United Kingdom, researchers commissioned by HouseProud and funded by six of the largest housing associations in the country (Clarion Housing Group, Genesis Housing Association, Hanover Housing Association, L&Q, Optivo and The Riverside Group), conducted a series of interviews, focus groups and surveys with more than 260 LGBT+ people living in social housing to ask them about their experiences.
Harassment of LGBT+ residents Harassment and how it was dealt with by housing providers was an issue raised during the study, with many participants reporting feelings of ambivalence on how this was tackled by housing associations and local authorities. It found that 34 per cent of LGBT+ people felt that housing providers have more work to do in dealing effectively with complaints about harassment and some reported that their complaints were not taken seriously or were investigated very slowly. Asked why they thought this might be, participants believed a lack of understanding of the LGBT+ community and a high staff turnover and shortage of training were to blame.
Self-censoring their homes
Researchers also found that many LGBT+ participants were concerned about inviting people into their home who they didn’t know, with 21 per cent being uncomfortable with repairs people and 25 per cent feeling uneasy with their landlord entering their property. A significant number reported changing their home to conceal their gender identity or sexuality, for example moving pictures, books or DVDs. This was more common amongst gay men, with 20 per cent indicating that they did this ‘always’ or ‘most of the time’ when being visited by their landlord or a repairs person.
However, participants did report positive practices by housing providers in engaging with their LGBT+ tenants. Examples of good practice include some landlords actively listening and putting residents in contact with appropriate support services or organisations. Employing a social inclusion officer or LGBT+ specific support officer who can listen and act on concerns of residents, and creating a LGBT+ tenant forum that enables residents to feedback on policy were also viewed as positive steps in engaging with this community.
Dr Andrew King, Co-Director of the Centre for Research on Ageing and Gender, who was the lead researcher on the project at the University of Surrey, said: “Despite changes in equality laws, it is disappointing and worrying that in 2018 a significant number of social housing tenants still feel unsafe and experience harassment in their own neighbourhoods. What we have seen is that many feel that their concerns and complaints are not being given proper attention by housing providers.
“To help address this, social housing providers need to improve the lines of communication between staff and residents, and develop supportive procedures to deal with complaints of abuse and harassment. Housing providers also need to be more openly LGBT*Q supportive, train their staff on a regular basis and as some people we interviewed put it ‘go above and beyond’ the basic requirements of equality legislation. LGBT*Q social housing tenants need to know they are valued tenants who are treated fairly and with respect.
“These small steps should help engage LGBT+ social housing residents and ensure they are a part of the community where they live.”
The Joint Chairs of HouseProud, Kevan Forde and Lynne Nichols, said:“Up to now, social landlords have struggled to hear the voices of LGBT+ residents. This has led to some confusion in the sector about the concerns and preferences of LGBT+ residents, particularly in relation to their housing needs.
“HouseProud welcomes the findings of this study and will support housing providers to identify the practical steps that could help to address the issues highlighted in the report. We would like to thank the funding housing associations, who helped to make this study possible and the dozens of other providers, who spread the message about the research.”
Stephen Bitti, Resident Board Member from Genesis Housing Association, added:“This timely research has delivered an important insight into the experiences of LGBT+ social housing residents. I look forward to ensuring this useful evidence supports ongoing improvements in the services we provide to residents.”
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