The Lesbian & Gay Foundation (The LGF) are working hard to ensure that the LGB&T community receive world-class services and support. An important part of that process is making sure that the people of The LGF share that important belief. With that in mind, LGF are currently seeking to recruit new members to their Board of Trustees.
As I write this, the team are just about to head over to the Mechanics Institute for today's Emergency Voluntary Sector Assembly event to discuss the impact of Council budget proposals on the work of the voluntary and community groups in Manchester.
Manchester City Council has launched the main consultation on its 2015-17 budget options, along with a number of individual consultations on specific elements.
Options for consultation were agreed by the council’s Executive on Wednesday 26 November.
They aim to address an estimated funding shortfall of £59m in 2015/16, potentially rising to £90 million in 2016/17.
A lot of people in the local voluntary sector are going to be very angry today. They’re going to feel threatened, undervalued, rejected and hopeless. The Council’s budget proposals will make horrible reading for many people who’ve been working very hard for a long time to make a difference in the city. For some groups this will mean cuts to services and activities. For many it will mean many job losses – the sector is an employer too, after all. For some this may be the last straw and we may see the end of a number of organisations that have made a great contribution to the city.
Four weeks to go and the Spirit of Manchester Festival is building up nicely.
One of the things I love most about working in the voluntary sector is that if you have a really good idea you can generally find a way to make it happen. It might take a while – things like our State of the Sector and Civil Economy work were on my wishlist for years before we were finally able to publish the finished work. But sometimes you can be taken by surprise at how fast you can go from the idea to it actually happening.
The Lesbian and Gay Foundation (LGF) are delighted to let you know of the launch of Part of the Picture: findings from a 5 year study into lesbian, gay and bisexual people’s alcohol and drug use. A suite of reports presenting the study’s findings is available online here: www.lgf.org.uk/potp.
The Part of the Picture (POTP) research project is a five-year partnership between The LGF and the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), funded by the Big Lottery Fund's research programme between 2009-2014.
Could Manchester be Europe’s answer to America’s hippest city - Portland, Oregon?
Manchester has enjoyed solid economic success, there is now an opportunity for a ‘new wave’ to Manchester’s future. A new report A Civil Economy for Manchester, prepared for Macc by the think-do tank the Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES) demonstrates how this new wave is about unleashing the power of citizens, social and voluntary group.
It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that The Lesbian and Gay Foundation (LGF) are interested in what you get up to between the sheets - sharp intake of breath - or rather they’re exploring relationships and sexual practices between men to help them to provide better services to you - exhale. So if you are a gay or bisexual man living in Greater Manchester this is the survey for you.
You can complete the survey here: www.lgf.org.uk/sextalk
Have you got a manic life and struggling to fit health care in?
Prefer to take testing in an environment more suited to you?
Are you a gay or bisexual man aged 16 or over living in Greater Manchester?
Then the Dry Blood Spot HIV Home Testing Kit is perfect for you!
The Lesbian and Gay Foundation (LGF) know that if you’re a busy guy trying to fit in everything that you have going on in your life; why should you compromise your sexual health?