Newsletter

This year we have had a busy festival season; our Sexual Health Marquee was present at Rock Ness, Belladrum and Connect. In total, around 80,000 people attended these events and we distributed around 90,000 free safer sex materials. Probably some of you received some of the ‘goodies’, ‘the wee purple bag’ at one of the events. Remember that you can receive free condoms, femidoms, lube and dams all year through. Just give us a call, send us an e-mail or pop round. We send them to you by post free of charge!

We also have some great news! Ailsa Spindler – until now Services Manager for THT Highland - has been promoted and is now National Director of Terrence Higgins Trust Scotland. As a result her previous job has become vacant and we will be recruiting for a replacement very soon.

Several enthusiastic volunteers have been helping us lately and more people would like to volunteer for the Trust - which is really great! We would like to thank them for all their help; if you want to join us, contact either of us for more details.

VOLUNTEERS NEWS

Hello readers! If you were lucky enough to be at the recent Belladrum festival, you probably saw us all having a great time distributing leaflets, advice and 26.000 free safer sex materials, at the Sexual Health Marquee (collaboration between THT, Brook and NHS). With the sun shining hard and music from the surrounding stages pulsating, it made for a highly enjoyable and very positive experience.

With the festival in full swing, our guests really entered into the spirit of things, some watching condom demonstrations and sampling some of the flavoured varieties (yes…while they were still on the demonstrator!) while others finally solved the mysteries of the femidom. Most left with a weekend’s supply of goodies to keep the fun safe.

Having had such an enriching and fun experience this year, we volunteers can barely contain ourselves until Belladrum 2009 and we would like to say thank you to those that came along to support us this year. It wouldn’t have been the blast it was without you! See you next year!

Dave, Carol and Karen, THT volunteers, Highland Services, Scotland

Sexual Health

Sexual Health Programme September 2008

Free, anonymous and confidential testing;
STI Screening: Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, Syphilis
Hep B and Hep C Testing: with direct referral to Hep C Clinic
Hep B Immunisation
HIV Testing: Lab test or Point of Care Testing
Family Planning advice, prescribing of oral contraception
Pregnancy Testing
Emergency Contraception

Drop In: Monday – Friday from 1.30pm - 4.00pm
Every Tuesday from 5pm - 7pm
Appointments can be arranged by calling 01463 711585


Needle Exchange
Monday – Friday from 1.30pm - 4.00pm


Drop-In for sex workers
Monday 1st September from 12noon – 2pm
Monday 15th September from 12 noon – 2pm

Programme

Highland Programme September 2008
Social gatherings

LGBT Drop-in lunch
Monday 8 September 12-2pm at THT

T Group
Wednesday 24 September 7-9pm at THT
T Group for those who identify as Transgender - in all its variety

LGBT Caithness Social Group
Thursday 11 September 6.30pm Thurso
All lgbt people welcome at the Community Learning and Leisure Office, Princess Street, Thurso. Contact Jon on 07749 517826 for more information

Hep C positive Support Group
Tuesday 9 September 6-8pm at THT
A group to meet other people who are HepC+, whether on treatment or not

Movie Evening: Transamerica (Dir: Duncan Tucker)
Wednesday 24 September 6.30-8.30pm at THT

HIV positive Support Group
Friday 26 September 6-8pm at THT

Film

Movie Evening
Transamerica
Bree (Huffman) is a pre-operative male-to-female transsexual. Living quietly in a poor area of Los Angeles, passing as a woman, working two jobs, Bree is a week away from her sexual reassignment operation when she gets a phone call from a boy called Toby (Zegers), a jailed hustler and runaway who is looking for his father. Transamerica is sweet and moving and human, all held together by Huffman’s awesome central performance.

Newsletter

Although NHS Highland was originally based on the same geographical area as Highland Council, it recently enlarged to include Argyll & Bute. We are delighted to announce that Terrence Higgins trust Scotland has been invited to extend its Highland services to include Argyll & Bute too. A new health promotion specialist, Katrina Mitchell, has joined the THT Highland team with responsibility for Argyll and Bute. For practical (geographical) reasons Katrina will be based in THT’s Glasgow office.

As a result our newsletter has got a new look. From now on, you will not only receive information about Highland but also about what is happening in Argyll and Bute. It would also be nice to be a bit more interactive with you, reader and service user. On the back we offer you the opportunity to contribute: send us a question, review an event, share a story, write us a comment, express an idea….

On 8-9 August our Sexual Health Marquee will be present at Belladrum music festival. NHS, Brook, THT and volunteers will be handing out condoms, Femidoms, dams and lube. We will also provide a whole range of leaflets and brochures with information on sexual health issues. Pop round, say hello and get some information at the same time!

While I am writing this the weather is just glorious. Enjoy the Summer, enjoy your holiday but also remember— when having sex, keep yourself and your partner safe!

Free condoms, femidoms, lube and dams by post!
If you live in Highland or Argyll and Bute, we can send you free safer sex materials either as a one off, or regularly, as you prefer. If you’re interested in getting this free service, just get in touch with Agnes or Katrina (contact details below) and let us know what you need. And if you’re not exactly sure what you need, give us a call to discuss it, or ask for a variety.

Connect festival
Connect festival will be taking place for the second time at the end of August, in its enchanted setting in the grounds of Inveraray Castle. We’ll be somewhere there in our Sexual Health Marquee, dishing out free condoms, lube, femidoms, dams and information. If you’re at the festival, come by—it’d be lovely to see you! If you’d like to volunteer with us at Connect, please get in touch with Katrina for more details.

Social gatherings
T Group
For those who identify as Transgender—in all its variety
Wednesday 13 August 7-9pm
THT, 34 Waterloo Place, Inverness

LGBT Caithness Social Group
All LGBT people welcome. Contact Jon on 07749 517826 for more information.
Thursday 14 August 6.30-9pm
Community Learning and Leisure Office, Princess Street, Thurso

LGBT Lunch Drop-in
Come and have your lunch with your friends or meet some new ones. Tea, coffee and soup provided by THT.
Monday 4 August 12-2pm
THT, 34 Waterloo Place, Inverness

Hep C Positive Support Group
A group to meet other people who are HepC+, whether on treatment or not.
Tuesday 19 August 6-8pm
THT, 34 Waterloo Place, Inverness

Sexual Health

Sexual Health

Free, annonymous and confidential testing;
STI Screening: Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphillis
Hep B and Hep C Testing: with direct referral to Hep C Clinic
Hep B Immunisation
HIV Testing: Lab test or Point of Care Testing
Family Planning advice, prescribing of oral contraception
Pregnancy Testing
Emergency Contraception

Drop In: Monday – Friday from 1.30pm - 4.00pm
Every Tuesday from 5pm - 7pm
Appointments can be arranged by calling 01463 711585

Needle Exchange
Monday – Friday from 1.30pm - 4.00pm

Drop-In for sex workers
Monday 4th August from 12noon – 2pm
Monday 18th August from 12 noon – 2pm

Film

Movie Evening
The Opposite of Sex (Dir: Don Roos)

Sixteen-year-old Deedee runs away from Louisiana to live with her half-brother Bill, an English teacher who happens to be gay. Lucia, Bill's sexually-repressed best friend, distrusts her. Her suspicions are confirmed when Deedee lures Bill's boyfriend into bed and talks him into stealing $10,000 from Bill and running away with her to LA. Bill’s bitter ex-lover frames him for sexual harassment, causing a scandal. This forces him and Lucia to go on a wild chase in search of Matt and Deedee in order to clear his name. They are joined by Sheriff Carl Tippett, a friend, who begins to fall in love with Lucia. A black comedy about what people must go through in order to find "the opposite of sex" - lasting, committed, and loving relationships

Thursday 21 August 6.30-8.30pm
THT, 34 Waterloo Place, Inverness