Liverpool’s vibrant annual Santa Dash brought a sea of red and blue to the city streets on the first weekend of December. This year’s event held special significance, coinciding with World AIDS Day and serving as an important reminder of the importance of community, awareness, and support. Among the thousands of Santas dashing through the city, nine incredible volunteers ran to raise funds for Sahir, Liverpool City Region’s longest-running LGBTQ+ and HIV charity.

We have been a cornerstone of support since 1985, offering vital services such as counseling, peer support, and community outreach to those living with HIV and the LGBTQ+ community. This year’s runners—Gerard Bowers McIntyre, John Hyland, John Lowe, Lycoris Bower, Luke Shannon, Gopal Prasher, Sr. Polly Amarosa, Kay, and Natalie Gaskell—came together to highlight the charity’s incredible work and ensure its continued impact.

Stories of Inspiration

Each runner had a personal story and motivation for taking part.

Gerard Bowers McIntyre shared a deeply personal connection to the cause: “I’m participating to support something which is nearly as old as me. As someone who has been living with HIV for over 16 years, it’s something very close to my heart. Supporting an organisation like Sahir helps build community, break down barriers, and remove stigma for others. Hopefully, everyone can see the value in that.”

John Hyland spoke about the broader need for community support: “I have seen firsthand the issues and concerns faced by the LGBTQ+ community and also the support that Sahir is providing. But a lot of that support goes unfunded, and the charity needs as much backing as possible.”

John Lowe highlighted the importance of collaboration: “We must share the love throughout our LGBTQ+ charities in the region and shine a light on them. Sahir has been supporting our LGBTQ+ communities and people living with HIV across the Liverpool City Region for forty years. We are all stronger together for the benefit of our community as a whole.”

Sr. Polly Amarosa brought together two unique groups for the event: “The Trans Pennine Travelling Sisters teamed up with Liverpool Leathermen to run in the Santa Dash this World AIDS Day. It’s important to support Liverpool City Region’s longest-running LGBTQ+ and HIV Charity and their fantastic work.”

Kay and Natalie joined the effort to give back: “Sahir has supported us over the last 12 months. This is our way of showing our appreciation and giving back to an organisation that means so much to us.”

Lycoris Bower, Luke Shannon, and Gopal Prasher, members of Liverpool University’s LGBTQ+ Society committee, reflected on their friendship with Sahir: “We have been longtime supporters of Sahir and the amazing work they do with their LGBTQ+ counseling and peer support groups. They’ve been our biggest ally, supporting us with resources, free sexual health advice, and most of all, encouragement! This is a small thank you for all the work Sahir does and for all those living with HIV.”

Making an Impact

Through their efforts, these nine runners not only raised critical funds but also amplified the message of hope, resilience, and unity. Sahir’s work—providing a safe space, breaking down stigma, and offering compassionate care—remains as vital as ever. The Santa Dash served as a powerful reminder of the strength of the Liverpool community and the importance of standing together.

As Gerard aptly put it, this effort helps “break down barriers and remove stigma,” and every step taken in the Santa Dash was a step toward a more inclusive and supportive society.

This year, the Santa Dash raised an incredible £3,547 for Sahir, ensuring the continuation of our vital services and support.

If you’d like to contribute to Sahir, or learn more about our work, reach out to info@sahir.org.uk, or head to our donate page and support our Pound for Sahir campaign.

We’re #StrongerTogether.

As I step into my fourth year with Sahir, I’m excited to share some updates about my role and how I’ll be supporting individuals and communities. This new chapter marks a shift in my responsibilities, with a new focus on providing support for those living with or affected by HIV (PLWHIV), as well as counselling for young adults in the LGBTQ+ community.

Here’s an overview of what I’ll be offering:

Support for Wirral Service Users

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, I’ll be working as a Support Worker for PLWHIV in the Wirral area, providing:

• One-to-one support: Personalised, compassionate assistance personalised to individual needs.
• Peer support: Including the popular monthly Coffee & Cake Wirral meetups.
• STI testing: Confidential and professional testing services.

Counselling for Young Adults (18-25s)

On Mondays (online) and Fridays (face-to-face), I’ll be focusing on counselling services for:

• Young people living with HIV (LWHIV).
• LGBTQ+ individuals who are at risk or need additional support.

Ongoing Commitment to Women’s Support

I’ll continue to lead the monthly Well Together Women’s Group, which serves women LWHIV across the Liverpool City Region. This group remains an important space for connection, empowerment, and shared experiences.

Looking Ahead

I’m deeply committed to continuing the impactful work we do at Sahir, so if you’re a Wirral service user, an 18-25-year-old needing support, or a woman LWHIV, I look forward to working with you and supporting your journey.

Feel free to reach out if you have questions or want to learn more about Sahir’s wider services. Let’s continue building a stronger, more connected community together!

World AIDS Day, observed annually on 1st December, is an opportunity to unite communities, honour the lives of those lost to AIDS-related illnesses, support those living with HIV, and reaffirm our commitment to ending the epidemic. This year, Sahir chose the theme, “End Transmissions,” to highlight and focus on the Fast Track Cities target of ending new transmissions of HIV by 2030.

Sahir’s Annual Vigils in Liverpool and Wirral

This year, as every year, Sahir House came together to mark World AIDS Day through their annual vigils in Liverpool and Wirral, bringing communities together in shared reflection, remembrance, and hope.

The Liverpool vigil was held at the beautiful Liverpool Parish Church, with Revd Michelle Montrose as the compère for the evening. The hour-long service was a moving tribute to the past and a call to action for the future. It began with a humbling opening speech by Martin Fenerty, a counsellor at Sahir, setting the tone for the afternoon.

The service continued with a professional address from Dr. Rebecca Thomas-Glover, Consultant in Sexual Health & HIV at St. Helens Hospital and Sahir Trustee. Dr. Thomas-Glover reflected on the history of HIV and the ambitious commitment to end transmissions in England by 2030.

The vigil featured a variety of poignant guest performances:

• Choir with No Name captivated the audience with their heartfelt songs.
• MD Productions performed the evocative dance piece ‘See You, See Me.’
• Day Mattar, Co-director of Queer Bodies Poetry Collective, shared powerful poetry.
• The segment ‘Setting Intentions’ by Advocate encouraged reflection and positivity.

These wonderfully creative acts provided moments to reflect on the complex experiences of those living with and affected by HIV. While acknowledging the progress and positivity of the present, the performances also honoured the pain of the past and the ongoing stigma that impacts lives today.

Among the highlights of the evening were the personal reflections. Andrew Arthur celebrated 40 years since his diagnosis, sharing an uplifting message of resilience—congratulations, Andrew! David Smith offered a heartfelt tribute to the glittering life of Giles Edwin Bishop, and another speaker provided a personal reflection on living with HIV.

To close, attendees lit candles in honour of loved ones lost to HIV-related illnesses, sitting in silence as a collective reminder of why we wear the red ribbon. The daytime vigil was well-attended, with hot chocolate and mince pies offering comfort and warmth.

Wirral Vigil at Liberty Bell Coffee

In Wirral, a similarly moving vigil took place on 28th November 2024 at Liberty Bell Coffee, a cherished community venue. The intimate setting provided a unique atmosphere for remembrance and hope.

The evening began with opening remarks from Sahir’s organisers, setting the stage for a series of heartfelt speeches and performances. Guests were treated to contributions from talented singers Daisy Gill, Ellie Burke, and Mollie-Rose, whose moving performances added a special poignancy to the night. Scarlett Rose shared powerful poetry, resonating deeply with the audience and encouraging moments of reflection. Additionally, a talk by CGL (Change, Grow, Live) shed light on their vital work in supporting those impacted by HIV, alongside Sahir, and related issues, further emphasising the importance of community-led initiatives in combating stigma and providing care.

The cosiness of Liberty Bell Coffee was emphasised by these contributions, allowing quiet reflection and connection among attendees. One of the most poignant moments of the evening was the communal lighting of candles. This simple yet powerful act symbolised unity and hope, bringing the community together to honour lives lost while looking ahead to a brighter future.

As with the Liverpool vigil, the Wirral event underscored the importance of community in combating stigma and ensuring that no one feels left behind. The warmth of the venue and the supportive environment made the vigil a truly memorable occasion.

Looking Ahead

As Sahir House looks towards its 40th anniversary in 2025, plans are already underway for even larger commemorations and activities. These annual vigils in Liverpool and Wirral serve as a reminder of the importance of remembering the past, taking action in the present, and building a future free from HIV-related stigma and illness.

If you missed this year’s events, consider joining next year’s activities. Whether through attending a vigil, volunteering, or simply wearing a red ribbon, every action contributes to the collective fight against HIV/AIDS. Together, we can ensure that no one is left behind.

If you had told me when we first started Board Gaymes that we would sell out almost every event and be at a point a year from now where we have so many visitors to our monthly board games nights that we would need to bring in extra tables and chairs, I would have 1) been confused as to how the hell you know that (are you psychic? Have we invented time travel?) and 2) absolutely would have not believed you. But here we are, a year and a half into running the nerdiest night in town, and that’s exactly where we’ve gotten.

To anyone who might not know who we are – Board Gaymes is a monthly queer board games night held in Lovelocks, one of our favourite independent LGBT-friendly cafes, and run by a group of gay nerds looking for a good time. Everyone’s welcome, as long as you’re a member of (or ally to) the queer community and you like a good round of Cluedo. It’s BYOG, bring your own games, but don’t worry if you don’t have any – we have plenty of board games lovers who bring their favourites to teach to newbies. It’s a great place to meet new people, try new things, and have a laugh over some coffee & cake.

We originally started hosting Board Gaymes out of a search for community. I moved to Liverpool in spring of 2022 – but, despite my sparkling personality, I really struggled to find queer friends nearby. Sure, Liverpool has plenty of excellent gay bars and club nights where you can make friends on the dance floor, but for those of us who like our socialisation with a little less tequila and a little more tea, there weren’t really any exclusively queer spaces beyond local support groups and some safe space cafes (like our beloved Lovelocks). That, and a shared love of all things nerdy, lead me and Daryl to host the first ever Board Gaymes back in September 2023 to celebrate Trans Pride – and since we had so much positive feedback from people feeling the same way we did, we’ve been hosting them regularly ever since.

Our Cosy Night In on November 22^nd was our biggest and busiest event so far. So many new faces! Visitors from other cities! We had to bring in more tables just to give everyone a place to sit! Our silly little queer board games night has grown faster than I could’ve imagined. It’s always such a delight to see new people visiting for the first time and catch up with regular gaymers too (and if I didn’t recognise you, I’m so sorry, ADHD and face blindness are a curse 😅). It’s an absolute blessing to find not only a community of like-minded gay nerds that come to these events, but more people willing to lend a hand and make Board Gaymes nights great –  including our brilliant guest DMs who run beginner friendly one-shots during the events, and the two admins who’ve joined our little team of volunteers since we started.

Look at all these lovely people!

Honestly, I must admit, when I got a moment to myself outside our last Board Gaymes night and looked back into the thriving scene behind Lovelock’s big windows, I started to get teary. I’ve been part of Board Gaymes since its inception, and I have always wanted it to be a warm and welcoming environment – a place where you could walk in knowing no one, and leave with brand new friends. Seeing everyone have a good time, the smiles and laughter – it means more to me than you could possibly imagine.

So, what are the big plans for Board Gaymes in the futuristic sounding year of 2025? Well, we’ve got a couple of cool things in the works – and we’re actually already working on trying to help our local queer community more, especially queer organisations in Liverpool. I’d like to take two seconds just to talk about one of the charities we’re planning to work with, Sahir House.

Sahir is Liverpool’s oldest LGBTQ+ charity, and next year they’re celebrating their 40th year of helping provide support, camaraderie and connection to the queer community and people living with/affected by HIV. They’re a fantastic charity and do so much for the Liverpool community – and whilst we might not be doing an event this December, Sahir definitely are!

You might have heard about their upcoming Snatch Game with a host of infamous drag artists, including Liverpool’s very own ice-skating queen The Vivienne! We’ve not got anything to do with this, but it’s a fun event for a good cause, and the people at Sahir have been so supportive of our Board Gaymes nights (and are even putting my dumb little blog post up on their website – thank you by the way!), so it feels like the least I can do is to plug their next event. You can check out the event page for the Snatch Game for Sahir by clicking here.*

*(Editor note: We didn’t ask them to write this, honest!)

As for us over at Board Gaymes? Well, we’ve got a few things in the pipeline – fundraisers, merch, and definitely more board games nights! The admin team are going to run these events until we’re wrinkly old gays in a retirement home gathered around a Scrabble board. We love these events, but we are just a small team of 4, with most of us having full time jobs alongside Board Gaymes. That’s why having the support from other queer organisations and communities in Merseyside, like Sahir, is so important to us – as queer people, our strength has always been in our community. We’re so thrilled that they’ve been so welcoming to us, and we’re looking forward to working more with them to help celebrate their 40^th anniversary.

Sadly, our Cosy Night In was the last Board Gaymes of 2024. But hey, if you haven’t had a chance to attend one of our nights yet, don’t worry – we’ll be back to hosting in January, and we would love to see some new faces join us at Lovelocks. If you’d like to know when the next board Gaymes night is being held, you can join our Discord and chat to other Board Gaymers, follow us on Instagram or subscribe to our email newsletter The Board Gayzette to get updates straight to your inbox.

Alright, well! That’s all from me for now – but if you liked this piece and want me to keep you updated on all things Board Gaymes on a monthly basis, you can find me over at The Board Gayzette. Hope you all have a great December, and we’ll hopefully play a game or two together in the New Year!

Lots of love,
Ripley (they/them) x

This year, Sahir, with funding from Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner’s Community Cashback Fund, delivered quarterly town hall events, where the LGBTQ+ community, and its allies, could come together and discuss important issues that affect them.

With a pilot focused on the LGBTQ+ community’s relationship with Merseyside Police, as well as Peter Tatchell’s ‘Apologise Now’ campaign, taking place in December 2023, the Queer Town Hall was able to grow and develop into something much wider.

You can read the report from our pilot event here: Queer Town Hall- PILOT Merseyside police

The first official LCR Queer Town Hall focused on ‘Pride in the Commnity’, providing a space for the community to talk about what they believe Pride is, what it means to them, and explored various ways it can be celebrated. With an opportunity for regional Pride organisers to engage with the community, it was definitely a thoroughly talked through event, which ultimately lead to the ‘You said, we did’ delivery, from Sahir, of curating 2024’s Access Pride.

You can ready the report from our ‘Pride in the Community’ event here: Queer Town Hall- PRIDE

We are currently working through all the commentary from our ‘LGBTQ+ health and wellbeing post COVID19’ Queer Town Hall, due to the sheer amount of feedback provided – only further demonstrating how important these events are to bring the community together and provide it a voice.

Sign up to our newsletter to hear about when our next Queer Town Hall will be here.

I can’t believe how quickly time flies. This month is two years since I started to write my regular column for Sahir House. I enjoy writing, especially for my own community, so I hope you find my articles and tips useful.

This month I thought I’d tell you about how to go about turning negative thoughts into positive ones

Can you really think yourself better if you are struggling with your mental well-being? The short answer, in a lot of cases, is yes. If you can learn to change the way you think, you can play a major part in helping yourself to feel better.

Quite simply, what you tell yourself really matters to your state of mind.

If someone is suffering with low mood or has depression, they may well feel overwhelmed by things and unable to see much in the way of positivity when they look to the future. They may also have a very negative view of themselves, their lives and even the world in general.

All these thoughts and feelings are actually a product of someone’s imagination, they haven’t happened, we are imagining these things. They are, in effect, a negative forecast of the future. These repetitive, negative thinking cycles can become self-perpetuating, they become more and more ingrained into a person’s way of thinking. In effect we are using our imagination in a negative way, but that’s all it is, imagination.

So, it stands to sense that if our negative thoughts and predictions about the future are being created in our imagination and making us feel down; then, if we can create good thoughts instead, we can start to feel better about the future and view it more positively. I am of course simplifying things here in the space I have, but hopefully you get the idea of it. The only one in control of your thoughts is you. You can decide which thoughts you allow to live in your imagination.

So, here’s how you can start to make a change.

Set yourself some quiet time, on your own, maybe grab a cuppa! Get yourself comfortable, and try the following, simple technique.

Just imagine, for a moment how you would feel if the future looked a little better. If you remembered you had something to look forward to. If you were feeling just a little further up the happiness scale from where you are now. I’m not talking about a lottery win, I’m talking a sunny day or a visit to a good friend, something achievable. Think of something in the past that made you feel good, something you could do again. Just try to imagine, for a moment or two, and then take a few moments to ponder over each of the following 5 questions, and really think about each one.

• What could you be doing differently?
• How would it make you feel?
• If you were feeling a bit better, who in your life would be surprised to see this happening?
• How would it affect them?
• How would they react differently to you?

If you’ve given a few moments to each of the questions above, allowing yourself to really visualise these things, you will have already started to imagine yourself in a more positive future. When we ask ourselves this type of question, we immediately begin to think about how our future would be without the problem that is bothering us at the moment. We are using our imagination and our own resources to picture ourselves feeling differently in the future. This technique allows us to build a more positive mental image in our minds.

When we begin to create our own positive images of the future, we are utilising the ‘intellectual’ side of our brain. When we do this, we are, in effect, quietening down the negative fight/flight/depression side of our minds at the same time.

The important thing to do, is to make time for this type of personal self-care. It is all too easy, when we are stressed, to just get on with our day, not allowing our mind the time it needs, to have some space to think ahead in a positive way. When we are stressed, we tend to see thing in the worst-case scenario, we can start to play out these negative scenarios many times over. We can’t help it, it is a natural reaction to stress. If you make a conscious effort to use the techniques above, it can really make a difference, so why not give it a try?

My main aim in writing these newsletters, is to help stop the stigma when it comes to having conversations about our mental health and well-being. If there is a particular topic you’d like me to write about then please get in touch. Feel free to send me an email with SAHIR HOUSE in the subject line to solutions@martinfurber.com

If you would like to know more about the private treatments I offer then please check out my website  https://www.martinfurber.com

Or find me on social media

LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-furber/

Facebook: Martin Furber Therapist

On Friday 18 October, The Collaborative Network CIC hosted their inaugural LGBTQ+ FLOWERS Awards at the Titanic Hotel.

It was a fabulous evening that brought all parts of our community together – from employers, community groups, charities, and individual champions – recognising the collective, inclusive positivity that they all bring to Liverpool City Region.

Representatives from Sahir were shortlisted in four different awards:

Community Impact Award – Kath Charters

Diversity Champion Award – Kat Taylor

LGBTQ+ Ally Award – Ange English

Inspirational Leader of the Year Award – Ant Hopkinson

Sadly, Kath, Kat and Ange did not bring their awards home, but we’re incredibly proud of their recongition in being nominated in the first place; as they help so many of service users, and more, day in, day out.

However, the room exploded when our CEO, Ant Hopkinson, was announced as the winner of the Inspiration Leader of the Year award. As his winning nomination was read out, there were cheers of “hear, hear”, which only demonstrated the impact Ant has had on our community, inside and out of his role with Sahir.

Unfortunately, Ant was unable to attend on the evening, so Community Partnerships & Individual Giving Lead, John Hyland, LGBTQ+ Support Worker, Kat Taylor, and Kath Charters accepted the award on his behalf.

We want to thank all of those who continue to support Sahir.

On Wednesday 16th October, the local LGBTQ+ community came together as part of Sahir’s Queer Town Hall, as an opportunity to discuss issues important to us.

Following previous QTH’s focusing on:

• Merseyside Police
• Pride in the Community

We came together to focus on LGBTQ+ health and wellbeing post COVID-19, and heard from a number of speakers, including:

• Vivian Hope from Liverpool John Moore’s University
• Claire Stevens from Healthwatch Liverpool, discussing the Trans Health Report
• Rach Gaskell from Central Liverpool Primary Care Network
• Kate Sanders from Spirit Level
• James Woolgar from Liverpool City Council

The event was expertly hosted by The Queen of Heartbreak, with a performance from Saint Vespaluus.

We will be taking the incredible feedback we received on the evening, and writing up a report to share with both the community and those health & care providers who attended the event.