Another great way to help The Crescent

Hi All,

Another great way to help us while you shop !

We have just registered The Crescent Support Group on givingabit.com.

Come and join us & you can create donations for us at no extra cost to you just by shopping online. givingabit is partnered with hundreds of your favourite shops, so please sign up today at http://www.givingabit.com.

If we’re all givingabit, everyone wins.

Kind regards,

The Crescent team

Our Patron, James Wharton, In The Mail on Sunday

Hi all,

A great feature this weekend about our Patron, James Wharton, and his new book “out in the Army” which is also being serialised by the newspaper. This week he talks about how Prince Harry saved him from a homophobic attack during training together in Canada.

You can get a discounted copy of the book from the publisher, BiteBack Publishing, here http://www.bitebackpublishing.com/promotions using discount code THECRESCENT. Every order using this code will bring a donation to the Crescent, so it is a great way to help us, and get a thrilling read too.

Link to the article is here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2337882/Harry-saved-gay-hate-attack-Prince-extraordinary-showdown-troops-threatened-gunner.html

Thanks as ever for your ongoing support, with your help we can keep our services available for those who need it so much.

The Crescent Team

Another way to help the Crescent and get a good read !

Hi all,

Have just been informed of another way you can help raise money for the Crescent and save money yourself if you want a copy of James Wharton’s book “Out in The Army”

If you visit https://www.bitebackpublishing.com/promotions and enter promo code THE CRESCENT you will receive the book at a discounted rate and a percentage of the sale will go to The Crescent as a donation.

For those ordering before release on the 24th you will receive a signed copy too.

Here is the publisher’s outline of the book;

“Seeking escape from the quiet countryside of North Wales, the young James Wharton joined the British Army with adventure on his mind – and he found it. At basic training, boozing and brawling accompany the daily trials of army life but all the while James faces a battle of his own: he is gay and finding the courage to tell not only his family and friends but his fellow soldiers will be the biggest challenge of all.

Written with searing honesty, James charts his incredible journey from punch bag to poster boy, along the way describing the troubles and trials of coming to terms with his sexuality. Late nights in the clubs of Soho to early mornings guarding the Queen; rocket attacks in the deserts of Iraq to tank rides with Prince Harry on the plains of Canada – this is James’s life out in the army.”

Promises to be an exciting read so get your copy now and help the Crescent at the same time!

Thanks for your support as ever,

The Crescent Team

Outstanding Support For Our Quiz Night Fundraiser Last Week.

Hi All,

A HUGE thank you to all those who participated, donated or otherwise supported our Quiz Night on Friday last week. The event was a resounding success with far more people arriving than expected ! We had to put out more tables and rearrange seating to get people in!

The quiz was compiled, and hosted with great skill by our patron CJ de Mooi who is donating a percentage of the sales of his book, “How to Win TV Quiz Shows”, to us. A link to the book can be found here http://www.demooi.co.uk/book.html

Amazing to have so much local support, we raised thousands on the night itself, with more donations coming in this week too. This will help us keep providing essential services for the people living with HIV in Hertfordshire and beyond.

Keep watching this space for more information on our next event, which will feature a book launch by another of our patrons, James Wharton, whose excellent book “out in the Army” is released next month (June). Here is an extract from Amazon describing the book..

“Out in the Army follows the extraordinary career journey of James Wharton, one of the first ‘out’ soldiers in the armed forces as he becomes a man, joins the Army and learns to deal with his sexuality in a sometimes hostile environment prior to coming to terms with it and, in turn, helping the army itself come to terms with homosexuality. Wharton’s experiences in the army form the bedrock to this astonishing tale, from serving in Southern Iraq and with Prince Harry in Canada, to being hospitalized in a homophobic beating, to helping at the 7/7 bombings and serving at the Royal Wedding. His story is told right up until the point where he leaves the army in 2013 after a ten year commitment. The Army is certainly a different place now to when James signed up and there s no question that he s helped change opinions and make life easier for gay service people in the future. James was the first openly gay person to appear on the front cover of Soldier magazine, the British Army’s official publication. By being one of the first highly visible out soldier James has helped the armed services to begin to address its institutionalized homophobia.”

Link here to the publisher https://www.bitebackpublishing.com/search/james%20wharton

Thanks again for your wonderful support, look forward to seeing you at the next event,

With best wishes

The Crescent team

Anonymous HIV Disclosure Survey – Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) Cambridge

Dear all,

We have been contacted by Charlotte, a student at Anglia Ruskin University, to ask if we can assist with a survey that forms part of a PhD project exploring the process through which people living with HIV tell their intimate partners about their status.

At the bottom of this post is a link to the survey plus an information poster about the research and the possibility of a prize for taking part. The survey is an anonymous study which will allow you to share your thoughts, experiences, and feelings on the subject of disclosure to a close partner. It is estimated to take under 30 mins to complete.

Here is an extract from Charlotte’s email;

I am a second year PhD student at the Department of Psychology, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge. My thesis looks at the process through which people living with HIV in the UK manage the issue of disclosure within an intimate relationship.

The first study that is just being formally released is a survey that can be competed online. People that are living with HIV in the UK and are 18 years or older are warmly invited to take part. It asks about thoughts, views and experiences of sharing a positive status within an intimate partnership. It does not matter whether the person has had previous experience of disclosing or not; I would like to hear from everyone. This study has been fully approved by the University Faculty Research Ethics Panel.

In an attempt to reimburse people who take part for their time and effort there will be an opportunity following completion of the survey to enter an optional prize draw that is open to this study and a HIV stigma study. Two winners from a raffle will be given a £25 voucher (from their choice of Amazon, Argos, or Tesco). We also hope that the findings will also provide longer-term benefits to PLWHA. It is intended for the findings to be analyzed, published and disseminated in a HIV service users magazine/ communicated to the Terrence Higgins Trust/ Positively UK/ National AIDS Trust in order to be used as support and information for people who wish to disclosure their HIV safely to their partners in the future.

Kind regards

Charlotte

If you wish to take part the Survey can be found here http://edu.surveygizmo.com/s3/1095926/researchintohiv

More info and contact details for the study can be found in this poster Flyer for a disclosure study

West Herts Drivetime Today at 5.30 pm

Hi All,

Tune into 92.6fm today to hear our wonderful patron Cj de Mooi talking about our fundraiser tomorrow at Homewood Road Church St Albans at 7.30 and why he is supporting the savethecrescent campaign.

Look forward to seeing you there tomorrow if you can make it,

Thanks for your support as ever,

The Crescent Team

St Albans Cathedral and Abbey Church Mission Allocation Presentation

We were so pleased to attend the Abbey yesterday for the presentations, Good to see so many worthy causes, including The Crescent, receiving support from the Mission Allocation.

Especially pleased to have the support of the Congregational giving team, looking forward to working closely with the Cathedral team in preparation for World Aids Day which will also be our 25th Anniversary this year.

The Crescent Team

Spring Basket A Resounding Success Yesterday !

Hi All,

The annual Spring Basket event held with the Diocese HIV Support Group was again a huge success, we filled Homewood Road Church Hall with household goods and clothes, then filled the hall with people living with or affected by HIV who made the most of what was on offer!

This year thanks to a few late comers we completely cleared the hall, everything went ! A huge thank you to Susan Roberts and everyone involved with the Diocese group who made the event such a success again this year.

Please help save the Crescent, we care about those affected by HIV in Hertfordshire and beyond!

The Crescent Team

Quiz Night Approaches !

Hi all,

Link to the herts Advertiser article here;

http://www.hertsad.co.uk/news/quiz_night_set_to_boost_st_albans_hiv_centre_the_crescent_1_2169245

Hope to see some of you there, tickets selling fast be sure to call early for yours !

Thanks for your continued support,

The Crescent Team

Quiz Night 24th May – Article In the Herts Advertiser Today

Hi all,

Article talking about Eggheads and our forthcoming quiz which is being hosted and organised by our wonderful Patron CJ de Mooi the former Egghead star and all round good guy!

Please see here for the article;

Newspaper Article HA 250413

looking forward to seeing many of you on the night, more details of the quiz here;

The Crescent Quiz Night Poster 240513

Thank you for your continued support,

The Crescent Team