Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
<strong>ScotsGay</strong><br />
News<br />
ON YOUR<br />
BIKES!<br />
Gay Outdoor Club 25th<br />
Anniversary Run<br />
It’s nearly a quarter of a century<br />
since gay cyclists first got together<br />
in Scotland for an organised<br />
run. Advertised in Gay News<br />
and Gay Scotland as the<br />
Edinburgh Gay Cycling Group,<br />
the first organised event was<br />
held on Sunday 13th April 1980<br />
and was a run from Edinburgh to<br />
Peebles and back via the<br />
Moorfoot Hills. It was attended<br />
by six participants - two of whom<br />
are still very much involved in<br />
GOC today.<br />
To mark this anniversary, next<br />
month’s run (on Sun 10th Apr)<br />
will retrace much of the route of<br />
April 1980’s inaugural run - but<br />
with more deviation onto minor<br />
roads - this being partly down to<br />
the increase in volume of traffic<br />
on main roads that has occurred<br />
over the past 25 years. Both long<br />
(60-65 miles) and moderate (40-<br />
45 miles) circuits will be on offer.<br />
The longer route will start at<br />
10.30am outside the<br />
Commonwealth Pool, Dalkeith<br />
Road, while the shorter circuit<br />
will start at Noon on the A7 road<br />
junction at North Middleton<br />
(OS66, NT357588).<br />
A warm welcome is extended<br />
to all and it is hoped that a number<br />
of those who have participated<br />
in GOC’s Scottish cycling<br />
activities over the years will<br />
make a special point of joining<br />
us on this occasion. The<br />
Edinburgh Gay Cycling Group<br />
was started by a guy called<br />
Andy Gentle and it is hoped he<br />
will perhaps read this and manage<br />
to come along then too. If<br />
anyone else reading this is still in<br />
touch with Andy maybe they<br />
4<br />
could pass on the details to him<br />
of this special event.<br />
Douglas Bingham<br />
E-mail: drb@gocscotland.org.uk<br />
FAGS OUT,<br />
PLEASE!<br />
Smoking prevalence among gay<br />
men and lesbians is around twice<br />
that of the general population.<br />
Seven out of ten smokers want to<br />
stop and there is support available<br />
which can greatly improve<br />
your chance of stopping successfully.<br />
No Smoking Day on Wed<br />
9th Mar is an excellent opportunity<br />
for smokers to make the decision<br />
to stop smoking. Over a million<br />
smokers will be using the Day<br />
to try and stop.<br />
Highlighting the help available<br />
for gay and HIV positive men is an<br />
important issue for Will Nutland,<br />
Head of Gay Men’s Health<br />
Promotion at Terrence Higgins<br />
Trust. “Giving up smoking is a<br />
key decision anyone can make to<br />
improve their health. When that<br />
person is also HIV positive the<br />
decision to quit can have even<br />
more benefits.”<br />
Dónal Heath co-ordinates GMFA’s<br />
London-based stop smoking service<br />
for gay men. The service has<br />
had about a 70% success rate and<br />
Dónal offers these tips for anyone<br />
who wants to stop smoking:<br />
– Using Nicotine Replacement<br />
Therapy, like gum or patches,<br />
can double your chances of success<br />
- talk to your GP or pharmacist<br />
– Joining a stop smoking group<br />
will make you four times more<br />
likely to succeed. Contact the<br />
NHS on 0800 1690169 for<br />
details of other services<br />
– If you can’t join a group, set<br />
yourself a quit date and stick to<br />
it. Use the time between now<br />
and then to get ready<br />
– Write down all the reasons you<br />
want to stop and tape it to the<br />
fridge to help you stay motivated<br />
– Enlist the support of friends,<br />
family and workmates - why not<br />
quit together and help keep<br />
each other on track?<br />
– Log on to http://www.nosmokingday.org.uk/<br />
for more help or<br />
http://www.godhatesfags.org.<br />
uk/ for stern advice.<br />
Peter Lee used one of the local<br />
NHS Stop Smoking Services to<br />
support his quit attempt and hasn’t<br />
looked back since. “It has really<br />
made a big difference to me.<br />
Stopping one habit has motivated<br />
to me to improve other things in<br />
my life including improving my<br />
diet and taking lots of exercise. I<br />
feel fantastic and friends are<br />
always telling me that I look better<br />
for it. I think that there probably is<br />
a higher percentage of smokers in<br />
gay bars and clubs. I find it really<br />
off-putting - it makes people<br />
smell horrible, really unattractive!<br />
And you really notice the morning<br />
after that your clothes stink and<br />
have to be washed.”<br />
DISCRIMINATION<br />
ON THE MOVE<br />
Have you experienced discrimination?<br />
Are you interested in equality<br />
issues and how this affects your<br />
community? Would you also be<br />
keen to learn more about working<br />
with your local media in order to<br />
change the coverage your area of<br />
concern is getting?<br />
Then come along to one of these<br />
FREE events!<br />
– James Watt College, Greenock,<br />
Wed 6th Apr<br />
– Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, (Gaelic<br />
College), Isle of Skye, Thu 14th<br />
Apr<br />
– The Weigh Inn, Burnside,<br />
Thurso, Thu 21st Apr<br />
– Aberdeen (venue to be confirmed),<br />
Wed 8th Jun<br />
Help is available with interpreters,<br />
crèche facilities, transport and<br />
accommodation provided this is<br />
agreed in advance. Full disabled<br />
access and oop systems fitted.<br />
Agenda for the day/booking<br />
forms available at<br />
http://www.forumondiscrimination.org.uk/<br />
or Write: Forum on<br />
Discrimination, Scottish Civic<br />
Forum/Fòram Catharra Na H-<br />
Alba, 16 Jackson's Entry,<br />
Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, EH8<br />
8PJ, Tel: 0131-524 9392.<br />
Fax: 08700 511192.<br />
BAIRNS MEAN<br />
PRIZES!<br />
Following receipt of a grant from<br />
the local Council of £1005, Flags<br />
LGBT Centre, at 56-58 Cow<br />
Wynd, Falkirk have expanded<br />
their opening hours yet again.<br />
The Centre is now open every Sun<br />
afternoon between 2pm and 5pm<br />
for “Afternoon Tea”. Each week,<br />
the “3 o'clock quiz” will kick-off at<br />
3 o'clock (who could have<br />
guessed?), giving participants the<br />
chance to win a cash prize! Rules<br />
are simple:<br />
– players can enter individually or<br />
in teams of up to three persons<br />
– thirty questions will be asked (in<br />
two halves, to allow for a comfort<br />
break), the winner being the<br />
person or team with most correct<br />
answers<br />
– entry to the quiz is £1 per person<br />
– the winner will receive half the<br />
admission takings<br />
– in the event of a tie, a series of<br />
sudden-death questions will be<br />
used to determine a winner<br />
– in the event of a team winning,<br />
they may also elect for sudden<br />
death questions to find an individual<br />
winner - however, all<br />
team members must agree to<br />
this strategy.<br />
So, why not pop along this coming<br />
Sunday? It could be your lucky<br />
day!<br />
FLAGS is also looking for a<br />
new computer after their existing<br />
one went “phut”. If you've got an<br />
old one you were thinking of<br />
throwing out, please toss it in their<br />
direction! Contact them on Falkirk<br />
(01324) 617717 or<br />
E-mail: flagslgbt@hotmail.com<br />
WAVERLEY CARE<br />
THROWS OPEN<br />
ITS DOORS TO<br />
THE PUBLIC<br />
Waverley Care, Scotland’s leading<br />
HIV charity, is holding its first<br />
ever Open Day at the Solas<br />
Support and Information Centre,<br />
2-4 Abbeymount, Edinburgh on<br />
Fri 18th Mar from 11.30am-1.30<br />
pm.<br />
The Open Day provides a<br />
unique opportunity to find out<br />
more about the broad range of<br />
services available to people living<br />
with HIV.<br />
Invitations are being sent to<br />
healthcare professionals, social<br />
work offices and voluntary organisations<br />
across the city but the<br />
event is open to anyone who<br />
would like to know more about<br />
what’s on offer. People who may<br />
want to use services - or who wish<br />
to learn more on behalf of friends<br />
or family - are particularly welcome.<br />
Staff from the various projects<br />
will be available to talk about<br />
their particular area of work and<br />
refreshments will be available.<br />
In addition to the Solas Centre,
Change language