Pride in mind and body

ODL’s magazine by and for the LGBT+ community
Q10 Summer 2015
Pride in mind and body
Q competition
- enter for your
chance to win!
Activists on the ground,
the real heroes of Pride
ODL is supported by
Sing for Life
Jamie Reece spoke to London Gay Men’s Chorus
Assistant Musical Director and qualified counsellor
Chris Pethers about how singing can boost your health.
There are absolutely health benefits to singing in a
group, it’s not just about creating a beautiful sound!
Gay Men’s Chorus
Firstly, it’s a hugely social thing to do and great way to
surround yourself with new people. From my experience, the bonds that you form with fellow singers
are really strong, whether you’re harmonising or having a pint afterwards. That feeling of achieving
together definitely gives you a sense of belonging! On top of that, singing keeps you in well-tuned
condition. When you’re singing, your mind and body are working together in concert. While it may
sound complicated, you can inadvertently learn other things that are useful in your day-to-day life, like
great posture and breathing deeply.
Focus and unwind.
Joining a choir is also a great way to unwind. The concentration required to sing well means that you
can find yourself fully ‘in the moment’. A positive side-effect of this is that you’re not worried or
concerned about external things, there’s a natural relief from stress and anxiety. Finally, getting involved
with a choir is affordable and hugely accessible. One of the best things about this activity is that anyone
can do it. To start your own group, all you need is a leader. That said, if you’d rather join a choir that
already exists, some research online will unearth a variety of local groups, so you can pick something
that suits you – whether singing classical pieces, pop, rock or gospel.
Find out more at www.singforpleasure.org.uk
Whether you’re looking to do something new, stay active and healthy or just want to meet new
people, joining a choir is a great thing to consider. Q
London Gay Men’s Chorus - www.lgmc.org.uk
Women sing East led by Laka Daisical - www.spitalfieldsmusic.org.uk or contact Chloe Shrimpton on 020 7377 0287
The Pink Singers - www.pinksingers.co.uk, Diversity Choir - www.diversitychoir.co.uk
‘Can’t Sing’ Choir classes at Morley College - www.morleycollege.ac.uk/courses/music/2216-cant_sing_choir
For more information: Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health
www.canterbury.ac.uk/research-and-consultancy/research-centres/sidney-de-haan-research-centre/sidney-de-haan-research-centre.aspx
A warm tribute to Di Chapman
Di Chapman, co-founder of Arena 3 died in April, Ros Pearson remembers her.
I met Di Chapman in 1989. I was making the documentary, Women Like Us about
older lesbians for the Channel 4 series, Out on Tuesday. I had finally tracked her
down, I was excited, she was more than reluctant.
She and Esmee Langley had been instrumental in setting up Arena 3, a
newsletter for lesbians which first appeared in January 1964. I wanted to know
more. She was exceedingly wary of anyone wanting to film her, and not at all interested in sharing her
history with some unknown feminist. Bizarrely, we hit it off, she made me guffaw with laughter at her
tales and eventually agreed to take part.
Di claimed they launched Arena 3 onto ‘a homophobic and unsuspecting public’ and it brought
a wind of change. It was a lifeline from the start for lesbians, many of whom were isolated. After a
while, women pressed for meetings. Di found a room in the Shakespeare’s Head in Carnaby Street and
things moved on from there.
She was a brilliant, humorous woman who touched the lives of many lesbians, including mine. Q
Women Like Us and Women Like That will be shown soon at ODL Women’s Film night
– check the Listings. You can contact Ros at [email protected]
2
*Photo by Brenda Prince
Opening Doors London (ODL) www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk
Q10: Looking After Mind and Body
With PRIDE 2015 in mind and still smiling at the
wonderful LGBTQ victory in the Irish referendum,
we hope the summer issue finds ODL members
in good spirits. Its theme of living life fully
intends to encourage you to venture out, attend
a new social event or inspire you to make desired
changes in your life.
this does not mean all pleasures are lost or that
new ones aren’t possible. Although commentators
suggest that old people who live alone suffer, we
beg to differ. What about the many who do so
while sustaining deep friendships, being part of
stimulating groups or members of organisations
like ODL?
What does looking after mind and body mean?
Popular media urges continuous self-improvement
and suggests if we just did it right we could ban
the ageing process. But what if we don’t want
to pretend that age is only a number? Maybe we
prefer to remain open to ongoing changes and
challenges throughout our lives, accepting that this
will throw up a variety of emotions: pleasure and
sadness, hope and fear, mourning and celebration,
acceptance and denial.
That said, Q would never be dismissive of
growing social inequalities which impact our
diverse LGBTQ lives, whether these are the result
of racism, class divisions or anything else. Lack
of money and services are major determinants of
isolation or depression.
Q doesn’t want to overload ODL members
with hectoring self-help advice. We do want to
encourage members to participate to whatever
extent possible to live fully. Part of ageing is
learning to choose and prioritise our activities
and goals, especially if energy and strength have
diminished or partners or friends have died. But
tition:
Q CompeSwimming
or
Walking mories
Me
In our daily lives we often remark about how
getting older produces a kind of invisibility unless we’re being blatantly patronised. Belonging
to ODL can be part of fiercely resisting this.
Q10 offers snapshots of a variety of ways ODL
members and friends are flexing their muscles,
tending their spiritual and intellectual lives, and
joining together to demonstrate our ancient
LGBTQ glory. Enjoy! As usual we urge you to
write to Q. Please share your thoughts with other
members in the next issue of Q.
We have one copy of the new book of walks: Wild Swimming
Walks for a lucky ODL member who enters our competition.
(See review on page 7.)
All you need to do is send us a memory recalling a walking or
swimming experience from your past (real or imaginary). Does
it connect with you now as a lesbian, gay man, bi-sexual, trans
person, or queer?
Keep it brief – 250 words tops.
Deadline: 10 August
Send by email or by post, addresses on page 15
Winner to be announced and published in the Autumn issue of Q.
Go for a walk! ODL organises walks each month for women, men and mixed
groups, info in the monthly listings: www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk/calendar-2/
Summer’s here - make the most of it!
Q10 Summer 2015
3
Active politics keep you healthy!
Tony spoke to Ian Townson, who explains why, at
64 years old, he spends most of his time out on the
streets, trying to engage people in conversation,
and how it keeps him alive and well.
I kept myself busy with campaigning ahead of
the General Election in May. I was canvassing
for Left Unity in Lambeth; it’s an anti-austerity
party, that champions the interests of ordinary
working people against attacks on jobs, welfare
and services.
Planning
It’s proving to be a real challenge for me. Strict
timing, coordination and forward planning with
other members is necessary when setting up stalls
and displays outside tube stations or at public
meetings; making sure we have sufficient leaflets,
posters, pamphlets, banners and tables with
decent covers, to let people know who we are and
to make a good impression!
Listening
Good communication skills are essential;
explaining to people policies different to the
established parties, listening carefully to them
and understanding and discussing their concerns.
Targeting a particular constituency in Lambeth
we spend time visiting housing estates, as housing
is an important issue in London. We hear that so
called regeneration schemes sometimes disrupt
and break up established communities.
Satisfying
I find it exhilarating speaking to people, either
through a megaphone on the street, or to
individuals, or in a more formal setting to groups
at our public meetings. Public
speaking is a real art and when
making a formal presentation to a
group of strangers, unfamiliar with
our policies, it takes a real training
of the mind to be rational, calm
Members views about:
Ian campaigning
and coherent in such an unfamiliar setting. The
response from members of the public has been
extremely positive, with only one or two instances
of hostility and it has become clear to me that
many people are angry at the way they have been
treated by the two main parties.
Physical exercise
One thing is for sure. This is not a tourist’s
guide to London, sitting in ease on an open top
bus. Scurrying along with a table and bags full
of literature to set up stalls in various locations
and tramping up and down stairs on housing
estates keeps me physically very fit and alert. All
in all canvassing is a great way to meet people
and a fantastic confidence booster, as well as
the satisfaction of getting across the message
that a challenge to the existing run of the mill
politics is possible. Q
HEALTH
“Our health is our own responsibility: call in professionals when they’re needed, but without accepting their
suggestions uncritically.”
“The low-fat diet is a nonsense, based on faulty and inaccurate science: it’s very unhealthy, replacing fat with
carbohydrate and sugar, which we all tend to eat too much of anyway.”
“Sugar is probably the number one enemy. Keep your intake well down, especially as it’s added to so many foods.”
4
Opening Doors London (ODL) www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk
Serious Playground
An absorbing hobby can be as relaxing and good
for us as any medicine. Bernadette Halpin
shares her love of drawing.
When I was eight, my mum bought me a box of
Rowney coloured pastels for Christmas – not
childish chalks, but proper adult art tools. I still
have them (half-used) on a shelf in my workroom.
Now aged 60, I look back and realise that
drawing is one of the few constants in an often
chaotic life – not a career, not that lover, not even
my favourite addiction. Whatever bad times I
went through, I never gave up on drawing.
Drawing is simple: all you need is something to
make a mark with and something to make a mark
on. Pencil to pad. Brush to board. Charcoal to
cartridge paper.
In a French café, Bernadette Halpin
Friends who are Buddhists have their daily
practice – time taken out from the frenetic
course of life to meditate. Drawing is my
spiritual practice. The one time I feel both deeply
connected to the physical world but transcending it.
Drawing forces me to look: to truly see the person
or object I’m trying to capture in line. And that
looking has become how I view the world: across
the breakfast table, from the bus window, looking
up from my desk in the office.
Drawing can be solitary or communal: I sign up to
regular workshops – and there we are, model
naked in front of us, in silent struggle. Later over
tea, with faces black as miners – charcoal gets
everywhere – we share our efforts.
As we grow older, age takes many things
from us – but however old I am, I hope to keep
drawing. In his 80s and bedridden, Matisse took a
huge pair of tailor’s shears and cut out the vibrant
paper shapes he’s best known for now. I’m no
Matisse, but I feel blessed to have a talent that
brings me such pleasure and peace of mind. Q
*Serious Playground is a song by Laura Nyro that describes
how I feel about drawing: both passion and play.
My Friend Fola, Bernadette Halpin
Go for a walk! Hiking Dykes has been organising walks since the late 80s, there are walks
most weekends and during the week with older and younger women, contact: [email protected]
Q10 Summer 2015
5
Calling time on the
Black Cap?
Jamie Reece examines the sad fate of one
queer London’s iconic institutions.
In shocking news for so many of us, the Black Cap
pub in Camden closed its doors on 12th April.
The pub, which was one of London’s oldest
continually operating LGBT venues, finally
shuttered after a drawn out, months-long battle
against proposed redevelopment. This happened
despite a successful campaign by local activists to
recognise the cabaret as a historic venue.
While new details as to how the venue will be
redeveloped are yet to be officially confirmed, its
new owners have already stated that the Black Cap
will transform into a new ‘restaurant/café-bar type
establishment’
According to the Ham & High newspaper,
the pub’s new owner, Paul McGill, the CEO of
Camden Securities, agreed the terms for the future
of the pub in December. McGill said the decision
to close the Black Cap was made “long ago” and
was out of his hands.
Despite this set back, it has been heartening to
see many of the gay community protest the Black
Cap’s closure.
A week after the event, around 200 members of
the protest group #WeAreTheBlackCap gathered
to register their displeasure on the streets. In
addition, a strong social media campaign using the
group’s eponymous hashtag has raised awareness
of the Black Cap’s plight and, through this, the
continuing struggle of LGBTQ-friendly venues to
survive in the capital. Q
For more information on upcoming protests and how
you can get involved: follow @weareblackcap on
Twitter or visit www.twitter.com/weareblackcap.
To sign a petition protesting the closure, visit
www.change.org/p/the-new-owners-of-theblack-cap-reopen-the-black-cap
Do you ever feel lonely?
Ever felt alone in a world in which everyone else seems too busy to be interested in, concerned
about, even aware of your existence? Do you know what it’s like to have nobody to collect you
after a hospital procedure requiring an escort for discharge? To have nowhere to go, no visitors, no
one to talk to or get a phone call from on Christmas Day, when others are buying and giving presents, surrounded by family, close friends, and pets, when you, condemned to spend it alone, have
none of these?
Research reveals that 1 in 11 adults (4.4 million) have no close friends; 1 in 5 rarely or never feel
loved by someone else; and loneliness is deadlier than obesity.
Older LGBT folk are no less vulnerable to abandonment than others. When an all-ages gay men’s
social group in Soho (usually attracting around 15 people) recently focused on Loneliness, 120
people crammed in to the meeting. It’s that serious. But unless we ourselves do something about
it, nothing will change. Embarrassing maybe, but first we must declare our condition and admit,
yes, I am Alone In The World, and I Need Company. A current campaign runs ‘If you believe that
nobody who wants company should be without it, join here: www.campaigntoendloneliness.org ’. I
hope many of you will contact them and stress your LGBT needs!
ODL Members willing to help others, or wanting to get more support themselves or wishing to
learn more, can get in touch at: [email protected] or call 07941191749.
Roger Juer, ODL Ambassador and Camden LGBT Forum volunteer
6
Opening Doors London (ODL) www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk
A Walk from Hackney to
Limehouse
Barbara walks along the River Lee from
Hackney to the Thames.
This is the first in an occasional series of walks
in and around London, all reachable by public
transport. We start with a walk along the River Lee
from Hackney Wick to the Thames. On the way
you can see cormorants, coots, moorhens, ducks,
geese and swans, and you might also be lucky as
I was and be watching as a cormorant catches a
fish. The banks are jammed with houseboats, and
messing around on boats looks irresistible.
The basics
Starting at Hackney Wick overground station,
walk south down the River Lee, through the
Limehouse cut to Limehouse basin on the
Thames (an easy one and a half hour walk), and
if you’re feeling adventurous there’s the option
to return on a different route via the Regents
Canal past Mile End to Hackney’s Mare Street. If
you end the walk at Limehouse basin, there’s the
nearby Limehouse DLR station and buses towards
Poplar or Canary Wharf, and Aldgate or Wapping.
Hidden treasure
The Hackney Pearl, a cafe and restaurant two
minutes from Hackney Wick station, a gem of a
place for pre- or post-walk food and drink.
Lunch and literature (LGBT alert!)
At Limehouse Basin, turn left and you can easily
find your way to The Grapes on Narrow Street,
overlooking the Thames; part owned by Ian
River Lea Walk, Limehouse basin
McKellen, it has decent beers and food (serving
lunch till 2.30). It appears, barely disguised, in
Charles Dickens’s novel, Our Mutual Friend.
A few directions
Part of the Lee Valley walk, the route is well signposted. At the start, cross to the east, Olympic
Stadium, side of the river. At Bow Road cross to
the opposite bank of the river and again at Three
Mills Bridge close to Three Mills. Take a map with
you so you can find your way to and from public
transport links. It’s a gentle walk with some steps,
for access information call: 08456 770 600. Q
Wild Swimming Walks
A wonderful new book makes ambling near London easy, as Alison Read explains.
Are you an armchair walker? Always thinking, ‘must get out of London more?’ Now a new book
of walks has taken all the drudgery out of preparation. Wild Swimming Walks lists 28 walks easily
accessible by public transport from London and each walk includes the chance of a swim. All the
information you need on stations, distance, where to eat and places of interest is included in a
beautifully produced book with specially taken photographs. There’s a handy chart covering all the
walks which makes it easy to select one to fit your time and energies. It’s worth taking an OS map
too. We did not swim in May but friends and I tested two walks and had a good
time on both days: bluebells and spring greenery, estuarine mud and a mass
of wildfowl to watch. There’s no special LGBT content in the book but in the
churchyard at Blean we did wonder at the gravestone for Freda (Jim) Rivers. Does
that inscription hide a story? Q
Wild Swimming Walks Kenwood Ladies’ Pond Association Wild Things Publishing £14.99
Find out how to win a copy of this book in a special Q competition on page 3.
Q10 Summer 2015
7
Lonely or just alone?
ODL member Brian Lamb considers the advantages of embracing both time to be alone and
time to be with others.
Everyone needs some space of their own and to
be with other people. Human beings are social
creatures who want to share ideas and experiences.
So if you feel lonely, consider less of yourself
and get out to meet others in whatever group you
choose. Your very presence might cheer someone
up (or it might not of course). There are often
social barriers to getting out to meet people,
especially for those of us who are disabled or frail.
Changing this is part of Age UK’s campaigning work.
On one occasion when I was exhausted, I
felt apprehensive and fearful about meeting
new people. Then I read in the Bible that “true
love casteth out all fear”. When I realised this
and adopted a more loving approach my fear
completely disappeared. This approach became an
important passport, enabling me to meet anyone.
I happen to be a Christian but what you believe is
up to you.
Belonging and communities
Often the bad things in life are easier to bear if
you share them. So too, if you share the good
things, they get better. Is there any way you could
brighten someone else’s day? Could you make
someone smile today?
The feeling of belonging to a community has
far-reaching positive influences on well being –
it’s not just that you feel better, you are better
equipped to face adversities. Among other things,
your immune system will be more efficient. It is
generally recognised that people who live together
are more able to cope with the difficulties of
living, even if they lack provisions for basic needs.
In the last issue of Q there was an article about
gay squatting in Brixton. It was noted that as
people moved into better living accommodation
on their own, many of the benefits of living
together were lost.
Try to strike a balance between being alone and
with other people. Being with other people is
good for your health! I always remember that as I
need other people, they need me too! Q
Bent Bars
LGBTQ people are disproportionately criminalised and imprisoned,
often suffering particularly harsh and dehumanising treatment. Begun
in 2008, the Bent Bars Project puts people on the outside in touch with
LGBTQ prisoners who would like help to overcome what is often a
frightening, disorienting and very lonely experience. Being locked up
gives the opportunity for some to think about who they are for the
first time and we get regular letters from prisoners who are coming
out, or who want to, for the first time when in prison.
Some prisons have diversity officers who run open support
groups, but others don’t even acknowledge the existence of LGBTQ
Poster Design by A-K Pirata prisoners. Bent Bars doesn’t forget that some prisoners have
committed serious crimes but they may still need our help.
Currently we have a shortage of senior outside penpals for older prisoners and invite ODL
members to become involved, either through the website: www.bentbarsproject.org or by
attending an open meeting at London Friend, 86 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DN.
We’d love to have you on the team!
Chryssy Hunter
8
Opening Doors London (ODL) www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk
Dancing to the 5 Rhythms
Do you love moving to music? Feel out of
synch with the dance scene? Want to move
but need to do so at your own speed? Well,
5 Rhythms Dance classes might suit you.
Gill Sampson who has attended classes for
many years explains what it’s all about.
No standard to achieve, no pattern of steps to
follow, just moving your body in response to the
music at your own pace and in your own style.
You are free to make it as aerobic or as gentle
as you please, lying down is always an option!
Your teacher won’t tell you what to do but with
music will guide you through flowing, staccato,
chaos, lyrical and stillness rhythms, feeding in
suggestions to keep you aware of your body
and reminding you to breathe. Conscious dance
can be relaxing and mood enhancing, a moving
meditation giving a sense of groundedness and
connection. Whatever emotional/physical state
I arrive at the dance in I will feel different when
I leave. The bottom line is always an uplifting
dance with fantastic music!
5 Rhythms and my changing needs
5 Rhythms has supported me physically,
emotionally and spiritually over the past 24 years,
including through a serious illness in my 50s. I
loved dancing at women’s discos in my 20s and
30s, spending whole evenings on the dance floor,
but as I got older I began to feel out of sync
and clubs seemed commercial. So I felt drawn
to 5 Rhythms where I could recapture earlier joys
without the fast lifestyle.
In the last five years my physical strength and
energy levels have decreased and I have times of
really painful arthritis which affect my mobility.
There is space for me to be my older self in my
usual class and I’m by no means the only one,
Some useful dance links
www.joyfuldance.co.uk
Over 60s class Swiss Cottage
www.acalltodance.com
Lists all London classes
www.marywardcentre.ac.uk
Over 60s class Holborn
www.fullmoondance.co.uk
Monthly women’s dance
www.facebook.com/danceoutloudlondon
LGBT weekly class
Q10 Summer 2015
but can only manage the first hour of a two or
three hour class. There are two classes in London
that address my situation, both for the over 60s
A variety of classes
In the past as a lesbian I have found some classes
uncomfortably heterosexual and it has paid to
shop around! These days there are many more
lesbians and gay men dancing (and teaching) the
5 Rhythms all over the country and many different
flavours of class to choose from. In London
there is a weekly LGBT class and a monthly
women only full-moon dance.
5 Rhythms has been an indispensable ingredient
in my journey through middle age and now as I
travel into old age. Q
9
Other People’s Germs
If catching a so-called minor ‘bug’ has the potential to seriously
affect your health how do you get the message across to the
public including health professionals! Jean Fraser, who lives
with major lung condition, explains and asks us to take notice
and take care.
I live with severe emphysema and chronic
asthma, managing both with the help of my GP,
consultant and the community respiratory team
here in Kent. Most of the time I live a nearnormal life, despite chronic breathlessness and
frequent use of oxygen. But when I have a flareup I become seriously ill and may never recover
my current level of functioning. So it’s crucial to
avoid infection as far as humanly possible.
You would think, wouldn’t you, that if people
see me using oxygen they would keep a distance
and not cough in my face as happened recently.
You’d also think that if a respiratory patient goes
for hospital tests, the staff would wear masks
if they have a bug, knowing the clinical havoc
potentially caused by passing on their germs.
When I was recently in hospital with double
pneumonia I asked the first nurse I saw if she
was virus free. Oh no, she replied breezily, if I
wanted someone who was I’d be waiting a long
time as her team had all been down with flu. Now
I’m not wanting special status here but it seems
only common sense that on a mixed ward a virusfree nurse would attend the respiratory patients,
knowing how compromised their lungs already are.
Taking Care, Taking responsibility
And herein lies the challenge: you have to be
pretty assertive to claim a safe space in the world,
or as safe as possible, for of course we can only
do our best and accept that some infections will
slip through. But infection control is a public
health issue so why is there almost no education
about it? Keeping safe currently relies solely on
individual levels of confidence.
Jean at a ‘Save the NHS’ demo
I have no answer other than to stab the next
person who sits down beside me at a social event
and cheerfully announces, “I’m going down with
something!” Catching a cold may be fine if you’re
young and fit but it can be life and death for the
elderly and chronically sick. The public needs
to catch on but even more importantly so does
public health education. Q
Top Tips for infection control
• If you have a cold, if possible keep 6 feet
between yourself and others
• You can’t avoid every situation, but always
let others know if you’re not well.
• Protect your friends when you’re ill, hug
with your face over-their-shoulder out of
line of germs
• Always cover your mouth and sneeze
into your elbow; don’t sneeze or cough in
anyone’s face.
• Surfaces are heaven for germs; don’t
spread ‘em - wash those hands and use
your elbows to open doors
• And if your immune system is
compromised, don’t be scared to be
assertive about your needs.
10
Opening Doors London (ODL) www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk
The POPPY Study: HIV and Ageing
Today many HIV-positive gay men are moving into the later-life zone. A new study is now trying
to understand HIV in ageing women and men. Roy Trevelion, a member of the UK Community
Advisory Board (UK-CAB) and an HIV treatment advocate for all people living with HIV explains.
Researchers at the UK’s university hospitals are
studying HIV and later life. They are trying to
answer many questions. For example, how do
patients and doctors juggle medication for agerelated conditions along with anti-HIV drugs?
What effect does one drug have on another, and
how well do our bodies deal with drugs as we
age? Are HIV-positive patients more at risk from
older people’s illnesses? One such study is called
POPPY.
POPPY is a tribute to the effectiveness of
combination therapy. Combining three or more
anti-HIV drugs suppresses the virus. HIV can’t
do much damage if the virus is ‘undetectable’.
So today people live long lives with HIV, and are
– more or less – not infectious. It’s a boon! We
know from reading Q that older people do have
sex. Knowing you are far less likely to pass on the
virus will certainly improve passion and romance.
But older people – with or without HIV –
develop age-related conditions. The ageing
process means that different individuals grow
older at different rates, and in different ways.
Knees might not function properly, arteries might
get clogged up, or lungs don’t take in enough air.
What difference does HIV make on the ageing
process?
POPPY is investigating how older HIV-positive
people age. It’s a new situation and questions
have to be asked. Is it different from older HIVnegative people? How can doctors manage the
interactions between anti-HIV drugs and other
drugs for conditions such as high blood pressure
or high cholesterol levels?
POPPY participants are checked for a whole range
of different conditions. Livers, kidneys, hearts,
lungs, bones, and more, will all be given the
scientific once over. Participants often say that
they’re having a health MOT. In a way they are.
But they’re having these tests now to see whether
there are differences in results after a few years.
It’s capturing the ageing process in HIV-positive
people so that doctors are prepared for future
health issues. Right now, we don’t know what
these issues will be, because HIV-positive patients
haven’t grown older before.
It’s recommended that results go to the GP as
well as the HIV clinician. However, older patients
– of all kinds – should make sure they take part in
any treatment decisions. A test result might be a
bit unusual, but not require extra drugs. We’ll have
to work out if it needs medical treatment. Q
HIV-negative people needed for POPPY
POPPY is still recruiting HIV-negative older
men and women over 50 to the study. If you
are interested in taking part please get in touch.
Email: [email protected]
Web page: poppystudy.org
Telephone: 020 7594 3413
Go for a walk! On the internet you can find various LGBT groups who organize walks from
London but we’ve not tested them; worth a look, but not LGBT specific:
www.walklondon.org.uk which organises three weekends of guided walks a year;
www.walk4life.info suggests walks starting from a chosen postcode; www.walkit.com plots a
route for you between chosen starting points; and also gives you a circular walk, of chosen
length, from a chosen location.
Q10 Summer 2015
11
Using Mindfulness to
cope with ill health
Through her professional and personal experience,
Melanie Rendall, has learned to help herself and
others live more comfortably with the symptoms of
ill health. Here she describes her approach.
My role as a clinical health psychologist, put most
simply, is to help individuals live as good a quality of life with illness and disability as possible.
Unsurprisingly, this is often not a simple endeavour; our beliefs about health and how they subsequently
influence our behaviours, thinking and emotions are driven by a myriad of psychological and social
factors, as well as being shaped by culture, gender, and sexuality.
Active Acceptance
Key to adjustment is the notion of acceptance. This does not mean passivity or having to like
something that may be fundamentally unpleasant, but rather, learning to live with our symptoms to
the best of our ability and ultimately minimize their impact rather than expending unnecessary energy
resisting, fighting, or trying to escape symptoms and realities that we can’t control.
Primary and Secondary Suffering
The suffering I often see is invariably a complex interaction of two things: primary suffering – these
are the physical symptoms, such as noises experienced in tinnitus; hot flushes and night sweats in
menopause; pain and fatigue in irritable bowel syndrome, or persistent pain and fatigue in fibromyalgia
or arthritis - and secondary suffering, which is our response to these, including our thoughts, beliefs,
feelings of hopelessness and helplessness and emotions such as worry, anger or low mood.
Shifting Secondary Suffering – my experience
Working on alleviating secondary suffering can have a tremendous impact on primary suffering. I know
this from personal experience having lived with tinnitus for several years. I have learned to understand
how my thoughts, feelings and behaviour can ostensibly serve as a ‘volume control’ button, intensifying
my symptoms at times or restricting my capacity to focus on the present moment. For example, I have
learned to ‘catch’ unhelpful negative thoughts or predictions, or stop attempts to ‘shut out’ the noise,
learning that the more I try to fight the problem, the more the mind zooms in to take a closer look,
thereby tuning in more to the noise. Behaviours that we think are helpful, such as attempts to mask,
avoid or drown out sounds can be working against us, stopping the natural process of habituation as
the brain is relearning what it does and does not have to attend to.
Applying aspects of mindfulness – which is increasingly being demonstrated to be effective in a
range of chronic health conditions – was instrumental in helping me manage not only the noises, but
the resulting negative thoughts and worries. And of course the technique can be used across a range of
conditions. Q
Further reading:
Mindfulness for health: a practical guide to relieving pain, reducing stress and restoring wellbeing. Vidyamala Burch & Danny Penman
Gardening is a great way to get out and exercise; the focus and
fresh air seem to divert anxieties and you get fresh veggies too.
If you don’t have a patch to tend maybe someone in your area
could do with some help? ask around, put a notice in your local
library or check www.landshare.net/about
12
Opening Doors London (ODL) www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk
Salads - good for
us
and
tasty
too
Tony Smith lists 10 ways of turning
ordinary lettuce, cucumber and tomato into
something more exciting. Try some of the
following but as always, check for allergies
and suitability for vegetarians and vegans.
• Olives - green or black, sun dried tomatoes,
gherkins, artichoke hearts (in a jar with oil),
mushrooms (in oil), red peppers (in a jar),
your own oven roasted veggies (peppers,
onions, courgettes, tomatoes), avocado
• Chopped fresh - apple, pear, apricot,
orange, melon, pineapple, strawberries,
or dried fruit - sultanas, raisins, chopped
apricots, peaches, cranberries, mango
• Garden flowers - bergamot, day lily,
nasturtium, marigold, pansy, borage, chives,
clover, garden pea. To check safety go to:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=764
• Roasted seeds - pumpkin, sunflower, poppy,
melon, sesame and nuts, whole or chopped
- almonds, walnuts, cashews, peanuts,
hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, brazils
• Grated or chopped - carrot, beetroot,
spring onion, cauliflower, broccoli,
mangetout, beansprouts, peppers, chillis.
Fresh herbs - basil, parsley, mint, chives,
coriander
• Croutons, small pieces of pizza and
cheese - shavings of parmesan, cubes of
hard goat’s or other cheeses, feta, grilled
halloumi, crumbled blue cheese
•Pieces of crispy bacon, ham, chicken,
anchovies, prawns, rollmops, smoked
mackerel or salmon
•Tinned veggies - peas, green beans, broad
beans, chick peas, butter beans, red kidney
beans, asparagus, sweet corn
Easy Dressing
A dressing is what ties the salad together,
whether it’s complicated or simple. The key
to a salad dressing (like a salad) is to find the
combination you like, so taste away as you
create
• Tony’s dressing choices: 5 tsp olive oil, 5
tsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp honey mustard,
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper. Shake
well before use. Ring the changes by varying
the proportions. Use different vinegars,
different oils, lemon juice. Try adding
mashed up blue cheese or very ripe avocado,
herbs, garlic, chili, or ginger before you
shake it all up
• Vinaigrette: A classic oil and vinegar
dressing uses 3 or 4 parts oil to 1 part
vinegar or lemon juice with salt, pepper,
mustard, honey, garlic to taste Q
Summer Smoothies!
It can be challenging to make sure we’ve got the magic Five-A-Day included in our daily diets. However, to embrace the
summer sunshine, Fiona McGibbon has come up with some ideas for simple smoothies to help you pack in the fruit and
veg, keep your health in tip top shape and encourage you to start mixing your own tasty smoothies.
The Iron Booster - To restore iron levels use this simple recipe of juicing a few carrots, a handful
of cabbage leaves and good chunk of cucumber, add a glass of water and you have a great iron
booster in a glass.
The Black and Green - To keep the blood pumping and good circulation, try juicing a handful of
blackcurrants with a helping of spinach – the potassium will help control blood pressure.
The Green Giant - To help with achy joints, juice leeks, add an apple or two, a chunk of ginger, and
some parsley – all which have great anti-inflammatory properties.
Useful links on eating well:
www.nhs.uk/Livewell/5ADAY/Pages/FAQs.aspx
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/smoothie
Q10 Summer 2015
13
Fundraising for ODL
Tom Blackie brings us up to date.
The team has been busy working on a new
application to the Big Lottery Fund for a grant
to support ODL over the next four years.
We’re extremely grateful to have had two large
grants over the last seven years, and though it
is unusual to be awarded a third grant we have
been encouraged to apply: our first stage bid was
submitted in April. We’ll hear if we’ve progressed
to the second stage in early summer.
New worker at ODL/Age UK Camden
Recently Age UK Camden has appointed a parttime Community Fundraising Officer to support
all its services, including ODL. The new worker,
Claire Avant, is very experienced and will work
alongside the existing team to support the ongoing Raise a Glass campaign and work with our
community partners.
Run to raise funds for ODL
One big fundraising opportunity on the horizon
is the London Pride Run 2015 on Saturday 15th
August and we’d like to thank London Frontrunners,
who organise the event, for choosing ODL as
their beneficiary charity! We’re hoping as many
of our friends and supporters as possible will
participate and help us raise crucial funds to
support our work. Full details on the London Pride
website www.pride10k.org
Do you have ideas for fundraising?
As ever, fundraising remains a real challenge, and we
welcome any ideas, useful contacts or direct donations
to help us to keep ODL services going strong. Please
contact [email protected] or
call 020 7239 0400. To donate please visit www.
openingdoorslondon.org.uk Also please sign up
to our Raise a Glass campaign – again, details on
the website. We also post a lot of our fundraising
news on Facebook, through Twitter and we now
have an ODL Instagram account – again you can
link to them all through our website, and tell your
friends about ODL. Q
Befriending in South London.
The ODL Befriending service is expanding south of the Thames! Over the summer Paul Webley
will be out and about meeting people, groups and service providers to start building a Befriending
network. Paul has been the Befriending Coordinator for some time and he will be looking for ODL
members who would like a Befriender, as well as volunteers who want to become a Befriender.
Find out more from Paul at: [email protected] or phone: 020 7239 0400.
Trans Network London Meeting
Chryssy Hunter reports back.
Trans* Network London (TNL) has been set up to co-ordinate the many trans* and gender nonconforming groups and organisations in the London area, to help network events across the capital and
connect affiliate members and represents a more professional approach to community connectivity.
TNL members discussed the wish of new Stonewall CEO Ruth Hunt, to engage with trans*
communities for the first time. The limits of Stonewall’s campaigning philosophy were noted when it
was revealed that although they thought they could engage on equal marriage for trans* people they
considered the question of campaigning for gender neutral passports to be beyond the pale for our
legislators and therefore of questionable worth.
At a time when trans* and gender non-conforming people are becoming increasingly organised
and visible TNL represents a wish to focus the huge amount of disparate energy of the many
groups that represent our communities. Perhaps this represents a new cohesive voice in Trans*
politics in the capital?
Contact Chryssy for more information: [email protected]
14
Opening Doors London (ODL) www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk
Pets’ Corner
ZoZo is my polyamorous proxy cat – his people live over the
wall and I know he has other relationships and homes, but we
get along just fine. No expectations or responsibilities on either
side. We are similar, companionable but both like a room of our
own: him for sleeping, me for getting on with stuff. We exchange
occasional visits for full body massage, chat and affection – sadly
the massage is one way. He has good manners, telepathic skills
and will be extra attentive if I’m blue; he was around all day after
the election result in May. He loves the garden, trees to climb,
plants to hide behind and can sniff out chicken at 100 metres.
How can I resist the charms of a cat that comes when I whistle?
Alison Read
Your ODL Quarterly
Announcing a New Q Column: From the next issue Q will carry a regular Down Memory Lane page. Conjure
up glimpses from your past to share with Q readers, whether light hearted, poignant, or evocative. If
possible send a photo too.
Maximum Length: 250 words, Deadline: Monday 10 August
Send to: [email protected] or Tavis House address.
A Competition: To kick off our new regular column, Q is offering a prize for the best submission to the new
Down Memory Lane page. See page 3 for details.
ODL Q11, the Autumn issue: All about Books and the Arts – write for us on your favourite LGBTQ book,
picture, sculpture or maybe the first time you read or saw something which gave a hint that perhaps not
all the world was as straight as you’d been led to believe.
Thanks to Q10 Contributors: Jean Fraser, Roy Trevelion, Bernadette Halpin, Roger Juer, Ian Towson, Gill Sampson, Melanie
Rendall, Rebecca Swenson, Ros Pearson, Brenda Prince, Chryssy Hunter, Taylor Love-Taylor, Vito E Ward, & Tom Blackie.
Q editorial group: Tony Smith, Sue O’Sullivan, Mike Harth, Jamie Reece, Fiona McGibbon, Brian Lamb,
Barbara, Alison Read & Adrian Johnson.
Magazine design by Laura Salisbury: www.laurasalisburygraphicdesign.com
© All articles, cartoons and photographs are copyright of the author, artist and photographer. The views and opinions expressed in ODL Q
Quarterly are those of the individual contributors and are not neccessarily those of the editorial group, Opening Doors London or AgeUK Camden.
Opening Doors London Contact Details
Opening Doors London (ODL), Age UK Camden
Tavis House, 1–6 Tavistock Square
London, WC1H 9NA
Tel 020 7239 0400
Website: www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk
Stacey Halls
ODL Manager
Email [email protected]
Paul Webley
Befriending Co-ordinator
Email [email protected]
Derek Freeman
Campaigns & Policy
Email [email protected]
Liam O’Driscoll
Development Co-ordinator
Tel 020 7239 0446
Email [email protected]
Kate Hancock
Development Co-ordinator
Tel 020 7239 0447
Email [email protected]
Chryssy Hunter
Volunter Coordinator
Email [email protected]
ODL Quarterly
Email [email protected]
Its easy to join ODL. Get in touch with Kate or Liam by email, phone or post.
Q10 Summer 2015
15
A Recurring Walk Down Memory Lane
Thank you to everyone who contributed stories from the past to our last issue. As a result
we’ve decided to have a regular page dedicated to your reminiscences and memories as LGBT
youngsters, teenagers and adults.
Please share a memory you cherish or one that makes you squirm with embarrassment - a
glimpse of a meaningful (magical or painful) encounter or event which remains with you years
later. Can you recall something that still makes you laugh? Send them all to Q. To tempt you to
write for Q we have a competition. See page 3 for details.
Keep your contributions to 250 words tops and send to Q at: [email protected]
or the Tavis House address.
Deadline for the next issue 10 August.
Down Memory Lane
Vito Ward remembers
how she has
campaigned all her life
I left my home in
Northumberland on 24
January 1961 to travel
to Reading and start my
training in the Women’s
Royal Naval Service. So much happened in the
next ten years, mostly enjoyable and certainly
adventurous. I availed myself of many opportunities
including education and attained the rank of Petty
officer. I would have become a Chief PO if they
hadn’t discovered I was a lesbian. That’s another long
story and chronicled in Clare Summerskill’s book
Gateway to Heaven.
Looking back they did me a favour kicking me
out; although difficult at the time I found strengths
I never knew I had. Like friends, you don’t know
how good some are until you’re in trouble. That was
a big ‘outing’ and I never went back in the closet.
Even when I volunteered for two years in Albania
I managed to hook up with a few gay people and
support their campaign. I cycled from Vietnam to
Cambodia for another charity three years ago and it’s
such a joy to enhance our LGBT network. Wherever
I travel I try to connect somewhere with gay people
but in China I failed! There are a few countries I
won’t visit but will continue to support in other
ways. As an ambassador for ODL I hope I can still
contribute to making life easier for my older LGBT
community and encourage everyone to come out
and play.
The Vicar’s Daughter
Taylor Love-Taylor evokes a long ago image of yearnings
not yet articulated.
As an only child, I always felt an outsider. In some ways it is hard to
distinguish between that and other feelings of alienation.
A picnic of family and friends, on the river bank: Elizabeth Dove (16
years older than I) with her Eton crop, box pleated navy blue suit,
white shirt blouse and brogues I greatly admired. The first spontaneous
gesture of affection I recall making, aged nine, is approaching her from
behind, putting my arms round her and hugging her. I don’t remember
more, but I feel it triggered an unspoken response from my mother
that resounded through my life until I was 30.
We have never discussed sexuality nor anything close to it, but I’m
still in touch with Elizabeth Dove, who is 88. Always my secret role model.
16
Taylor at ten years old
Opening Doors London (ODL) www.openingdoorslondon.org.uk