GM Newsletter April - June

Greater Manchester

April-June 2025

BHA FOR EQUALITY Newsletter

Mind, Body and Soul Event, Men’s Health Week, GP Training sessions, PrEP for Summer Campaign and more inside!

Fast Track Cities Manchester Event 2025 BHA for Equality was involved in organising the Fast Track Cities Manchester event at The People’s History Museum on the 22nd May. We were honored to be a part of such great event highlighting the incredible progress Greater Manchester has made.

BHA FOR EQUALITY

April - June 2025

FAST TRACK CITIES MANCHESTER 2025 Greater Manchester became a Fast-Track City in 2018, signing up to the Paris declaration, a global initiative aimed at ending new HIV, TB and viral hepatitis transmissions by 2030.

Key commitments include achieving the 95-95-95 targets: 95% of people living with HIV know their status.

95% of those diagnosed are on antiretroviral therapy.

95% of those on ART achieve viral suppression.

Greater Manchester have achieved these targets since 2022.

The aim of the event was to celebrate the success Greater Manchester has made thus far, give an opportunity to showcase the work happening in the community, and come together with a shared plan of how to achieve our ambitions for the future.

BHA for Equality, along with the PaSH Partnership, assisted in the organisation of the FTC Manchester conference, held on the 22nd May at the People’s History Museum. The event was attended by local community workers, healthcare professionals, councilors and the GM Mayor.

BOOK A HIV TEST WITH US

The event consisted of multiple speakers from across Greater Manchester and England, sharing the progress being made in their respective areas. The event concluded with all attendees participating in a workshop to develop an action plan for the future.

LGBTQ+ SEXUAL HEALTH SESSION In our efforts to support ethnically minoritised LGBTQ+ people in Greater Manchester, BHA for Equality hosted an informative event on sexual and reproductive health at Queer Lit. Attendees engaged in insightful and meaningful discussions and highlighted a greater need for awareness on topics such as menopause, abortion and HIV. BHA are now offering HOME FULLSCREEN STI tests.

You can test for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV, all from home.

Scan the QR code to order a test

BHA FOR EQUALITY

April - June 2025

A project which bridges

SEXATION: sexuality and creativity MIND, BODY AND SOUL: CONNECTION, CARE & COMMUNITY On June 21st, we hosted our second Mind, Body & Soul event at the Contact Theatre with The Poetry Place. This free event centered Black wellbeing through creativity, health services, and cultural care. Attendees enjoyed yoga, a sound bath, hand massages, and a health fair, with Caribbean food. An open mic on sex, identity, and relationships sparked powerful community dialogue. The atmosphere was warm, empowering, and deeply rooted in community connection. Mind, Body & Soul continues to grow as a space of healing, joy, and shared knowledge.

MEN’S HEALTH WEEK Back for a new season, The “S” Word tackles real conversations about sex, health, and stigma in Black communities, especially among Black men. Guests included local voices from 42nd Street, Mandem Meetup, Sowing Seeds, a schoolteacher, and a barber. By sharing honest, culturally relevant stories, the podcast continues to break silence, bust myths, and empower listeners to take control of their sexual health and wellbeing

TEST ‘N’ CHILL In April, BHA teamed up with Dr. Amber, a Black sexual health expert, to launch Test and Chill: a creative digital campaign raising awareness of lesser-known STIs: Trichomoniasis and Mycoplasma genitalium. This is a fresh take on public health messaging that’s rooted in culture and driven by care. Check our Instagram and TikTok for content.

PICTURE POWER WORKSHOP Our latest Sexation workshop, Picture Power, invited participants to explore identity and storytelling through photography. Led by a photographer, the session encouraged creative expression and visual empowerment, marking an exciting step forward in inclusive, arts-based sexual health conversations.

“Beautiful event. It was nice to see people come together.”

BHA FOR EQUALITY PREP FOR SUMMER We recently launched our 'Get PrEPed for Summer' campaign encouraging PrEP (PreExposure Prophylaxis) uptake during the summer season.

Campaign posters were distributed amongst our team to promote in their respective outreach boroughs leading to generative and myth-busting conversations on PrEP use.

Social media promotion efforts similarly found high engagement with campaign posts directing viewers to our accessible Fast-Track PrEP service.

SMOKING CESSATION

We are now supporting service users to access NHS Swap to Stop service.

Members of the community are engaged with local stop smoking services and supported with free vape voucher codes which they can claim to facilitate their quit journey.

April - June 2025

GP TRAINING SESSION

As BHA For Equality continues its efforts in supporting community members experiencing menopause, GP and health practitioner training has remained paramount.

This past quarter led to our first training session where over 30 health professionals from various disciplines had the opportunity to learn about BHA’s sexual and reproductive health services as well as introductory insight to menopause and its impact on minoritised communities.

Those in attendance found the event to be incredibly insightful and shared anecdotal stories of the presented trends shared by BHA, particularly amongst ethnically minoritised communities.

WHAT’S COMING?!

Click + Collect Condoms Coming Soon BHA will soon be offering a Click + Collect service for condoms. Service users will be able to order online and then collect a pack of regular condoms and lube from City View House in Manchester.

BHA Summer Stalls August - September MCR Caribbean Carnival Festival

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9th August

Mela Festival

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13th September

Melanin Markets

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30th August

Hep B Campaign 28th July - 3rd August

Sexual Health Week 15th-21st September

The 28th July marks World Hepatitis Day and BHA will be creating a week long social media campaign, sharing important information regarding HEP B.

For Sexual Health Week 2025, we’re logging on to explore how being ‘Chronically Online’ is influencing our attitudes and behaviours around sex and relationships.

BHA offer a completely FREE and DISCREET Condom + Lube Delivery service Scan the QR code to order