Posted on: 11 August 2022
On Sunday 14 August, CNWL’s CLASH (Central London Action on Sexual Health), SHOC (Sexual Health on Call), and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) outreach teams will be attending UK Black Pride at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford. Since it was launched in 2005, the event has grown to become Europe’s largest celebration for African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American and Caribbean-heritage LGBTQI+ people.
The event is the first in-person Black Pride since 2019 - celebrations in 2020 and 2021 were online due to Covid restrictions and the last in-person UK Black Pride saw over 10,000 people in attendance.
The protest and pride celebration will this year feature a wellbeing tent with a series of talks, workshops and discussions; community stalls, with organisations offering their services and raising awareness; and a main stage, with a day-long programme of music, performances, speeches and DJ’s.
The CLASH, SHOC, and PrEP outreach teams will be offering testing for HIV, chlamydia and gonorrhoea, and promoting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a medication taken by people who are HIV negative to stop them acquiring HIV. Staff will be available to answer questions about sexual health and signpost into CNWL specialist sexual health services across North Central London and Surrey.
Dominic Reilly, CNWL’s PrEP Programme Manager said, “We are really pleased to have a presence at this fantastic event, which provides a supportive, inclusive space for LGBTQI+ people of colour, and allows us to spread the word about our sexual health services. Our testing offer on the day provides an easy, convenient service for people who may find it challenging to attend sexual health services in clinics during the week, and our PrEP promotion work will help spread the word about this highly-effective HIV prevention technology, which many of those who may benefit from it are not currently aware of”.
The event kicks off at 12pm and the CNWL teams attending will be tweeting about the event on the day, including information about where to find them among the community stalls.