About Us
Lunch Positive is a voluntary community organisation which runs a weekly lunch club every Friday for people living with or affected by HIV. We’re based on Dorset Gardens, just off the bottom of St James’s Street in central Brighton.
We provide a welcoming, safe and supportive space for people to meet, socialise, make friends, share a healthy meal and peer support. At the lunch club we also do other things like provide advice and information, and provide emergency food supplies for people who might need them.
Our services are accepting, non-judgemental, inclusive and peer-led. Everything we do is put together and provided by people with HIV for our community. What we do is provided by volunteers! We have an amazing team of volunteers who care passionately about the lunch club being a supportive and helpful space for everyone who visits.
What we do
- Provide a safe space drop-in and nutritious lunch every Friday
- Run a monthly 50+ Supper Group
- Actively encourage peer support and a sense of community
- Host specialist advice workers to provide advice, information & support
- Organise social events, days out and other peer-led activities
- Promote awareness of HIV in the broader community
- Provide an accessible and inclusive volunteering programme
- Offer emergency food supplies at times of need
Our impact
Our locality has a high number of people with HIV. Living with HIV can still be a difficult and unpredictable life challenge.
Stigma still exists and many people often feel alone and socially isolated. Often people do not eat well due to low income, disability or low mood. Meeting at the Lunch Club provides an informal, safe and supportive space for people to share peer support, care for one another, find information and build support networks. Every week we support over 50 people living with HIV.
Our service has positive impacts on people’s health, wellbeing and community.
The Lunch Club is provided entirely by volunteers, all who give up their time in the belief that their efforts can make a difference to the lives of people affected by HIV.
We are now expanding to enable us to reach out to people aged 50+ who struggle to access day time services, and have set up a new Food and Friendship group in Eastbourne.
