MONTH OF LOVE: GAY SPEED DATING Dates: 4/02/10, 11/02/10, 18/02/10, 25/02/10 Venue: Davys Wine Bar Vaults (Private Rooms) - Greenwich Cost: £10 includes a free drink (beer, wine or soft drink) Call: 020 8305 5000, or email ole@metrecentreonline.org To pay online and secure your position, please click the arrow and follow the instructions. You will need a Paypal account for this serivce.

	The first three months of 2009 have seen the Metro Centre commissioned by a number of funders and sources to provide new services. These services are to be provided both by the Centre itself and in partnership. Comic Relief has commissioned the Centre to provide an LGBT Youth Alcohol Counselling and Capacity Building Project over 3 years. Caring with Confidence (CwC) has commissioned the GMI Partnership to support LGBT carers and LGBT people being cared for across London for the next 3 years. The UK Department of Health has funded the GMI Partnership in partnership with the Ugandan AIDS Action Fund (UAAF) to run a HIV Late Diagnosis Project in designated boroughs in London over the next 9 months, including Lambeth, Islington, Hammersmith and Fulham and Greenwich. The South London HIV Partnership (SLHP) has commissioned the Metro Centre to conduct the Service Coordination workstream of the SLHP (First Point) over the next 18 months. The BASIS Program of the Big Lottery has funded a partnership comprising Kairos in Soho, London Friend, PACE and the Metro Centre to undertake infrastructure support and development with LGBT organisations across London over the next 5 years. Greenwich NHS has commissioned a partnership comprising the Metro Centre and the Contraceptive and Sexual Health (CASH) Service in Woolwich to provide sexual health clinical services in general practices across Greenwich.

	METRO 50+ IS A SOCIAL GROUP FOR OLDER LESBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL PEOPLE - for more informtion please click the arrow to the right.

	METRO'S CLINICAL INITIATIVES The Metro Centre now hosts clinics most days of the week, and information about opening times can be found in the Services section. The following clinics are now operating: Tuesday hosts: AHEADstart in Woolwich (African Focus) Penelope's Pitstop in Greenwich (Lesbian and Bi-Sexual Women) ACT Clinic in Brixton (African Focus - Holistic Health Check) Wednesday hosts: Pitstop+ in Greenwich (Men who have sex with men) Peckham Pulse in Peckham (Rapid HIV only - African Focus) ACT Clinic in Vauxhall (African Focus - Holistic Health Check) Thursday hosts: ACT Clinic in Brixton (African Focus - Holistic Health Check) Saturday hosts: ACT Clinic in Vauxhall (African Focus - Holistic Health Check Pitstop+ in Greenwich (Men who have sex with men) International Peer-Mentoring Metrosafe is being piloted in Ukraine. In partnership with the AIDS Alliance Ukraine, The Metro Centre will be conducting a two year pilot of the Metrosafe programme within LGBT organisations in Kiev, namely Gay Alliance and Odessa (Partner). The pilot is part of a larger programme called MSM Sunrise that is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) In November 2009, Volunteer Co-ordinator, Mary Rogan and Peer Support Services Manager, Scott Lupasko went to Kiev for one week to train representatives from AIDS Alliance and the two piloting NGO's. Everyone at the Metro Centre is very excited about this international project. Brixton and Vauxhall Clinics Brixton opening hours: Tuesday 5.00-8.00pm Thursday 10.00am-1.00pm More information: 020 7737 4559 Vauxhall opening hours: Wednesday 1.00-4.00pm Saturday 10.00am-1.00pm More information: 020 7160 0941 Knowledge Transfer Partnership The Knowledge Transfer Partnership is a relationship formed between a company (Metro Centre) and an academic institution (The University of Greenwich) which facilitates the transfer of knowledge, technology and skills. This particular partnership is partly funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Technology Strategy Board and the ultimate purpose is to enhance the research capacity of the Metro Centre and to increase the emphasis on research evidence as the basis for policy and practice within the company. The partnership between the Metro Centre and the University of Greenwich is scheduled to last for two years and everyone at both organisations are looking forward to the project and anticipate a successful collaboration. Chlamydia Outreach Contracts   South London HIV Partnership The Metro Centre has begun an HIV+ Gay and Bisexual mens' peer support group as part of the South London HIV Partnership's (SLHP) peer support service. For more information, including time and location, please call the SLHP First Point Access and Assessment team on 020 7160 0949.   Youth Services The Metro Youth Service (MYS) at the Metro Centre provides free and confidential services to young LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and those questioning their sexuality or gender) people in South East London. The Metro Centre has been awarded as a centre of excellence with over 25 years experience and was recently accredited under the 'You’re Welcome' scheme for making health services young people friendly. For more on the Youth Services at the Metro Centre, please click on the following link - Youth Services Downing Street Reception Metro’s Director of Outreach and Community Development, Dr Greg Ussher, meets the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, at 10 Downing Sts reception to thank the LGBT community for their contribution to Britain. Please click the link below for a photograph of the event. Big Research Liz West (University of Greenwich), Peter Scott and Chris Markham (Ergo) and Greg Ussher (Metro) display the logo for the National Youth Chances (NYC) Project, a national longitudinal research study of LGBT young people, funded by the Big Research arm of the Big lottery.