Victoria Baths

Our visit this week was to Victoria Baths – a Grade II* listed building, in the Chorlton-on-Medlock area of Manchester.

The baths opened to the public in 1906 and cost £59,144 to build. Manchester City Council closed the baths in 1993 and the building was left empty until a multimillion-pound restoration project began in 2007.

The Aeratone

In the 1950s the Waiting Room for female users of the Baths was converted to provide a new facility – The Aeratone.

The Aeratone Therapeutic Bath was invented by a Scotsman – Professor William Oliver. It provides a full body water massage which can be used to treat a variety of ailments, particularly those causing pain and stiffness such as rheumatic conditions.

A session lasts around half an hour. The tub is filled with warm water and this is bubbled around you very, very vigorously, This is, literally, not a treatment for the faint-hearted.

This Aeratone was installed in 1952 and was the first in a public baths in England. It was still in regular use when Victoria Baths closed in 1993.

LGBT Foundation Awards

Coincidentally, we had attended the Victoria Baths a week ago for the LGBT Foundation Volunteer Awards 2024. Lots of members of Out In The City are also involved in Pride in Ageing, which won “Volunteer Team of the Year”.

Lots of photos can be seen here.

Rossendale Pride

Spectrum Inclusion Rossendale in partnership with The Whitaker Park Museum and Art Gallery are thrilled to announce that on Saturday 20 July 2024 they will be holding Rossendale’s first Pride in the Park Festival.

They are planning lots of family friendly activities and entertainment for the day, in a safe space for the LGBTQIA community.

It’s the first Pride event and we can’t wait!

As well as Pride in the Park at The Whitaker in Rawtenstall, there are other events happening as well (in Rawtenstall, Waterfoot and Bacup), so you may want to pace yourself on the day.

There is plenty of entertainment and activities to choose from, and hopefully there’s something for everyone.

We look forward to seeing you!

Out In The City Women’s Meeting

Out In The City Women’s meeting is on Thursday, 25 July 2024 from 2.00pm to 4.00pm.

The meeting is at Cross Street Chapel, 29 Cross Street, Manchester M2 1NL (Kenworthy Room) and is a drop in. There is no need to book.

SCENE: Manchester LGBTQ+ Film & TV Festival

Celebrating Queer Stories On Screen – 16 – 22 August

This August, Manchester will welcome SCENE, a new and glittering LGBTQ+ Film and TV festival. The weeklong event will kick off with an exclusive opening night featuring a celebration panel and after-party to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the influential drama Queer as Folk. The series, which spotlighted Manchester’s Canal Street, will be celebrated with appearances from writer Russell T Davies, executive producer Nicola Shindler and actress Denise Black.

A diverse array of events will be hosted in iconic venues across the city, including HOME, The People’s History Museum, New Century Hall and the Gay Village.

All events at SCENE are £15 or under with many being £5 or free.

First Street (outside HOME Cinema) will be showing a series of free-to-view cult musicals on an outdoor screen:
Saturday 17 August, 2.00pm – The Wiz
Saturday 17 August, 4.30pm – Grease 2
Saturday 17 August, 7.30pm – Xanadu
Monday 19 August, 6.00pm – Little Shop of Horrors
Tuesday 20 August 6.00pm – Hairspray.

The SCENE festival is an official partner event with Manchester Pride Festival.

Full details can be seen here.

Manchester Central Library

Manchester Central Library celebrates 90 years since its grand opening by King George V on 17 July 1934 – a special event attended by thousands.

Zero HIV Stigma Day

Zero HIV Stigma Day is recognised on 21 July to represent a movement to unite people, communities and countries to help raise awareness about HIV stigma and learn about ways to help stop it.

The theme this year is “Redefining HIV Narratives”. This means challenging the myths about HIV from the past, and capturing positive stories on living with HIV today.  

The date for this event was chosen because it was the birthday of a very courageous woman from South Africa, Prudence Nobantu Mbele, who refused to hide the fact that she was living with HIV, and in doing so, she inspired many more people to be open about their own health.  

HIV Stigma is unfortunately back in the spotlight. If we can tackle HIV stigma on a community level, we give more people the courage to test for HIV, to start antiretroviral therapy, continue their access to HIV healthcare and therefore live their life to their full potential.  

Stigmatising attitudes can come from external sources such as people who are afraid or not up to date with the modern realities of living with HIV. However, for some people living with HIV, stigma can also come from within oneself manifesting as a fear of how people will react if they discover that you are living with HIV. Many activists, like Prudence was, are vocal about their HIV diagnosis to help to address stigma in society and to enable people living with HIV to be treated the same as anyone else.