Volunteers to clean up London’s cruising grounds

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GaydarRadio and the Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) have joined forces on a mission to clean up two of London’s most popular cruising grounds.

The Keep It Clean action day is set to take place in London this Sunday 2nd September.

GaydarRadio and THT are teaming up with LGBT police liaison officers and volunteers to promote the event.

Hampstead Heath and Clapham Common are famous cruising locations among gay men, as was popularised by the recent TV drama Clapham Junction.

However,as GaydarRadio’s Commercial Director David Muniz points out, cleanliness and safety continue to be a major issue affecting the area.

He told PinkNews: “Both Hampstead Heath and Clapham Common are shared public spaces.

“As an integral part of the community, we have a responsibility, both environmentally and socially when it comes to keeping these areas as clean and as safe as possible.”

“We also want to support the message about choosing safer sex to men who have sex with men.

“Not only do we want to promote the use of condoms but also their hygienic disposal afterwards, especially in public areas.”

The Terrence Higgins Trust has warned that HIV is now the fastest growing serious health condition in the UK with gay men and the African community most at risk.

As an additional incentive, the organisers will reward student volunteers who use the website gaydar.co.uk with a free one month’s upgrade on the personals site in return for a couple of hours of their time, so long as they present their Student Union card and their gaydar.co.uk profile name on the day.

The THT is using the event as an opportunity to offer safer sex information and free condoms to men as part of their 25th Anniversary of supporting people living with HIV.

The Trust estimates that currently 70,000 people in the UK carry the virus.

Neil McGuinness, Outreach Manager for the Trust told PinkNews: “As well as being used by openly gay men, cruising areas like Hampstead Heath and Clapham Common are used by a lot of guys who aren’t open about having sex with men.

“Our presence there is important to allow them access to health information and support.

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“We’re delighted to be part of this initiative which underlines broader responsibilities in terms of public health and environmental awareness.”

GaydarRadio is calling on anyone who wishes to volunteer for the event to contact them at [email protected].

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