Our weekly sewing session, generously funded by The National Lottery Community Fund Awards for All, offers a safe, confidential, and stigma-free space for women living with HIV. Many attendees are asylum seekers or those with no recourse to public funds, facing isolation and hardship. Through the creative act of sewing, upcycling, and mending donated materials, they gain creativity, independence, and a renewed sense of purpose. These sessions are where women rebuild confidence, improve their wellbeing, and build vital community connections. At Agatha’s Space, every stitch represents confidence, dignity, and hope for a brighter future. By learning these practical skills, our members transform their lives and overcome the barriers of loneliness together. They see HIV. We see a woman.

On Tuesday, 11th November 2025, Agatha’s Space delivered essential training to Health and Social Care workers at the Rochdale Training Centre. This crucial session focused on challenging HIV stigma and ensuring a more compassionate, informed approach to care for women in our community.

At Agatha’s Space, we work tirelessly to bridge the gap between healthcare providers and the people they serve. By providing these educational workshops, we empower professionals to understand the unique challenges faced by women living with HIV today.

Our goal is to create a safe, supportive environment where everyone receives dignity and respect.

With George House Trust, Agatha's Space facilitated an essential Up-skilling Event focused on confidence and employment for women living with HIV.

This session directly challenged the myths that people living with HIV cannot work, build careers, or lead fulfilling lives. We provided a supportive space to tackle the low confidence, isolation, and lack of support often experienced after a diagnosis. The core message is clear: being HIV positive is a manageable condition that should never define a woman's worth.

You can work, build, lead, and inspire. We are here to support every woman who is ready to reclaim her power and purpose.

Agatha’s Space joined the New Economics Foundation, Mama Health Poverty Partnership, Middleton Cooperatives and Our Agency at the launch of the Greater Manchester Living Income Campaign.

The Living Income campaign is about changing the benefit system so that it guarantees enough to live on. The current system leaves too many families below the poverty line, relying on food banks, skipping meals and living in constant insecurity. A Living Income would set a minimum income floor based on what people actually need to live with dignity.

We support women living with HIV and migrant women who are directly impacted by the failures of the current system. Many are excluded from support because of immigration status, delays, sanctions or structural barriers. Poverty then compounds stigma, isolation and mental health challenges.

As Andy Burnham says, “we do it differently here in Manchester.” If we truly do it differently, then our social security system must reflect that by ensuring nobody is forced to survive on less than what it costs to live.

A Living Income is about fairness, dignity and systemic change. It is about building a system that works for people, not against them.

Agatha's Space joined with Support and Action for Women’s Network (SAWN), and Ruth's Super Kitchen, Vcreation, and Jess Mother Nurture for a powerful community event, cooking traditional African village recipes over an open fire.

This was more than just preparing food; it was therapy and connection. Cooking over firewood connected us to nature and our ancestors, creating a safe space filled with laughter and shared stories. These moments are vital for breaking isolation, exchanging wisdom, and improving mental health for women. Together, we heal, we connect, and we create change.

We were invited to Levenshulme High School to deliver an HIV awareness session in collaboration with George House Trust. The session focused on helping students understand what HIV is, how it is transmitted, how it can be prevented, and why stigma and misinformation continue to cause harm.

Teaching young people about HIV is essential because this is a formative stage of life when knowledge shapes attitudes and future decisions. Access to clear and accurate information helps young people separate facts from myths, reduces fear, and supports healthier choices as they grow into adulthood.

The students were highly engaged and asked thoughtful, honest questions throughout the session. Their curiosity showed how important it is to create safe spaces where young people feel comfortable asking questions about their health and wellbeing. These discussions helped deepen understanding and challenged common misconceptions about HIV.

Equipping the younger generation with accurate HIV knowledge is a critical part of preven