A Cornish health project has launched a campaign to encourage greater participation in, and celebrate the diversity of, the Cornish gay community.

The Village People campaign has been spearheaded by Healthy Gay Cornwall, part of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Health Promotion Service, to connect with individuals who would otherwise be marginalised by the geographical complexities of Cornwall.

Featuring photography of a cross-section of the Cornish community, this light-hearted campaign will appear on social media, and will use the hashtag #HealthyGayCornishCommunity.

Healthy Gay Cornwall seeks to address the sexual health needs of gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men (MSM).

During the course of their work the project has found that, while Cornwall is home to many gay, bisexual and MSM men, it lacks many of the social provisions that would be accessible to these men in other parts of the country, including social venues and support groups.

This, in turn, means that sexual health information and provisions are harder to distribute; Healthy Gay Cornwall aims to target hard to reach clients by making it easier for them to engage with their services. By doing so, they hope to reduce incidences of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and to reduce the length of time between HIV infection and diagnosis.

Kelvin Leighton-Julian, project lead said: “At Healthy Gay Cornwall we provide a thorough, confidential and non-judgmental service to gay/bisexual men and men who have sex with men. The campaign promotes the services of Healthy Gay Cornwall and celebrates the diversity of the local gay community. The aim of the campaign is to reach out to people that would otherwise fall under the radar. These individuals may not access sexual health services and could potentially miss out on key sexual health messages.”

Healthy Gay Cornwall distributes free condoms and lube at gay friendly venues across Cornwall, and by post via their website. Other services include face-to-face sexual health advice and support sessions, training and printed resources. Visit healthygaycornwall.org.uk for more information on the campaign.