At Spectra, we received the news of METRO charity’s closure this week with sadness and concern. METRO, a sexual health charity that has existed for over 40 years, was a trailblazer, championing sexual health, LGBTQ+ rights, and inclusive healthcare at a time when these issues were hugely marginalised 40 years ago, and continue to be so today.
Our collaboration with METRO has spanned many years and many projects, most notably through the GMI Partnership, a partnership between our two organisations as well as Positive East, which has been running for over a decade and stands as a testament to what organisations can achieve when they work together with shared values and a common goal.
Joel Robinson, Spectra’s CEO commented:
“METRO’s closure is a stark reminder of the fragility facing the HIV, sexual health, and LGBTQ+ sector. At a time of growing need, funding pressures continue to force the closure of organisations that have spent years building trust with communities that are often hardest to reach. This must not become the norm.
We call on commissioners, funders, and policymakers to recognise the critical role that specialist voluntary sector organisations play, and to ensure that the services METRO provided do not simply disappear but are sustained and protected for the people who rely on them.
We want to acknowledge the immense difficulty this moment brings for METRO’s staff, volunteers and service users. We are committed to working in partnership to ensure service continuation where we can on shared projects.”
The work does not stop here. Spectra will continue to advocate loudly for the sexual health, HIV and LGBTQ+ sector, and to honour the legacy of organisations like METRO.
Thank you, METRO.
Not just for the projects, the partnerships, or the programmes, but for the quiet, unglamorous, essential work that rarely makes headlines: the late-night calls answered, the people turned away elsewhere who found a welcome with you, the young people who finally felt seen. That work is immeasurable, and it will not be forgotten.
Forty years reflect generations of staff who gave themselves to this cause, building carefully a culture of treating every person who came through the door with respect and without judgement. Endings like this are hard. But METRO’s story is one of extraordinary impact. The people whose lives are better, safer, and longer because METRO existed: that is the real measure. And by that measure, METRO leaves behind a remarkable legacy.