A Candlelit Vigil to remember those who have been lost to HIV, both in the UK and globally, will be held in Sheffield’s Winter Garden to mark World AIDS Day on 1 December.
The event, organised by Sheffield City Council and Sheffield Teaching Hospital’s Centre for HIV and Sexual Health (CHIV), marks thirty years since the first cases of HIV were identified.
Volunteers from Sheffield’s African community have also organised a free community event in support of World Aids Day. The Break the Silence event, organised by The African Sexual Health Peer Education Group with support from the Centre for HIV & Sexual Health, will include speeches, information stalls, food and a traditional African dance performance by African entertainment group One Drum.
The two events will show support for people living with HIV, raise awareness and challenge the stigma continuing to surround HIV and AIDS. They follow a recent report that the number of people living with HIV is set to reach the 100,000 mark next year in the UK and that up to a quarter of those people will not be aware that they have the HIV virus.
The report also says that the focus on national prevention strategies have slipped since the 1980’s when the government mounted a poster and leaflet campaign, ‘Don’t aid AIDS’, along with television advertising with the word AIDS engraved onto a tombstone. The annual nation treatment bill is set to reach £1 billion for the first time so public awareness campaigns have never been so important.
Julie Dore, leader of Sheffield City Council will attend the Vigil which will see the Winter Garden light up in red for the occasion. She said: “Sheffield has a national reputation for providing excellent HIV services – from HIV prevention measures, HIV testing facilities and exemplary treatment and social care. We are also continuing to do work in the city on confronting prejudice and stigma around HIV which prevents people from seeking advice and testing for HIV and makes the lives of those living with HIV even harder. Sheffield is renowned for its tolerance and acceptance of diversity and as a city we are proud of our track record in this area of work but as ever there is always more we can all do to raise awareness of HIV and to challenge stigma.”
Director of the Centre for HIV & Sexual Health, Steve Slack, is speaking at the event. Steve said: “World AIDS Day is an opportunity to reflect on the lives lost due to the HIV virus, particularly for those of us who have lost family and friends. The day will reflect on the past 30 years and look towards the future. It is also a reminder to all of us that there is still more to be done to raise awareness of HIV.
“People are still dying unnecessarily from HIV related illnesses – either because they do not know they need to be tested for HIV or the stigma around HIV prevents them from doing so. We support calls for a new national campaign to raise awareness about HIV and a greater emphasis nationally on prevention. This is an entirely preventable disease.
“We are also asking anyone who thinks that they may have been at risk of HIV to consider taking a test. Earlier testing leads to better health outcomes and reduces the risk of passing the infection onto others.”
CHIV and Sheffield City Council have also been calling on people in the city to show their awareness of HIV, and its impact in Sheffield, by wearing red this World AIDS Day.
The Candlelight Vigil for World AIDS Day will be held in Sheffield city centre’s Winter Garden on 1 December from 5.30-6.45pm. The Vigil aims to raise money for the Sheena Amos Youth Trust, a local charity offering support to young people in Sheffield that are affected by HIV. The Break the Silence event is on Saturday 3 December from 1.30pm to 4.00pm at the Vestry Hall, Burngreave Road.
