HIV and sexual health charity, Terrence Higgins Trust Cymru (THT Cymru) is calling for people in Cardiff and Newport to get involved in World AIDS Day (December 1) this year, either by attending an extended HIV testing service, making a donation to support local HIV services, or wearing a red ribbon to raise awareness.
World AIDS Day, which has been running every December since 1988, is dedicated to raising awareness of HIV and AIDS. In the UK alone, around 85,000 people are living with HIV and over 6,500 are diagnosed every year.
From Monday 29 November – Wednesday 1 December, THT Cymru staff and volunteers will be visiting schools and colleges across Cardiff and Newport, with workshops to increase local young people’s awareness of HIV and how to guard against it.
Then, on Wednesday 1 December, THT Cymru will be running a special extended session of the ‘Fastest’ one-hour HIV testing service at its centre on Cowbridge Road East. The session will take place from 12.00pm – 7.00pm, offering free, confidential HIV testing to local people. The process involves a simple finger-prick blood test, with results available within one hour.
The following fundraisers are also taking place in Cardiff and Newport for World AIDS Day:
• Friday 27 November (9.30pm – late)
There will be a charity collection and HIV awareness raising at Flaunt in Newport
• Wednesday 1 December (5.00pm – late)
There will be charity collections and HIV awareness raising at Cardiff night-spots Wow, Pulse, and Kings Cross.
• Saturday 4 December (9.00pm – late)
Cardiff’s Exit bar will host a charity collection, HIV awareness raising, raffle, and a lot of fun.
Pete Clark, National Director for THT, said: “THT Cymru’s message for World AIDS Day this year is ‘HIV is everyone’s business’. Currently in the UK, one in four people with HIV don’t know they have it, and THT is committed to halving this rate within the next five years. To do this, it’s vital that we continue to raise awareness. We hope local people will get involved in some way, either by attending an event, making a donation, or just wearing a red ribbon.”
If you’d like further information on any of the World AIDS Day events going on in Cardiff and Newport, please contact THT Cymru in Cardiff on (02920) 666 465.
