The Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) joined the Prime Minister this evening at Downing Street in recognition of their work in fighting HIV/AIDS. The PM spoke to young doctors, politicians, young people living with HIV at the reception and Trust ambassador Dannii Minogue.
Read the transcript for the film below:
Gordon Brown:
It’s a genuine privilege to invite you all to Downing Street this evening to thank you for what you are doing in the Terrence Higgins Trust and to celebrate 25 years of achievement. 25 years in which you’ve attacked prejudice, in which you’ve made huge advances in medical treatment, in which you’ve changed the way Britain thinks about HIV and AIDS. Changes that you have brought about through being courageous, determined, prepared to take on vested interests. And I believe that over the next 25 years you will be able to do exactly the same as we look for cures, we look for better treatment and we look for an end to the discrimination and prejudice that you’ve talked about this evening.
Nick Partridge, Chief Executive, Terrence Higgins Trust:
Hello. I’m Nick Partridge. I’m Chief Executive at Terrence Higgins Trust and we’re delighted to be at number 10 this evening to celebrate and mark the 25th anniversary of the Terrence Higgins Trust. It’s extraordinary that we’re here. We never expected to be, 25 years ago, when Terry was one of the first people to die. Since then over 7,000 people have died. There are now 73,000 people living with HIV in the UK. So we’ve got our work cut out. We’re really proud of what we’ve achieved so far but we’re also gearing up for the next 25 years in the fight against HIV and in the desire to improve the sexual health of Britain.
Camilla Smith, Young Leaders Participation Officer, Terrence Higgins Trust:
I’m Camilla Smith, Young Leaders Participation Officer at the Terrence Higgins Trust. We’ve just launched a really exciting, new project called Young Leaders, which is a grant-giving, peer-led sex and relationships education project working with 13-19 year olds across England. We came up with this project in response to the escalating rates we’re seeing in STIs in young people across England. Terrence Higgins Trust is committed to letting young people have their voice heard on how they think they should learn about sex and relationships education and we’re giving them an opportunity to challenge and change the way that they and their peers learn about sex and relationships. Young people were consulted about this project and their views and opinions formed what we did. They give out grants of money to other young people to develop their own sex and relationships education projects. And I’m really thrilled that we’ve been given the opportunity to have our voice heard on an issue
that we feel so passionate about.
Gordon Brown:
With this programme of leadership, young leaders of tomorrow making a difference, I believe that the Terrence Higgins Trust can go on to be, in the next few years, as inspirational, as life-changing, as dramatic in the improvements that you have made in the last 25 years. And I want to say that I will give all the support I can, and I know my colleagues will, and I believe it’s right across the political spectrum. We’re in a campaign, it is something that is touching the lives of millions of people. 70 million people around the world have been infected in one way or another. 17 million AIDS orphans in Africa just gives you an example of the scale of the challenges that have got to be met. The 73,000 people you talk about in the United Kingdom who deserve help. Let us continue to work over these next few years together. And I understand that we have responsibilities, but working together we can make a difference to both medical research and medical outcomes, we can make a difference to the treatment of individual sufferers, we can make a difference to the education that we’ve been just talking about with some of the people round this evening and we can make a difference tackling the prejudice, discrimination that has got no place in a decent society and I pledge that alongside you, I will continue to fight all my political career.
Dannii Minogue, Ambassador for Young People, Terrence Higgins Trust:
Hi there. I’m Dannii Minogue and I’m Ambassador for Young People at the Terrence Higgins Trust and I’m here today in the lead-up to World AIDS Day. I think it’s really important that young people are aware of having safe sex and how they can protect themselves and be healthy and there are, I guess, not enough places where you can go and ask questions. So with the Terrence Higgins Trust, what we do with our website, is that you can come to us, you can anonymously ask us anything you want to. So please keep that in mind. Se you there.
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