Waterstones, 82 Gower Street, London WC1E 6EQ is holding a week long awareness campaign on HIV/AIDS around World AIDS Day this year. The store in Gower Street is the largest academic bookshop in Europe.
The vision this first year is to highlight and raise funds for a different aspect and cause connected to living with HIV/AIDS in the UK and breakdown some of the myths around the illness.
All week a panel from the UK part of the World AIDS Quilt will be on display. Provided by George House Trust who are the custodians for the UK World AIDS Quilt, this is the first time it will be shown by a retailer in the UK.
All week there will be literature and events. You will also be able to purchase a Red Ribbon with all the donations for these going to NAT (National AIDS Trust).
We are involved in assisting the employee who's vision this event has been.
So far, the plan for the week is
Monday 28th November
The start of the week and the charity partner for the day will be NAT (National AIDS Trust). This will start with a launch event with senior members of all the charity partners for the week, media and Lord Fowler of Sutton Coalfield.
Lord Fowler has a long history in campaigning for HIV/AIDS. Most recently he was the Chair of the Lords Select Committee on HIV/AIDS in the United Kingdom and published the report "No vaccine, no cure: HIV and AIDS in the United Kingdom". He was also a Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for HIV/AIDS.
All donations for the day will be collect by and for NAT.
Tuesday 29th November
GMFA will be in the store promoting there various campaigns and fundraising.
Wednesday 30th November
The River House Trust that is building up a legal clinic service for HIV/AIDS people will be fundraising today. In the evening Professor Matthew Weait will lead a panel discussion on Stigma & Criminalisation of HIV with Dr. Catherine Dodd & Dr. Adam Bourne of Sigma Research. This will be recorded and podcast after.
Thursday 1st December World AIDS Day
The Food Chain is the charity partner for the day. As well as fundraising though collections. There will bea celebrity chef book signing with Allegra McEvedy and Edd Kimber (The boy who bakes) will also be attending. In the evening The London Gay Men's Chorus will perform.
Friday 2nd December
Body & Soul will be in fundraising and promoting the work they do with children and families.
NAM will be providing literature specific to each day.
To keep up to date with events you can follow this on Facebook (www.facebook.com/gowerstHIVweek) or on Twitter (www.twitter.com/gowerst_HIVweek)
PDF version On Wednesday 30th November Professor Matthew Weait of Birkbeck College and Dr. Adam Borne of Sigma Research did a panel discussion at Waterstones in Gower Street. For the benefit of the wider community this was recorded and is now available from the Backdoor Broadcasting Company.
Intimacy and Responsibility: The Criminalisation of HIV Transmission
This will be a little personal but it was great to be able to attend the launch of this week of events today. Lord Fowler made a good speech to launch the event as the guest of James Daunt the Managing Director of Waterstones.
Eric Lanlard, big thank you, made and provided cupcakes for the guests at the launch.
Speaking to Andrew Jukes who's idea this event was, I know he was very grateful to all the charity directors and patrons that attended. Those that gave of there time, free, both today and during the week, to make sure that HIV/AIDS gets a week of exposure in a busy central London Book Store.
Click on the image to see a larger version.