{"id":472133,"date":"2026-02-13T09:55:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T09:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/472133\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T09:55:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T09:55:09","slug":"aids-quilt-display-marks-40-years-of-hiv-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/472133\/","title":{"rendered":"Aids quilt display marks 40 years of HIV support"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part of the UK Aids memorial quilt has gone on show to mark the 40th anniversary of an HIV support group.<\/p>\n

As part of the anniversary events for Thames Valley Positive Support (TVPS), six panels are being displayed at the University of Reading Students’ Union.<\/p>\n

The quilt – made up of 42 panels of fabric – commemorates the lives of 384 people who died from Aids-related illnesses.<\/p>\n

Jessica Harding of TVPS said the panels were “full of so much emotion and so much love”.<\/p>\n

The quilt was originally unveiled in London’s Hyde Park in 1994.<\/p>\n

The massive artwork is seen as a unique document of social history and was recently brought out of storage for an exhibition at the Tate Modern in London, attracting 70,000 visitors.<\/p>\n

It is made up of a patchwork of handmade tributes to those who died after the HIV virus arrived without warning in the early 1980s.<\/p>\n

Many of those infected were shamed and shunned, and faced an isolated decline and death.<\/p>\n

Among those commemorated on the quilt panels in Reading are notable figures such as rock star Freddie Mercury, figure skater John Curry and US actor Anthony Perkins.<\/p>\n

\"Jessica<\/p>\n

Jessica Harding of TVPS said there was still a need for HIV support services [BBC]<\/p>\n

While the epidemic sparked fear and stigma, contributing to a culture of extreme homophobia and ignorance in the 1980s, educational messages about safe sex were promoted for the first time.<\/p>\n

Reading was one of the first councils to employ an HIV support officer.<\/p>\n

Fiona Lambond, a trustee of Windsor and Eton Pride, said the quilt was “a really important part of social history”.<\/p>\n

“What it’s made me feel is sad, honestly, and joyous, because it’s a real representation of all the love for these people that were unfortunately lost,” she said.<\/p>\n

“But people want to remember them, and they’re memorialised in these beautiful panels.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The quilt is made of handmade tributes to 384 people [BBC]<\/p>\n

HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, weakens the immune system and increases the risk of serious illness, according to the NHS.<\/p>\n

It is spread by infected body fluids getting into the bloodstream.<\/p>\n

Antiviral medication developed in the 1990s meant patients were able to live long and healthy lives.<\/p>\n

Aids (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), or late-stage HIV, is the name for a collection of serious illnesses caused by HIV, and there is currently no cure.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The full quilt was recently on show in the Turbine Hall at the Tate Modern [Josh Parry \/ BBC]<\/p>\n

The panels being on display in Reading coincides with National HIV Testing Week.<\/p>\n

Harding said there was still more to do in tackling attitudes to the disease.<\/p>\n

“We might have moved on hugely in terms of medication and scientifically,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Stigma hasn’t kept pace, education hasn’t kept pace. We really need people to be HIV educated and to understand HIV and the advancements we’ve made to stop stigma.”<\/p>\n

The quilt panels are on display on Friday from 13:00 GMT.<\/p>\n

You can follow BBC Berkshire<\/a> on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a>, or Instagram<\/a>. <\/p>\n

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