2 minute read
Aaron Venness raises £2,160 for THT
Aaron Venness raised £2,160 for HIV/sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) with a 100km Ribbon Run around London to coincide with World AIDS Day (WAD) last month.
Well done on raising such a fantastic amount. Tell us a bit about yourself...
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I’m a 25-year-old currently living in London. I’ve been HIV+ for five years and undetectable for about four and a half.
What inspired you to do a fundraising challenge for THT?
When I decided I was going to raise money for THT, I didn’t think I’d end up cycling 100km in a ribbon shape around London. For sure, the biggest challenge for me was training. Classic sod’s law meant I was extremely busy with work for the three weeks leading up to my cycle. I ended up waking up on the day, having done only a few 30km rides. Luckily the weather was fantastic, and a friend met me halfway with a flask of coffee and some sweets to keep me going. All in all, I cycled 100.3km in six hours from Walthamstow to Woolwich via Heathrow.
I concluded that the best way to fundraise was to give people an example of the fantastic work the THT do every day. And so I found myself writing a paragraph on my diagnosis story. I was apprehensive about how friends and colleagues would receive it; before this, I’d never spoken about my status in public before. The positive response I received was overwhelming.
Why did you choose for funds to go to THT?
When I was diagnosed with HIV, someone from THT was there ready and waiting if I needed help. While the nurses and doctors at my hospital were fantastic, they didn’t have the time to deliver the level of personal, one-toone support that THT could.
Now a few years down the line I’ve met a few more people that are living with HIV, and there’s a strong theme in our stories – it’s the fantastic work of THT.
While HIV and AIDS have faded from the general population’s mind, it has not gone away.
Why is marking WAD so vital?
It gives us a massive opportunity to start conversations, educate and engage with people that don’t know the facts about HIV. If only 10 people learn about HIV and AIDS as a result of WAD then in my mind it’s worth it. It is, of course, a time when we look back and remember those who were lost too soon. But also see how far we’ve come.
