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Marking World Aids Day 2020 in Brighton & Hove, online and offline World Aids Day (WAD), the vigil and reading of the names, will, for obvious reasons, be mainly online this year, although New Steine Gardens will be open to visitors. In a normal year, between 150 and 200 people would gather at the home of the Brighton & Hove Aids Memorial to mark the day and hear the reading of names of those who have lost their lives to the disease. This year, Lunch Positive will be serving hot drinks from a marquee in the gardens from 11am; stewards will make sure social distancing is adhered to and face coverings are worn, but the majority of the event will be broadcast through Facebook.
Phillip Wragg, health promotion coordinator – community engagement & outreach for THT South, said: “People can look at the different speeches and leave comments, as well as their own reflections on what WAD means to them.
PHILLIP WRAGG
) The city’s annual partnership main event for
“If people want to go to the gardens in person that’s absolutely fine. We are going to be there from about 10am. It really is impossible to do something physical on the day as a mark of remembrance. This [approach] doesn’t make it better but it does give us a bit more scope to involve more people – and they are not going to be standing around in the freezing cold.” Join in online on the day at: www.facebook.com/ worldAIDSdayBH
The Brighton & Hove World AIDS Day Community Partnership is pleased to announce The focus for 2020 is on frontline staff in the HIV the following events to mark WAD on or around sector and how they have responded over the past six Tuesday, December 1. months and adapted a lot of services to online. ) Brighton AIDS Memorial Candlelight Vigil: Throughout the day there will be regular uploads of Tuesday, December 1 @ 6pm, 90-second videos of people, www.facebook.com/worldAIDSdayBH including Sussex Beacon Due to the current situation and restrictions with nurses, local MPs, volunteers Covid 19, this year the WAD names reading and vigil and others, talking about how will be held online and not as a physical event at the their HIV work and personal memorial. lives have been affected The online event will be hosted on the Partnership’s by the pandemic. At 6pm Facebook page World AIDS Day – Brighton & there will be a live reading of the names, which will Hove at www.facebook.com/worldAIDSdayBH on remain online for a couple of hours. Tuesday, December 1. Short speeches by frontline
workers, volunteers and local HIV organisations will be available to view throughout the day. The names reading and vigil will take place as a Facebook Live event at the usual time of 6pm. New Steine Gardens will still be open throughout the day on Tuesday, December 1 so members of the community can visit the Brighton & Hove Aids Memorial and pay their respects to loved ones. Stewards will be present to ensure adherence to Covid-19 guidelines and to signpost people to emotional support if required. For more information please contact Phillip Wragg at THT South on 07552 755161. New names to be read (in addition to those read in previous years) can be emailed to susshivchap@ gmail.com by Friday, November 27.
) Positive Space at Dorset Gardens Methodist
Church (ground floor), Brighton, BN2 1RL on Sunday, November 29, pop by any time between 12.30pm and 3pm. The Sussex HIV Chaplaincy invites you to drop in and reflect on what WAD means to you. An opportunity to light a candle of remembrance, to
