Whilst fundraising to support those living with HIV in Greater Manchester, Salford Pride and Youth Stop AIDS Manchester officially signed their partnership on World AIDS Day. BarPop, along Canal street, hosted the event starting in their VIP lounge with Salford Pride’s resident drag queen Venus as the host for the evening.
The aim of the partnership is to provide a platform for those in Salford to be informed about HIV and AIDS and to let people know if they have HIV or AIDS, that it is not over. Lee Bowditch, CEO of Salford Pride, spoke about what the partnership means to Salford Pride:
“Hopefully this is just the start and we want to get a lot of outreach programmes in Salford. A lot of things are based in Manchester but Salford is a large geographic area and I want to go to reach out to local doctors and local clinics. In a clinic there are a lot of posters about HIV and AIDS but out and about there is very little. This is just the start of our partnership we can do a lot of events together in Salford and Manchester and to promote that HIV is a thing and people need to start talking about it and not be afraid of the stigmas attached with it.”
Whilst signing the partnership the night also played host to a fundraiser for those living with HIV and AIDS. The aim of the fundraiser was to help young people at the forefront for HIV and AIDS and campaigning to provide them with the power, the knowledge and the confidence to live with their diagnosis. Lewis Wilkinson, the Chairperson of Manchester Youth Stop AIDS, was diagnosed with HIV in September 2018 and after receiving the support he needed, Lewis wanted to do something more beyond his diagnosis.
Lewis Wilkinson spoke about what the funding can do:
“It’s not just to do with the awareness it is to do with the funding that can go into a city like Manchester which is a fast track city. The idea of a fast track city is that 90% of people will be diagnosed, 90% of people will be on the correct medication and 90% will be living U = U which is untransmitable. In harder to reach places such as rural Salford the facilities just aren’t there at the minute.”
There was also entertainment from local musicians Jess McAdam and Sam Tomlins before the official documents were signed by the Lewis Wilkinson and Lee Bowditch. Venus Quasar, Salford Pride’s resident drag queen, spoke about the partnership:
“I think it is great that we finally have this partnership between Salford Pride and Manchester Youth Stop AIDS to actually start doing that work that is going to make Salford specifically much more aware, get much more support out there and to get much more funding. We still want to be educating ourselves and making sure we are using protection and people now get checked on a regular basis. I think that is now next battle is that it doesn’t become something people just forget about because it’s not gone it’s not cured. We are making an impact, we are reaching out to people.”
Everyone at the event also attended in the vigil in Sackville Gardens where speeches were made by the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and by those living with HIV and AIDS. A single white candle was lit by each person involved in the procession down Canal Street whilst the street lay silent in respect to mark World AIDS Day.
The fundraising continued through until the early hours at BarPop with more performances from the Show Team and of course the fabulous Miss Thunderpussy.