Aids memorial quilt display aims to 'break stigma'

Displaying a memorial quilt, which celebrates the "forgotten" lives of people who died of Aids-related illnesses, will help "break the stigma" of the disease, a campaigner has said.

The hand-stitched UK Aids memorial quilt created by family and friends of those who died, is made up of 49 panels, one of which is being shown at St Andrew's Church in Runcorn, Cheshire.

Hayley Smith, founder of a support group based in Halton for people living with HIV, said the memorial quilt represented "a piece of history that maybe a lot of people don't even know about in the area".

She added: "It is something that should never be forgotten."

The panel was unveiled by Jonathan Blake, one of the first people in the UK to be diagnosed with HIV.

He told BBC North West Tonight: "The quilt in a way symbolises our story, our history and it is the history of all those who are in the most part are dead, are gone, are lost.

"I've been one of the really fortunate ones."

He said the panels were "very moving" and when you saw them all together they were "extraordinarily powerful".

Ms Smith who set up the Northwest HIV Support CIC which offers free HIV home testing kits as well as support and counselling said she hoped the display raised awareness.

She said: "We want people to never forget [those] that lost their lives to HIV/Aids and we want people to also try and break the stigma moving forward and learning more about the history."

The UK Aids memorial quilt was unveiled in London's Hyde Park in 1994 and commemorates the lives of nearly 400 people.

The exhibition is on display at St Andrew's Church until 21 February.

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