Terrence Higgins Trust
Encyclopedia
Terrence Higgins Trust is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...

 that campaigns on various issues related to AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...

 and HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...

. In particular, the charity aims to reduce the spread of HIV and promote good sexual health (including safe sex
Safe sex
Safe sex is sexual activity engaged in by people who have taken precautions to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS. It is also referred to as safer sex or protected sex, while unsafe or unprotected sex is sexual activity engaged in without precautions...

); to provide services on a national and local level to people with, affected by, or at risk of contracting HIV; and to campaign for greater public understanding of the impact of HIV and AIDS.

The Trust was the first charity in the UK to be set up in response to HIV, having been established in 1982. It was initially named Terry Higgins Trust. Terry Higgins
Terry Higgins
Terrence Higgins, known as Terry Higgins, was among the first people known to die of an AIDS-related illness in England. He died on July 4, 1982. He worked as a Hansard reporter in the House of Commons and as a barman in the nightclub Heaven...

 died aged 37 on 4 July 1982 in St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital
St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS hospital in London, England. It is administratively a part of Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. It has provided health care freely or under charitable auspices since the 12th century and was originally located in Southwark.St Thomas' Hospital is accessible...

, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. He was among the first people in the UK to die from AIDS. Terry's friends, notably his close friend and flat-mate Tony Calvert, Martyn Butler and Terry's partner Rupert Whitaker
Rupert Whitaker
Dr Rupert Whitaker is founder and Chairman of the Tuke Institute, an international think-tank that promotes standards in medicine and medical science. He was one of the founders of Terrence Higgins Trust a charity set up to provide direct services for people with HIV and to advocate on their behalf...

, started the Trust to raise funds for research as a way of preventing suffering due to AIDS. Shortly, with the generation of a groundswell of support for the organisation at a meeting at Red Lion Square, Tony Whitehead and others joined Tony Calvert, Martyn Butler and Rupert Whitaker and, with the help of a new group of people, formally founded the organisation and saw it through registration as a charity to provide direct services to those affected by HIV. The trust was named after Terry to personalise and humanise the issue of AIDS. It was formalized in August 1983 when it adopted a constitution and opened a bank account, and the name of the trust was changed (Terrence rather than Terry) to sound more formal. It incorporated as a limited company in November 1983 and gained charitable status in January 1984.

The Trust is generally considered the UK's leading HIV and AIDS charity, and the largest in Europe. It is also the lead organisation in the English gay men's health promotion partnership CHAPS
CHAPS (health organisation)
CHAPS is a partnership of UK gay men's health promotion organisations. It is currently funded to operate in England and Wales by the Department of Health and is administered by Terrence Higgins Trust....

.

The charity received almost a million pounds in donations over the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

 of 1992, with the proceeds of Queen's
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...

 re-released chart-topper Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...

 going entirely to the charity, following the recent AIDS-related death of lead singer Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...

. Mercury had been concerned that financial support should be available to those less fortunate than himself.

Lisa Power, corporate head of policy at the Terrence Higgins Trust, denounced the views of Pope Benedict XVI on the use of condoms to prevent AIDS and said: "We deeply regret the continued misinformation around condoms, which remain the most effective way of preventing the spread of HIV.".
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK