Fast Track City partners unveils ‘Red Ribbons’ AIDS and HIV Memorial

Birmingham’s Fast Track City partners are set to unveil a memorial to honour those lost to AIDS and living with HIV, in an evening of remembrance, celebration and education.

On Thursday 1 December 2022, the city will host a special remembrance service on World AIDS Day at Birmingham’s Hippodrome Square, Hurst Street. The ceremony will include entertainment, performances, a candle-lit procession and speeches by Designer and Founder of Birmingham AIDS & HIV Memorial (BAHM), Garry Jones, as well as co-founders Phil Oldershaw and Andrew Bentley-King.

The six-metre-high ‘Red Ribbons’ sculpture will feature two entwined ribbon hearts positioned to represent an ‘embrace’. As it weathers, one of the heart ribbons will begin to corrode and rust, representing the millions lost to HIV; meanwhile, the other will be painted red to symbolise those individuals currently living longer and healthier lives with the virus.

Dr José M. Zuniga, President/CEO of International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC) and the Fast-Track Cities Institute, said

Birmingham is not only a city in the heart of England, but it is ‘city of heart’ as demonstrated by the unveiling of its AIDS and HIV Memorial, commemorating those we have needlessly lost to AIDS but who will never be forgotten and in whose honour we must all labour. Through this act alone, Birmingham has already shown itself to be a beacon of duty-bound commitment to the Fast-Track Cities goals, objectives, and targets.

In October 2022, the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Maureen Cornish welcomed partners from across the city, to witness the signing of the Paris Declaration and officially register Birmingham to the Fast Track Cities+ initiative.

The initiative is a global partnership between cities across the world and sees city officials working together with partners such as the local authority, the NHS, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and industry representatives, to deliver key objectives and develop an action plan to help reduce stigma and eliminate HIV, Viral Hepatitis (Hep B and Hep C) and Tuberculosis (TB).

Councillor Mariam Khan, Health and Social Care Cabinet Member for Birmingham City Council, said:

We have taken the bold action of officially declaring Birmingham as a Fast-Track City, and through signing the Paris Declaration the city will significantly benefit as it consists of a set of commitments to enable us to work closely with key stakeholders and health sector partners to end the public health threats posed by HIV. The Red Ribbons memorial is a reminder of loved ones lost to AIDS and HIV, but also the importance to end the stigma around blood-borne viruses.

Dr Stephen Taylor, Clinical Lead for Birmingham Fast track Cities initiative, and HIV Consultant at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, said:

The new AIDS and HIV Memorial in Birmingham City centre not only acts a memorial to those we have lost to HIV in the last 30 years, but it can also act as a focal point to change the attitudes toward HIV moving forwards. The only way we can hope to eliminate HIV in Birmingham is to educate the public of the need to get tested, that means addressing the stigma that still surrounds HIV that stops people testing.

If this new memorial can kick start these conversations and encourage people to get tested for HIV and other blood-borne viruses than can only be a significant step forwards towards achieving the ambitious targets of eliminating all new cases of HIV, Hepatitis B, C and TB by 2030.

Partners from around the city, have committed to address these diseases through a series of key themes including new ways of working, prevention, testing and diagnosis, treatment, and support services, ensuring a joined-up effort and city-wide approach.

For information about Birmingham’s Fast-Track Cities+ Initiative, visit Fast Track Cities Plus initiative

For more information about the unveiling event and to learn more about the Birmingham AIDS and HIV Memorial, visit www.bahm.co.uk