London groups on the case for World AIDS Day
Management Committee member Kate Hand reports even more news on the fantastic actions of London People & Planet groups in the run up to, and on, World AIDS Day.
A keen UCL campaigner accepts a donation for People & Planets’ Treat AIDS Now campaign
Kate Hand
A delicious cake baked for World AIDS Day
Kate Hand
In the lead up to World AIDS Day on Saturday 1 December, People & Planet groups from across London ran events and fundraisers to highlight the issue of HIV/AIDS. Events included a charity auction at LSE, which raised over £1000 for CrusAID, as well as money for P&P! This week of action culminated on World AIDS Day itself when groups from UCL, LSE and King’s College gathered in Trafalgar square for a day of action and awareness raising. P&Pers braved the biting wind to run a stall and a cake sale, working alongside other keen-bean AIDS campaigners from Oxfam, Tearfund and World Vision.
An excellent pitch just underneath The National Portrait Gallery and an enormous pill bottle prop gave them maximum visibility, and campaigners spent the day talking to hundreds of members of the public. They engaged people in the issues that surround AIDS, in particular the work of P&P’s Treat AIDS Now campaign. They also spoke to people about the G8’s promise of treatment for all by 2010, and asked people to use their voice by signing the ‘if not now, when?’ petition cards. These will go both to people’s MPs and Gordon Brown, in order to target as many decision-makers at different levels as possible.
On a lighter note, they also gave out AIDS ribbons and badges for people to wear and with which to help spread the message. On top of all that, there was also a cake stall, stocked with delicacies baked and bought by the lovely members of London’s P&P groups, which, alongside donations to the campaign, helped to bring in £150 for P&P’s further campaigning!