From its small beginnings in a flat in central London, we have grown to become the UK's leading HIV and sexual health charity, and one of the largest in Europe. We have always been at the forefront of the fight against HIV and AIDS. Since we were formed, the needs of people living with and affected by HIV have been fundamental to our development.
Our roots were in the gay community and, for many years, the HIV epidemic in the UK affected mainly gay men. Nonetheless, we've always worked in an equal way with gay men, haemophiliacs, sex workers and drug users from the start.
As the shape of the epidemic here has changed, so has the charity. There are now around half as many African people living in the UK diagnosed with HIV as gay and bisexual men, though the largest group of new diagnoses continues to be men who have sex with men. So existing services have been developed and new services introduced to meet ever-changing needs.
But the involvement of people with HIV has remained constant, and volunteers and staff who are living with HIV have, and always will be, central to the charity. Of the people who work with us, more than half are drawn from the communities we serve. More than 10% of our employees are people living with HIV, 25% are from black or minority ethnic communities and more than a fifth are gay men.
In more recent years, the charity has also developed sexual health services – firstly for people living with or at risk of HIV, and then more broadly for the general population, especially young people who are most at risk of sexual ill health. Again, we have grown and evolved in response to the needs of people using its services.
Our roots were in the gay community and, for many years, the HIV epidemic in the UK affected mainly gay men. Nonetheless, we've always worked in an equal way with gay men, haemophiliacs, sex workers and drug users from the start.
As the shape of the epidemic here has changed, so has the charity. There are now around half as many African people living in the UK diagnosed with HIV as gay and bisexual men, though the largest group of new diagnoses continues to be men who have sex with men. So existing services have been developed and new services introduced to meet ever-changing needs.
But the involvement of people with HIV has remained constant, and volunteers and staff who are living with HIV have, and always will be, central to the charity. Of the people who work with us, more than half are drawn from the communities we serve. More than 10% of our employees are people living with HIV, 25% are from black or minority ethnic communities and more than a fifth are gay men.
In more recent years, the charity has also developed sexual health services – firstly for people living with or at risk of HIV, and then more broadly for the general population, especially young people who are most at risk of sexual ill health. Again, we have grown and evolved in response to the needs of people using its services.
