For this year’s World AIDS Day on Friday 1 December teams from across the city will be working together to raise awareness of AIDS caused by the spread of the HIV infection.

Information stands will be held throughout the day in the main atrium of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, in the main atrium at Heartlands Hospital (in the main corridor by the Dolphins) and in the treatment centre at Good Hope Hospital. Visitors to the stands will be offered a red ribbon, along with information and advice from the Umbrella sexual health team.

Umbrella and Saving Lives’ 'Big Red Double Decker Bus' will also be helping the team deliver its health promotion around Birmingham to support outreach work within local communities during World AIDS Day. It will be stopping at each of the hospitals and various other locations to visit the teams and offer advice to patients, visitors and staff. The locations are as follows:

In the morning, it’ll be visiting Heartlands Hospital (main entrance) and Good Hope Hospital (main entrance).

In the afternoon, it’ll be visiting the Perry Barr One Stop Shopping Centre, the International Convention Centre, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (atrium), Birmingham City Hospital (Dudley Road entrance) and Aston University Students’ Union.

The bus will then make its way to the city centre to attend a candle-lit vigil at 19:00 in Birmingham Cathedral Square.

The vigil, led this year by HIV Charity, Positive West Midlands, is free to attend and open to all. Its purpose is to commemorate those who have died with an HIV-related condition, to show support for those who are still living with the virus, and to unite in the fight against HIV and the stigma surrounding it.

Visit the Umbrella website via the link below for more information about HIV testing and services available.