World Aids Day 2025
Following the display of the entire UK AIDS Memorial Quilt at the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall earlier this year, Imperial College London’s School of Public Health hosted several of the panels to mark World AIDS Day 2025. The exhibition, accompanied by a public talk by AIDS Quilt UK Volunteer Paul Meadows, highlighted individual stories and reinforced the continuing relevance of HIV awareness and efforts to reduce stigma.
World AIDS Day, observed each year on 1 December, provides an opportunity to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS, show solidarity with people living with HIV, and remember those who have died as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt forms part of one of the largest community arts projects in history. Originating in the 1980s, the Quilt commemorates individuals who lost their lives to AIDS, while documenting the profound social and human impact of the pandemic from its earliest years to the present day. The complete UK Quilt consists of 42 full quilts and eight smaller panels, collectively representing 384 individuals.
The project was inspired by the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, founded in the United States by activist Cleve Jones. Originally developed to memorialise those who had died from AIDS, the Quilt also served as a powerful form of public protest, drawing attention to government inaction, stigma, and the lack of support for people living with HIV. In the UK, this movement culminated in the “Quilts of Love” display in Hyde Park in June 1994, which brought together panels from both the UK and the US.
Over time, the Quilt has evolved into an important global memoria
l and educational resource. Each panel is individually designed by friends, families, and loved ones, reflecting the lives, identities, and stories of those commemorated. When a panel is donated, contributors are invited to submit written memories, photographs, and personal items, which are archived alongside the Quilt. Together, these materials form a unique historical record of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s.
While advances in treatment have transformed HIV into a manageable long-term condition for many, the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt links the history of the pandemic with current public health priorities, including prevention, early diagnosis, equitable access to care, and the reduction of stigma.
Supporting the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt:
The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt is run entirely by volunteers and receives no dedicated public funding. Donations support the conservation, display and educational use of the Quilt. Further information, including details on how to support the project, is available via the UK A
IDS Memorial Quilt website.
UK AIDS Memorial Website- https://www.aidsquiltuk.org/
Join UK AIDS Memorial Quilt as a volunteer – https://www.aidsquiltuk.org/contact/
Donate to UK AIDS Memorial Quilt https://www.aidsquiltuk.org/donate/
WHO HIV Fact Sheet – https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hiv-aids
Upcoming Quilt displays:
June 2026 – Full Quilt display at the Wakefield Exchange.
June 2026 – Ten panels will be displayed at King’s College London Chapel.
September 2026 – Full Quilt display at the Tramway, Glasgow.
Written by: Shazbah Ahmed, WHOCC Intern
Edited by: Rachel Barker, WHOCC Support Officer
Special thank you to Sabine van Elsland and the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis for coordinating the display at the School of Public Health, Imperial.