About Terrence Higgins Trust

Terrence Higgins Trust THT is the leading HIV & AIDS charity in the UK and the largest in Europe.

Established in 1982, it was the first charity to be set up in response to the HIV epidemic and has been at the forefront if the fight against HIV & AIDS ever since.

Today, THT is the largest provider of direct services to the groups most affected by HIV - gay men and UK African communities.

THT delivers health promotion campaigns and direct services from our offices across the UK to people with or affected by HIV, and people at risk.

Our history

The charity was established in 1982, as The Terry Higgins Trust. Terry Higgins was one of the first people in the UK to die with AIDS. A group of his friends wanted to prevent more people having to face the same illness as Terry and named the Trust after him, hoping to personalise and humanise AIDS in a very public way.

In August 1983 the trust was reborn as Terrence Higgins Trust. Then THT had two missions: to provide education and information about AIDS and to provide practical and emotional support to people living with or affected by the disease. Today, THT still has these aims and has developed them to meet the needs of people living with HIV and those affected.

Much has changed since the early days of HIV and as the shape of the epidemic has changed, so has THT - existing services have been developed and new services introduced to meet changing needs.

THT delivers health promotion campaigns, national services and local services directly to people with or affected by HIV and people at risk from our centres across England and Wales.