I'm raising funds for Positive East by participating in the 2021 World AIDS Day Red Run on November 27th. This will be the third time I've entered the event on behalf of Macquarie Bank having run the 5k Victoria Park loop in 2018 and 2019.

Being a gay man in London I have friends who are living with HIV so this cause is very personal to me.

The charity I'm raising money for, Positive East, aims to improve the quality of life of individuals and communities affected by HIV.  

It has now been 40 years since the first recorded cases of HIV/AIDS were confirmed. In recent years, we have witnessed significant medical and social advancements in the world of HIV.

• New HIV diagnoses are down
• We have achieved the UNAIDS target of 90-90-90 (90% of those living with HIV are diagnosed, 90% of those diagnosed are on treatment, and 90% of those on treatment have a reduced viral load)
• PrEP works and is now available in the UK on the NHS
• U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable) – meaning that if someone living with HIV adheres to their medication, it suppresses the virus so much that it is biologically impossible to pass it on sexually.

But there is still a lot of work to be done, and HIV stigma is still all too common.

The Red Run helps to shine a light on this progress and raise funds to help fight this stigma and provide essential services to get new HIV diagnosis down to 0.

For every donation you make my work will match it 100%, so if you donate £50 my work will add an additional £50 to your donation.