The Royal Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
In summer 2018 we were delighted to be named one of the seven Royal Wedding charities.
On the day of the wedding, our former Chiva Youth Committee Chairperson Mercy Ngulube talked about living with HIV live on BBC1 just moments before the ceremony began:
‘I’m an HIV campaigner, I was born with HIV, and I think it’s really important that young people living with HIV have a platform in society and ultimately change the world’s perceptions of HIV.
I think their choosing of Chiva as one of the seven charities to donate to is just a symbol of how much they really do care about HIV as an issue, and they’re really involved in making sure the stigma goes away’.
Also on the Wedding Day, our chairperson Dr Amanda Williams spoke on Sky News about Chiva’s work and the stigma surrounding HIV.
MINI celebrated the wedding with a one-off MINI Hatch designed specifically to commemorate the special occasion. ‘As an iconic British brand with almost 60 years of history in the UK, we are pleased to mark the royal wedding with this special charitable gift,’ explained Oliver Heilmer, Head of MINI Design. The MINI was auctioned at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July 2018 and all the funds went directly to Chiva.
RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW
In 2018, Chiva was involved with a RHS Chelsea Flower Show Garden which explored life growing up with HIV. ‘A Life Without Walls’ was designed by Naomi Ferrett-Cohen. Working in partnership with UK Cherub and funded by Gilead, Naomi met with young people at a Chiva residential in early 2018 to explore the barriers they felt growing up with HIV and the stigma which can hold them back. Naomi’s design reflected these discussions and her garden includes a bench with the group’s hand-prints, crumbling walls which hold you back and make your path a difficult one, and a pod which represents the NHS HIV clinic.
Chiva Associate Bakita Kasadha explores the themes of the garden in this blog linked to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
