Aids memorial quilt to be displayed in Yorkshire

A quilt commemorating those affected by Aids and HIV will be on display in Wakefield - the first location outside of London to showcase the piece in its entirety.

The textile - made up of 42 quilts and 23 individual panels - celebrates the lives of 384 people who died from Aids-related illnesses and is a reminder of the stigma and shame associated with the disease when it first came to public attention.

The whole quilt will be shown at the Wakefield Exchange from 4-7 June while other venues will also host individual panels.

A Wakefield Council spokesperson said: "It really is a deeply moving piece, with such important stories to tell."

The quilt was originally unveiled in London's Hyde Park in 1994.

It is made up of a patchwpork of handmade tributes to those who died after the HIV virus hit the UK in the early 1980s, when there was little known about it and effective treatment was not available.

Many of those infected were shunned and isolated so the quilt - "a vital social document" - is said to be a celebration of lives that were "never quite allowed to reach fruition", according to the UK Aids Memorial Quilt website.

The quilt is part of the world's largest community art project and was started in the US in 1985 by activist Cleve Jones, to remember his friends, family and loved ones that died after contracting HIV, which develops into Aids.

Individual panels were stitched together to create larger quilts, which were then shown outdoors as a form of protest to raise awareness about the virus and a reminder that it still affects communities today.

Individual panels will go on display at venues such as The Hepworth Wakefield, Theatre Royal Wakefield, The Art House and LonGBoat CIC's Kirkgate Station Community Gallery as well as scheduled readings of the names of on the quilt at the Wakefield Exchange.

Screenings of documentary There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, about the 1994 Hyde Park display of the quilt, will also be shown every day,

Mark Lynam, the local authority's corporate director for regeneration, environment and economic growth, added: "We're proud to host this in Wakefield Exchange and to have parts of the Quilt displayed across the district as well, for more people to see and remember."

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