Stories in the Seams

As we welcome the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt to Wakefield, we open the display with a panel conversation bringing together voices from across HIV activism, care, and remembrance.

The talk will explore the origins of the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt, its role in highlighting the devastating impact of HIV and AIDS from the 1980s onwards, and the many people it continues to memorialise and represent.

Our panel will reflect on the history of activism and remembrance in Yorkshire, alongside the medical advancements that have transformed HIV treatment since the 1980s. It will also consider the tension between HIV as a treatable, manageable long-term condition and the stigma and misunderstanding that persist today.

Started in the late 1980s at the height of the HIV and AIDS pandemic, the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt remains a powerful act of remembrance and public witness. All 42 quilts will be displayed at Wakefield Exchange from 4 to 7 June 2026, marking the first full showing outside London. This landmark display echoes the Quilt’s early public presentations, which raised awareness of the ongoing AIDS pandemic and honoured the lives of those who had died.

Panel Conversation

Chair

Alex Sparrowhawk, UK AIDS Memorial Quilt Partnership and George House Trust

Alex has been living with HIV since 2009, an advocate with a focus on HIV/AIDS remembrance, community storytelling, and challenging public perceptions of the virus.

Our Panel Speakers

Dr Sarah Schoeman, Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust

Dr. Sarah Schoeman is a Genitourinary Medicine Consultant in Leeds and Clinical Lead for the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust HIV service which provides HIV treatment and care to ~2,500 people living with HIV across clinic sites in Leeds, Dewsbury and Wakefield.

Dr Nadia Nwogbo, Spectrum CIC

A Consultant at Wakefield Integrated Sexual Health Clinic and a GP. Dr Nadia Nwogbo is passionate about Women's health, HIV Prevention and preventative medicine. In Wakefield they strive to improve HIV PrEP access and maintain Sexual Health Services, helping support healthier communities and therefore reduce stigma around HIV and Sexual Health. 

Mick Ward, ACT UP Leeds

Mick lives in Leeds and is a lifelong activist. He was a founder of ACT UP Leeds as well as a board member of Leeds AIDS Advice.

Robert Fieldhouse, BHA for Equality

Robert provides social support to people living with HIV in Leeds and mentors people newly diagnosed with HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C through the Emergency Departments at Leeds General Infirmary and St James's Hospital.

Harry Hillery, Brighton AIDS Memorial Project

Harry is a queer man living near Brighton who volunteered during the AIDS crisis. Harry created a UK AIDS Memorial Quilt panel for his friend Andrea Philippe Regard and now preserves queer history through The Brighton AIDS Memorial.