It has been announced that David Furnish will unveil Brighton and Hove’s AIDS memorial in October.
David Furnish, the civil partner of famous musician Elton John, will unveil the new AIDS memorial near the seafront in Kemp Town, Brighton on 9 October. His steadfast commitment to HIV/AIDS charities makes him an understandable candidate for the unveiling, and his support of the project has been welcomed by organisers. Simon Burgess, a trustee of the AIDS Memorial Fund said:
“The New Steine is the ideal location for the memorial, in the heart of the St. James’s Street area where there is real excitement about its installation. The announcement that it is David Furnish that will be making the unveiling is something that will be universally welcomed.”
Fellow trustee Paul Elgood – who was the initial driving force behind a permanent AIDS memorial back in 2006 – also spoke of the celebrity’s support, saying, “I am delighted that Mr Furnish has agreed to undertake the unveiling. He is a high profile supporter of HIV and AIDS charities and someone with a deep commitment to this cause.”
Mr Furnish has played a long standing role in the Elton John AIDS Foundation, who have funded local LGBT charity, the Sussex Beacon. The Foundation supports innovative HIV/AIDS prevention, education programmes and health care. It also aims to create a better quality of life for those people living with HIV and AIDS.
The AIDS memorial was designed by local sculptor Romany Mark Bruce, who won the commission for the memorial in a local competition. It has been two years in the planning and has been funded entirely by private donations. Last month it emerged that the project was suffering from a £15,000 shortfall, but with local businesses and bars running fundraising events and the local community providing much needed financial support, the organisers anticipate that the unveiling will proceed without any problems.
“It is exciting how well the memorial is coming together.” Mr Elgood said, “The foundations are being dug and the fundraising is heading towards the target. I would like to take this opportunity of thanking everyone involved in the project.
“The unveiling will be a public event and we hope the public will come and support this important memorial - the shadow of HIV and AIDS is across all communities and all people.”
The AIDS memorial will be unveiled by David Furnish at 2.30pm on 9 October at The New Steine, Kemp Town, Brighton.