A book of poetry and short stories, written by people from across East Sussex, has been launched to help raise awareness of the HIV virus, as well as World AIDS Day (1 December 2010).
The new collection, which is made up of people’s personal stories about HIV and AIDS, is being made available in every GP practice waiting room throughout the county.
Kevin Dillistone, an expert in sexual health with the NHS in East Sussex, explained:
"To mark World AIDS Day last year we ran a writing competition which attracted dozens of entries.
The enthusiasm for the competition and standard of entry was so strong that we decided to compile all the poems into a book which we could use help raise awareness among the public about HIV and AIDS.
There are some really moving pieces in the book which we hope will help people to understand the impact that HIV can have on people’s lives, no matter what their age."
The new poetry collection is being distributed to every GP practice in East Sussex so that it can be read by patients waiting for appointments.
For more information on HIV and AIDS, please visit www.nhs.uk
