We spoke to Laura who works in the Organisational Design, Development and Talent team at the Independent Office for Police Conduct and who organised this fabulous fundraiser.

How did you hear about us?

We heard of Terrence Higgins Trust through searching for charities that help with raising awareness of supporting people with AIDS and HIV.

What inspired you to support us?

A lot of our team had been watching It’s a Sin and had been really moved by it. For some it brought back some sad memories of the past, for others it was completely new and eye-opening but heart-breaking all the same.

It compelled us to want to do something to help and we thought it would be a good opportunity to raise some money and more awareness.

Tell us about your rainbow dress-down day

As we are all working from home at the moment, it was hard to think of a fundraising idea that we could all still get involved in together. So we thought it would be an easy yet fun idea to have a rainbow day where everyone could dress up in rainbow clothes and/or decorate their room in rainbow colours to show some support and raise money. We have a lot of video calls so it meant we could still all come together and see each other’s efforts.

What are your top tips for hosting a rainbow dress-down day?

Let people do what they feel comfortable doing! If someone doesn’t like dressing up, get them to decorate the space behind them or just wear a colourful top. It doesn’t need to be elaborate.

Another tip is to make it fun and arrange a video call, if not in an office or place you can meet in person. That way you can all see what each other is wearing or their decorations.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about fundraising for us?

I would say do it! It was lovely to hear that the money we raised could pay for two months' costs to maintain the My Community Forum peer support network online (a safe space for sharing and asking questions for many people living with HIV). It felt like a great achievement and it was fun and very simple to do.

We would like to say another huge thank you to Laura and all the team! Your support means everything.

If you would like to raise money for us this Pride month by hosting your own rainbow dress-down day, please let us know your plans and one of the team will be in touch.

Find more ideas for raising money during Pride season.  

Get in touch with the team at [email protected].