Richard Angell receiving pink plaque from Seán McGovern outside Cally Yard office

Terrence Higgins Trust has been presented with a pink plaque from Islington Council to mark LGBTQ+ History Month and our role within the borough’s queer history – and its future.

Terry Higgins was the first named person in the UK to die of an AIDS-related illness after collapsing at gay nightclub Heaven back in July 1982. Terry’s partner Rupert Whitaker and their close friend Martyn Butler set up a charity in his name to humanise the epidemic and save lives.

After becoming a registered charity in 1984, our first office was a single room at Panther House on Mount Pleasant in neighbouring borough of Camden. We then had two offices on Gray’s Inn Road, which connect King’s Cross and Chancery Lane, and have been based on Islington’s Caledonian Road since 2020.  

We've been at the forefront of the UK’s HIV response since the very beginning. Today we're aiming to end new HIV cases in the UK by 2030, to ensure people living with HIV live well, and to ensure sexual health is a national priority.

We provide services, including specialist counselling, from our base on Caledonian Road. We're also a member of the Camden and Islington HIV Network.

The Islington’s Pride pink plaques are a collection of physical markers that celebrate significant people, places and organisations that mark Islington’s role in LGBTQ+ history. Islington Pride’s digital heritage map has over 150 points of interest, including Terrence Higgins Trust.

Richard Angell receiving pink plaque from Seán McGovern in front of Cally Yard wall

Chief Executive Richard Angell said: ‛Terrence Higgins Trust began in London and we’re proud to have supported Londoners living with affected by HIV for the last 40 years. It is a real honour to be presented with a pink plaque to celebrate our place in LGBTQ+ history, which we’ll display with huge pride at our home on Caledonian Road.’

Seán McGovern, Heritage Project Manager at Islington Council, said: ‛There’s a rich history between our borough and the LGBTQ+ community, which we’re rightly proud of. It’s absolutely right to honour Terrence Higgins Trust with one of our pink plaques in recognition of its huge impact in raising awareness of HIV and fighting for so much of the progress we see today. We’re proud that Terrence Higgins Trust has done and that it has made its home in Islington.’