Above: Part of the quilt is an image of Terry by Nathan Wyburn (@nathanwyburnart), produced as a quilt panel by Tim Cooper.

The AIDS Memorial Quilts are beautiful, emotional and personal tributes to those lost in the earliest days of the HIV epidemic to ensure they are never forgotten. Made with love in the 1980s and 90s, making the quilts also helped those left behind come to terms with their loss.

Known as the NAMES Project, the quilts are an irreplaceable piece of social history which tell the stories of just some of those who tragically died. The project started in America in the 1980s before soon being adopted in the UK.

The quilt panels were all made by lovers, friends or family. There are 48 quilts as part of the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt – each consisting of eight individual panels.

Above credit: @wesewtoo @boyssewtoo @bruderfeldesign

There are quilt panels for famous faces including campaigner Mark Ashton (whose story is told in film Pride), writer Bruce Chatwin, artist and filmmaker Derek Jarman, and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. As well as panels without a name because of the stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS.

But there is no panel for Terry Higgins, the first named person to die of an AIDS-related illness in the UK. And we wanted to change that to remember Terry, celebrate his legacy and engage as many people as possible in where we are today with the opportunity to end new HIV cases in the UK by 2030. As well as to bring new attention to the incredible original quilts.

Above credit: @sara.hailstone and O-g_brown

Our charity was started in Terry’s name to humanise the epidemic and shows its very personal impact on people’s lives. To make it clear those dying in such a terrible way were someone’s son or daughter, brother or sister, lover or friend – just like Terry. The AIDS memorial quilts do the same thing in such a powerful, beautiful and often devastating way.

That’s why, 40 years on from his death, we’re proud to announce the Terry Higgins Memorial Quilt will be exhibited for the first time this summer at The Festival of Quilts in Birmingham’s NEC.

We couldn’t be more thrilled with what’s been achieved over the last year in partnership with those who knew and loved Terry, The Quilters’ Guild and the incredibly talented quilters who have worked on each panel.

Above credit: Merrill Tanton, Region 13 Young People group, @handmadebygeraldine, @sarahashfordstudio

The project has been overseen by our co-founders Rupert Whitaker and Martyn Butler, and Terry’s close friends Linda and Maxine, who have worked closely with passionate quilters from across the country to let us all get to know Terry better. There are eight panels, including about Terry as a friend, as a Welshman, as a gay man and from his time in the Royal Navy.

The quilt is now very nearly finished and I couldn’t be more proud of it. It has already moved people to tears with its scale, the quality of the work and with the powerful story it tells.

I can’t wait for thousands to see it for the first time at The Festival of Quilts and am excited to see where it goes from there! I also hope it will help drive more attention to the original UK AIDS Memorial Quilt. But rest assured, we have big plans.  

Richard Angell is Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust

The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt Conservation Partnership is overseen by charities George House Trust, Terrence Higgins Trust, The Food Chain, Sahir House, Positively UK and Positive East.

The Terry Higgins Memorial Quilt will be exhibited for the first time at The Festival of Quilts, which is happening from Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 August at Birmingham’s NEC.