Michelle Clayford first saw an advertisement to be a Buddy for Terrence Higgins Trust in her local newspaper when she was 21 in the early 1990s. 'It called to me and I realised it was something I really wanted to do.'

Her journey began in the Terrence Higgins Trust library, where she clipped and archived newspaper articles mentioning HIV. Michelle then finished the 'intense' training to become a Buddy, a volunteer who provided care and support to people living with HIV during the AIDS crisis.

'It was a really eye-opening experience. I did it for about a year and I met such a wide range of people.

'It’s sad because I often wonder what happened to these people. A lot of the time, they would just disappear – that was the reality of it.'

Michelle also recalls caring for a woman in her sixties who was living with HIV. 'I really saw how HIV impacted her life – especially the shame of living with the virus.

'She was terrified of anyone finding out that she was living with HIV. We agreed to never mention why I was there, just in case.'

As well as being a Buddy, Michelle also volunteered for a number of other charities and causes, including Pride in London and The Food Chain, a charity that ensures people living with HIV in London have access to nutritious food.

'As a Buddy, I was there to hear these people’s stories, to advocate for them, and to just be around them and give them support when they needed it.

'There were lots of hospital visits, too. I made sure people understood important information and made sure that their issues were heard.'

Now 47 and residing in northern England, Michelle says her experiences taught her a lot about herself too.

'I was quite an innocent person at the time. I remember being surrounded by conversations about gay sex, and I hadn’t really realised I was queer before that, so volunteering definitely opened my eyes to a lot of things.

'I was also around so many amazing characters who helped me become who I am today. I worked with a woman called Alison who became a good friend, and we did our coming out journeys together, which was amazing.'

Michelle also credits working for Terrence Higgins Trust with launching her long career as a sexual health youth worker, which she did for 13 years after volunteering. 'From Terrence Higgins Trust, I went on to work at various sexual health and LGBT+ charities like Brook London, Blackliners, the Healthy Gay Living Centre and The Metro Centre.'

Now working in technology and retail, Michelle claims she’ll 'always be an educator at heart,' especially after spending years of her life teaching school pupils, youth club members and prison inmates about sexual health.

The immense success of It’s A Sin, Russell T Davies’s recent critically acclaimed AIDS drama, has led Michelle to reflect on her own life and involvement with the cause.

'It’s A Sin has made HIV such a conversation topic today, which is great. But looking back it’s strange. This was just my life, it was just something that I did.

'I don’t feel like I did anything majorly exceptional, but other people clearly felt like it was something amazing. At the time it didn’t feel like such a historical moment – but you look back on something you did 20 years ago and it becomes a huge deal.

'It’s bizarre to think that for some people the AIDS crisis is just a collection of stories they’re hearing about. These aren’t just stories: these were our lives; these were our friends. I really want people to know this – they were real people.'

Since opening up about her experiences as a Buddy for a BBC article, Michelle says word got out at her current workplace, and she’s hosted three talks about her experiences for various departments in her company since the piece went live.

'I know at least two people who’ve ordered a HIV test because I’ve spoken about my experiences.

'It’s been a rollercoaster, but if I’ve helped other people, then that’s just amazing.'