Last night NAT and guests celebrated at the annual flagship fundraising event ‘Spring Awakening’ – this year themed ‘the Silver Soirée’ to mark their 25th birthday – which has so far raised a fantastic £30,000*.  

The event was held at the stylish and classic 11 Cavendish Square and guests enjoyed an exclusive birthday cocktail created by Erik Lorincz, mixologist at The Savoy, award winning ‘Chapel Down’ English sparkling wine, and silver-inspired canapés.  

Entertainment included a first look at an exclusive exhibition of Red Ribbon artwork created by a range of high profile supporters – including Gok Wan, Annie Lennox and Pam Ann – as birthday gifts for NAT.  There was also a tombola, raffle and auction which saw lucky bidders take home Olympic tickets to the men’s gymnastics final and a date to have champagne with Stephen Fry after his performance in the all-male production of Twelfth Night at the Globe.  

NAT has been carrying out its HIV policy and campaigning work for the past 25 years and now more than ever we rely on the generosity of our friends and supporters to enable us to continue championing the rights of people with HIV.  There are more people living with HIV in the UK than ever before and around a quarter do not know they have the virus.  HIV related stigma and prejudice has not gone away, and many of the public remain ill-informed about HIV.  Spring Awakening was an opportunity to not only commemorate the achievements of the past 25 years but to raise awareness and fundraise so our important work can continue well into the future. 

If you were unable to make last night’s event but would like to make a £25 birthday donation for our ’25 for 25’ fund, visit www.spring-awakening.org.uk for more details.  

You can access the Red Ribbon artwork through NAT’s Facebook gallery.  

Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT (National AIDS Trust), comments: 

‘As the financial climate becomes increasingly tough, support from individuals who really care about NAT’s work is more important than ever.  This year we wanted to make our event extra special by marking our 25th birthday and we can’t thank our supporters enough for making the event a success.  We were delighted to showcase the exclusive Red Ribbon artwork created for us by some of our well known supporters and the feedback received has been overwhelming.  All the money raised from the evening will help fund NAT’s policy and campaigning work – changing attitudes, challenging injustice and changing lives.’

- Ends -

Notes to the editor:

*Exact figure to be confirmed.

For further information please contact: 
Charli Scouller 
Communications Manager
NAT
020 7814 6733
press@nat.org.uk 

NAT 
NAT (National AIDS Trust) is the UK’s leading charity dedicated to transforming society’s response to HIV. We provide fresh thinking, expertise and practical resources. We champion the rights of people living with HIV and campaign for change. 
Shaping attitudes. Challenging injustice. Changing lives. 

www.nat.org.uk 
www.lifewithHIV.org – a resource for HIV positive people 
www.HIVaware.org.uk – what everyone should know about HIV