The 2015 speaker tour goes rolling on through its first week with Manchester Uni being the host on a cold Tuesday evening. We began our first day of campaigning with members of the touring team combining with Student Stop Aiders from the university to start raising awareness on the staggering levels of money spent on finding cures for issues such as male pattern baldness and hayfever, in comparison to life-saving drugs fighting diseases like HIV and Tuberculosis.

Cristian & Juliana in action in Manchester!

A day of campaigning was followed by a great event in the evening. Brimming with confidence from the first night’s success, speakers Juliana and Cristian delivered their stories expertly once again. Georgia, President of the Student Stop Aids Society at Manchester University said of the event “Cristian and Juliana eloquently delivered stories of their lives with HIV. Hearing them talk about their struggles and their strengths was both gripping and truly admirable. An inspiration to all.

Day 2 in Manchester!

Celebrating a great second night on tour, we joined some of the members from Manchester Uni’s Student Stop Aids society for dinner in the city’s famous ‘Curry Mile!’ Well fed and extremely happy, the team hit the sack early and prepared for Day 3. Massive thank you to Georgia, Rebecca & co for giving us all accommodation and a great night’s sleep!

The team in Leeds showing off all their signatures for the new campaign!

Day 3 and onto Leeds University! A great day of campaigning on campus before another fantastic evening event. Juliana & Cristian improved once more, combining wit and laughter with the heartfelt and personal moments their stories bring. Our largest audience of the tour so far engaged in a question and answer session that focused on issues such as coping with living with HIV whilst being at university, and the Push-Pull-Pool campaign created by Medicines Sans Frontiers that looks to re-shape the industry making its focus health needs – not profit. Ben Smith, a Medical Sciences student, said “it was a real privilege to hear their personal stories, it has spurred me on to really get involved. It was refreshing to not go to a talk about statistics, but rather to talk about it as a human issue.”

A packed lecture theatre in Leeds for our speakers!

Thank you Isobel, Harvey & everyone in Leeds! Sheffield… You’re next! 🙂