NOT IDLE POP IDOL
A pop star in the ascendant he may be, but Will Young still finds time to
do good works for a little known local HIV charity - Amanda Elliot
reports
Nine days after his head-spinning triumph over Gareth Gates in Pop Idol in
October 2001, Will Young made an important phone call, not to his travel agent
or to his hairdresser, but to a little known West Country HIV charity.
The point of the call was simple: to tell staff at Positive Action South West
(PASW) he was about to hit the big time and wanted some of that celebrity
to work for them by becoming a patron. His patronage quickly paid off. In
the summer of 2003, Will raised a tub-thumping £22,500 for PASW from
his first ever solo concert at Killerton House, Exeter. While fans, lead by
a charming vicar running his official website, regularly raise funds for the
Exeter-based charity.
In these post-Princess Diana times, when funds for and public awareness of
HIV are shrinking, most national HIV charities would give their back teeth
to get a celebrity of Young’s calibre on board. His appeal is truly
mass, from ‘tweenies’ to middle-aged women, not to mention his
huge gay fan base. He is twice winner of the Digital Music Awards’ artist
of the year title and media pundits estimate he is worth around £6 million.
His second album sold 1.6 million copies and his first double A-side single
Anything is Possible/Evergreen sold a million copies in a week. His singles
zoom straight into the top of the charts, and he is still just 25.
Even if you are lucky to bag a celebrity this big there is no guarantee they
will actually do anything beyond lend their name. But as PASW’s new
director Peter Taylor put it: “It’s amazing; he’s a patron
who actually turns up.”
Will was busy raising money for HIV/Aids even before he became the darling
of Smash Hits. As an active member of Exeter University’s Guild of Students
RAG committee, he helped co-ordinate the annual Safer Sex fetish ball, an
event that still raises some £20,000 a year for PASW.
“I first came across Positive Action when I was 22 and a student at
Exeter. God, that was just three years ago,” reflects Will, who spoke
to me in an Art Deco hotel room on a wind-battered afternoon in Exeter.
“Everybody in the area knows about the Safer Sex ball. It raises a huge
amount of money. It’s quite saucy, everyone dresses up and has a great
time, but there is a serious message too,” he explains supping a cup
of tea.
“The work they do is fantastic, giving support to people to break down
stigma and prejudice. It’s so important, especially as Aids/ HIV is
not generally seen as the sexy issue it once was. But HIV and other STDs are
on the up - in this area as well. So it’s my job to fly the flag and
make sure it is on the public agenda for a long time to come.
“What I have learned through my work with Positive Action is that life
for people living with HIV doesn’t have to stop. People just need the
right information and the right support to break through the discrimination.
I feel prejudice is going down - a bit.”
Will is slighter, camper and cheerier than he comes across on TV. This impression
is reinforced by his predilection for strange hats. On this occasion - the
launch of Positive Action South West’s new corporate logo - he sported
a jaunty ‘Rag Time’ cap similar to that worn by Robert Redford
in The Sting. This may have been a nod to his love of jazz or just a remnant
of his costume for his part in the Stephen Frears (My Beautiful Laundrette
and Dangerous Liaisons) film.
“I can’t say much about the film except it stars Dame Judy Dench
and Bob Hoskins and its set during the war. I have just finished a scene which
involved me plunging into a freezing cold canal. I really love it.”
Mrs Henderson Presents is about Mrs Henderson who set up the Windmill Theatre
in Soho, the first place in London to have nude models on stage.
Although he studied politics at Exeter, Will is not overtly political. He
insists he never set out to be a role model for young gay men, or anyone else
for that matter. But the one thing he does get passionate about is HIV education.
“The Government could be doing much more. I know when I was at university
I didn’t think about protection. I vaguely associated it with not making
babies. I think this attitude is still common among many young people.
“People in this country find it a difficult subject to talk about. Mention
condoms and people usually go a bit funny. They snigger and hide their embarrassment
behind humour. Of course HIV is still seen as homosexual issue. That’s
just not the case. HIV does not discriminate between sexualities.
“The message for young people should be simple: you have to use protection.
It should be taken for granted and be at the forefront of our minds. It should
be thought of in the same way as any other normal activity, like cleaning
your teeth or getting dressed.”
Like his own pop idol George Michael, Will is low key about his work in the
HIV sector. I asked if he thought some celebrities supported HIV and other
‘good causes’ to enhance their own careers.
“There’s a lot of cynicism about celebrities who work with charities.
Robbie Williams mentioned this to me the other day. He said if you raise a
lot of money for good causes like he does then you are accused of doing it
for selfish reasons. You can’t win. I think a lot of people do stuff
quietly behind the scenes.”
He admits, however, he would love to do more on the global stage to help what
he calls the African HIV and Aids “uber-epidemic”, perhaps by
taking part in a global music event like last year’s Mandela concert.
Will is not monogamous in his commitment to good causes and is probably better
known for his support for charities like Women’s Aid and Mencap than
HIV and Aids campaigns. “Generally I don’t sing about my work
with Positive Action.”
Before the interview, at least three of my male work colleagues confided that
they had almighty crushes on this 25-year-old boy-wonder from Hungerford.
Sadly, my 15 minutes with fame didn’t allow me time to quiz him on his
love life. But in recent months he has been romantically linked with a fashion
designer and a premiership footballer (although stories about the latter prompted
a strong denial and a flurry of lawyers’ letters to the Daily Mail).
He regularly talks of himself as single and as someone who is too busy to
have a relationship. But in a recent interview with niche West country gay
and lesbian magazine Fyne Times, he hinted he wouldn’t mind being stranded
on a desert island with “a good-looking actor friend”, the Bible
and “some hardcore porn.”
• Will Young official website: www.will-youngonline.com
Positive Action South West is a 20-year-old HIV and Aids charity in the South
West of England created out of Devon HIV and Aids Association and AIDSLINE.
The charity provides services in Exeter and Torquay and provides outreach
services in Barnstaple, Plymouth, Taunton and Street.
It currently has five staff, 24 volunteers and 17 therapists for some 200
clients and carers.
Its services include support, advice, drop-in services, information, advocacy,
complementary therapies including stress management and HIV education for
companies, groups and the general public.
www.pasw.org.uk
Free helpline 0800 328 3508
