themselves living with HIV.
"I'm also proud of the extent to which I've been able to be a
role model and be completely open about living with HIV.
One of the great pleasures of working at Crusaid is that it's given me
a way of coming to terms with my own HIV status."
On an organizational level, James talks a lot about Crusaid's achievements
in treatment support.
"We've been very involved with the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
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1987, Freddy Kobler gave Crusaid £1/2m. We gave
this to the hospital as the founding gift - which built the Kobler Centre.
It's now Europe's biggest HIV and Aids treatment clinic. We raised £850,000
towards the recent £2million redevelopment of the clinic and also
set up the Crusaid Research Institute on the first floor.
"We're beginning to fund HIV treatment clinics abroad, such as the
Gugulethu clinic in a big township outside Cape Town - the first public
clinic providing antiretrovirals to adults in South Africa. I realise
it is only a tiny effort and is only going to help a few thousand people,
but we have to do something."
Is it difficult to raise money for Aids these days?
"Only a small percentage of the general public is sensitive to this
issue. Whereas cancer charities can raise money from most people, only
a small percentage of people know someone affected by HIV or Aids. We
have historically had wonderful support from the gay community as well
as from people working in the theatre and showbiz worlds.
"We've also got a pretty good reputation. Our board is made up of
very tough, practical individuals who watch very closely what's going
on and we've established ourselves as solid and trustworthy."
Tell us about your work as an Aids activist?
"I became involved in the British HIV Association (BHIVA) as an activist
badgering them to endorse triple combination therapy. From that came the
BHIVA guidelines of minimum standard of care.
"In those days in HIV, rather like in Hepatitis C now, there were incredibly variable standards of treatment and care around the country. HIV is now way ahead of any other
