Steve's incredible journey for HIV awareness

Steve Bamford is a regular fundraiser for KCHFT’s charity i care, and has set himself some epic challenges over the last few years to raise money for the HIV fund and raise awareness of what it means to live with HIV.

As a volunteer peer supporter, Steve gives up his time to help other people living with HIV across Kent and hopes to raise funds to train more peer supporters.

In May he took on the Jurassic Coast challenge walking 58km along the Dorset coast, and now he has his sights set on a charity bike ride of 390km across Kent, visiting 16 of our hospitals and sexual health clinics in just four days to publicise the U=U (undetectable=untransmittable) campaign. He is kicking off his mammoth journey in Maidstone on 6 September.

People living with HIV who are on effective treatment cannot pass the virus on to their partners, and it's hoped the U=U campaign will finally end the stigma and fear around HIV.

Steve is raising money for the Talking Together group, which has been set up and run by people with HIV. Steve said: “There is nothing else like the peer support group offered by KCHFT in Kent, where I can sit down and talk with people with HIV. I talk about it openly anyway, but for others, it’s the first time they’ve been able to do so."

“There is still a stigma about the virus and some people don’t tell anyone, including their family and friends. There are pros and cons about telling people or not telling people. One thing about keeping it to yourself though, is that you don’t then have a support network.”

Ask your KCHFT nurse or doctor for more information to join the group.

You can see where Steve will be each day from 6 September to 9 September on the handy google map below and we’ll update his progress here each day.

To donate to Steve’s fundraising efforts you can find all the details on his justgiving page.

Find out more about our charity i care and how it supports patients and our colleagues: