Dear Colleagues and Friends,
At the beginning of April, Sarah Maslen accepted the promotion from the Swansea Bay and West Wales role to the new Fast Track Cymru Manager position.
We are extremely grateful to Lisa Power for all the work, passion and dedication up until this point and delighted that she has agreed to stay on as our Strategy and Policy Lead Volunteer.
And Sarah has a message for you: “I’m looking forward to working with you and cementing our connections in the upcoming months“.
Jason Davies (he/him) has since started as the new Development Worker for Swansea Bay and West Wales and has already proven to be a real asset to our team.
We have four of the seven health boards now officially signed as Fast Track coalitions and work is progressing quickly in the remaining three: with the aim of every health board across Wales being signed up by April 2025.
HIV Outcomes Event
At the end of April, we partnered with HIV Outcomes and National AIDS Trust to deliver a workshop exploring the Living Well aspects of the HIV Action Plan in Wales. The results of which will be to create a paper with evidence of best practice in Wales as well as recommendations for what can be improved. This event was well attended with representatives from across Wales. A special mention to Adam W. and James C. for your help with this event in Wales!
#StopHIVStigma Campaign
This week we launched our #StopHIVStigma campaign and our thanks to Dr Alessandro Ceccarelli for his commitment to this project. Please do amplify the campaign throughout your channels. The toolkit can be found here:
- Find the “Stop HIV Stigma” Campaign Toolkit here: https://padlet.com/dralessandroceccarelli/StopHIVStigma
- Find the “Stop HIV Stigma” resources here: https://fasttrack.wales/stop-hiv-stigma/
BHIVA Spring Conference 2024
It was inspiring and reassuring to see so much Welsh representation at the BHIVA 2024 Spring Conference in Birmingham, not only in delegates but also on stage presenting. There was a running theme of the importance of peer support (something we are also addressing in Wales) and it was great to network with other Fast Track Cities too. We made valuable connections with other organisations whilst be updated on some key aspects relating to HIV in the UK and beyond at the moment. And we also presented our data from the Wales HIV Testing Week campaign we run in partnership with Public Health Wales – you can download and read the poster here.
HIV Knowledge Survey
The Gilead HIV Knowledge Survey Results were released at the BHIVA Spring Conference this week. We are thrilled to see 33% of respondents came from Wales but the results showed the work that still needs to be done to educate and inform those working in health care that HIV has changed and to reduce the stigma relating to HIV in these areas – see the poster here.
Pride Events 2024
Pride season is upon us once again and we will be attending over 20 prides across Wales! Please do come and see us, pick up some resources and meet some of the team.
How can you get involved?
Engaging with Fast Track Cymru can be both simple and impactful. One way to contribute is by amplifying our campaigns and connecting with your local Fast Track to explore participation opportunities.
Additionally, we’re actively seeking to establish a network of individuals living with HIV across Wales for collaborative online meetings. Your input is invaluable in the coproduction of our work. We want to prioritise your involvement without imposing time commitments and aim to ensure ensure your experience is empowering, not exploitative. You won’t face any pressure to engage publicly or on social media, though these platforms remain available options. Furthermore, we’re keen to involve individuals from globally ethnic majority communities in similar initiatives aimed at engaging underrepresented groups. Participation for this group isn’t limited to those living with HIV; we welcome diverse perspectives from all walks of life.
Get in touch
To get in touch with us about this or anything else please see below:
- Fast Track Cymru: FastTrackCities@hiv.wales
Please also use the FT Cymru email if you are from Hywel Dda, Powys or Cym Taf Morgannwg Health Board Regions as we are still setting these up.
- Fast Track Cardiff and Vale: FastTrackCardiffVale@hiv.wales
- Fast Track Newport: FastTrackNewport@hiv.wales
- Fast Track Swansea Bay: FastTrackSwansea@hiv.wales
- Fast Track North Wales: FastTrackNorthWales@hiv.wales
Thank you for your ongoing support,
Sarah Maslen and the Fast Track Cymru Team
Fast Track Cymru 