Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) staff and volunteers were out in force at this year’s Pride London (3rd July), distributing over 12,000 free condoms across the festival as they urged crowds to ‘Get It On’.

This year, THT’s central campaign at Pride was on the importance of condom use, with the charity’s walking group handing out ‘Get It On’ stickers and condom packs to the crowds lining the parade route. Leading the way were a team of cheerleaders from Pineapple Dance Studios, a marching band playing chart hits, and THT’s own version of Sue Sylvester, who used his bullhorn to shout safer sex messages to the crowd.

After the parade, THT staff and volunteers took to the streets, distributing thousands more condoms to people gathered in Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, and across Soho. Staff at the THT stand at Trafalgar Square also offered sexual health information, including advice on where people could get tested if they were worried they’d put themselves at risk. A separate team of trained staff invited under-25s to take a chlamydia test during their day out, screening around fifty young people for the sexually transmitted infection.

Marc Thompson, Deputy Head of Health Promotion at THT, said: “Pride London is a great day, but it’s also an opportunity for THT to talk about safer sex with one of our key audiences. Gay men remain one of the groups most at risk of HIV in the UK, with one in four gay men with HIV not knowing they have it.

“Our message to gay men this year was a simple one, but one that’s vitally important: HIV hasn’t gone away, so the best way to protect yourself against it and other STIs is to use a condom.”

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Notes to editor

1. Terrence Higgins Trust is the UK’s leading HIV and sexual health charity with centres across England, Scotland and Wales. We're here to provide information and advice about HIV and sexual health and offer a range of services including sexual health checks, counselling and support groups.  We campaign for a world where people with HIV live healthy lives, free from prejudice and discrimination and we promote good sexual health as a right and reality for all. Terrence Higgins Trust relies on donations to deliver a wide range of services. To make a donation, visit www.tht.org.uk