| On Monday 6th December The Hepatitis C Trust and boutique bowling venue All Star Lanes will be kicking off the party season in style, with a unique event for 100 people with hepatitis C and served by celebrity waiting staff. Sadie Frost will be head waitress for the day and her team will include Meg Matthews, Peaches Geldof, Jimi Mistry, David Morrissey, Lisa Moorish, Ray Panthaki, Johnny Harris (This is England), Belinda Stewart-Wilson (sexy mum in The Inbetweeners ) and “supermodel” Jodie Harsh. Ollie and Romy from Mercury Award-winners The XX will also join us for a preview of Ollie, Sadie and Jodie’s new designs for our Printed Wardrobe line. Comedian Jeff Leach will host the event, with music from Ed from the Chemical Brothers and DJ Fat Tony. All Star Lanes were keen to get behind The Hepatitis C Trust when they found out the Trust is run by patients, for patients. All Star Lanes admired the Trust’s non-corporate, can-do approach to raising awareness and tackling stigma. Most people with hepatitis C in the UK have been stigmatised and discriminated against and almost all feel they have not had enough support. We would like to thank All Star Lanes for helping us support the half a million people in the UK who have hepatitis C. Sadie Frost, who lost her father to hepatitis C after he was diagnosed late, added “It’s crazy that in this day and age people with hep C still face so much stigma and discrimination – it’s treatable and getting tested is easy, it’s just that people are scared or embarrassed or they don’t know they’re at risk”. Only about 20% of people who have hepatitis C in the UK have been diagnosed. Hepatitis C is the blood borne virus you hear little about, though it now kills more people in the UK than HIV. Government awareness campaigns have been low key despite the huge numbers affected and the low diagnosis rates. Many people will only find out too late when they already have end stage liver disease or cancer. Attending the lunch will be a number of patients keen to tell their stories, many heartbreaking and all inspiring (see below). Some will be meeting other people with hepatitis C for the first time, illustrating what an isolating illness this can be, but also how important it is to be able to speak openly and freely about an often life-threatening, and always life-changing, disease. For further information please contact Leila Reid on 020 7089 6209
Notes for editors: Press Call / Photograph opportunity at All Star Lanes Bayswater, 6 Porchester Gardens London W2 4DB from 12.30pm on Monday 6th December Hep C Trust Printed Wardrobe Star T-shirt designs attached; online shop: www.hepctrust.org.uk/celebdesigns
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