Posted: 22-Mar-2006 << BACK
GOVERNMENT HEPATITIS C AWARENESS EXHIBITION PICCADILLY GARDENS - MANCHESTER
Friday 31ST March 2006 10.00am - Exhibition continues on Saturday 1st April
Local Manchester resident, Nicky Woolston, will be unveiling a unique display of large-scale photographic portraits of people with hepatitis C from across England in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester, on Friday 31st March at 10.00am. The display, which features Nickys portrait, forms part of the Department of Healths FaCe It hepatitis C awareness campaign.
Media are invited to a photocall at 10.00am in Piccadilly Gardens, where it will be possible to interview Nicky Woolston, who has lived with the disease, a local hepatitis C expert and professional photographer Michele Martinoli whose images are on display and who herself has lived with the virus.
The exhibition debuted in Londons Leicester Square in March last year and marked the launch of the Department of Healths FaCe It hepatitis C public awareness campaign. It then visited Nottingham, Brighton, Bristol, Newcastle, Plymouth, Birmingham, Reading, Sheffield, Leeds and Liverpool. After the Manchester event (running for two days), the photography exhibition will be staged in other major cities across England.
For further information or to set up advance interviews or to receive pictures by email, please contact Chris Duncan or Anna Gardner on 020 7815 3900
Notes to editors
Hepatitis C is recognised as a significant public health problem worldwide. In England, it is estimated that there are approximately 200,000 people chronically infected and the majority of these are probably unaware of their infection. There is currently no vaccine against hepatitis C, so prevention of new infections is particularly important. There are increasingly effective antiviral drug treatments available that have been approved by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). Lifestyle changes, in particular decreasing alcohol intake, can delay the onset of liver disease.
The Hepatitis C Action Plan for England, which sets out a framework of actions to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C, is available on the Department of Health website at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4084521&chk=QBPNen
The exhibition was first displayed in Londons Leicester Square on 16 and 17 March 2005, where it was launched by former member of the Beach Boy, David Marks. David was forced to leave the band in 1999 due to his battles with hepatitis C. He has since cleared the virus through treatment, whilst dedicating his time to raising awareness of hepatitis C across America. David is also available for interview.
The portraits are of people who have lived or are currently living with hepatitis C, produced by photographer Michele Martinoli, herself successfully treated for the virus. Martinoli's work has previously been shown in titles such as The Face, Attitude, AXM, QX, G3, The Times, Sunday Mirror and Time Out.
