The Hepatitis C Trust and partners have successfully completed the World Hepatitis Day 2021 ‘round the world’ challenge with time to spare. The challenge was curated by the Trust and involved staff, volunteers and representatives from partner organisations getting physically active in creative ways to collectively make their way around the equivalent difference to the circumference of the Earth.
The funds raised by donors to the challenge will support the Trust’s volunteer peers with lived experience of hepatitis C, who have been working tirelessly throughout the pandemic to support overall efforts of eliminating hepatitis C. In addition to supporting volunteers, 50% of funds raised will be donated to the mental health charity Mind, in recognition of the impact COVID-19 has had on the mental health and wellbeing of many in our society
The challenge celebrates the 20th anniversary of The Hepatitis C Trust as well as the 10th anniversary of World Hepatitis Day, which is observed every year on the 28th July to raise awareness of viral hepatitis, a blood-borne virus that predominantly infects the cells of the liver. The theme for this year is ’Hepatitis can’t wait’, which signals the urgency of efforts needed to combat hepatitis C. It is estimated that 118,000 people in the UK have hepatitis C, yet over half of those are unaware of their infection. The Hepatitis C Trust’s work involves raising awareness, tackling stigma, supporting people to access testing and treatment, and advocating for better care pathways in support of eliminating hepatitis C as a public health concern within the next few years.
Eliminating hepatitis C is a major task and this can only be achieved through a collective effort to ensure we leave no one behind. The phenomenal success of our challenge was reliant on our volunteers, staff, healthcare partners and the wider community coming together to be a force for change. If you would like to support us achieving the ‘round the world’ World Hepatitis Day 2021 challenge, we encourage you to donate at least £5 using the link below – thank you.
https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/appeal/2021Challenge?fbclid=IwAR2gd-ADX-xJ…