This panel (left) is a tribute from Rupert Whitaker OBE to his partner Terry and contains memories of their time together.
Rupert is co-founder of Terrence Higgins Trust and has been living with HIV for over 40 years.
Rupert, who worked with quilter Paula Doyle, said: ‘This panel contains images of some of the most meaningful things connected with Terry: my favourite photo of him; his letters to me at university; some song titles we used to dance to in Heaven; the clock he gave me for Christmas and the note he put in the back of it (which always makes me smile); my grandmother’s cottage in Boscastle where we stayed in the autumn and made crumble from freshly picked blackberries, and where, the following summer, I scattered his ashes in the Valency river nearby.
‘It contains a sad, but beautiful, set of memories that bring him right back to me. I’m so grateful for the kindness and artistry of Paula, the quilter.’
This panel (right) represents Terry’s time working at Parliament for Hansard (the official report of all Parliamentary debates) in the 1970s and includes quotes from people that worked with Terry.
‘He was one of the team that typed copy for us,’ remembers former Hansard editor Ian Church. ‘To describe him as effervescent would be something of an understatement. He was a very lively colleague and, as I recall, very popular – a bit of a Welsh whirlwind.’
John Parker, who worked as a House reporter, recalls that he ‘typed like the wind’, helping him and the editorial team to meet tight deadlines.
The Times New Roman typeface in green represents the bound volumes used for House of Commons reports. Big Ben, Hansard and the CPSA (Civil and Public Services Association – the union representing civil servants, where Terry was an active member) logos are also featured.
The panel was produced by Portia Dadley, Hannah Minns and Anna Murray from Hansard, using textiles donated by colleagues at Hansard, bringing together the fabric that makes this panel. The panel was skilfully sewn together by Pat Cave from The Quilters’ Guild.
Read the Hansard blog remembering Terry.
Quilting by Pat Cave.
This panel represents Terry’s social life and time at Heaven, the nightclub which played a central role in London’s gay nightlife, and where Terry worked as a DJ.
The panel contains the titles of many of Terry’s favourite songs from that era which have been selected by Martyn Butler and Rupert Whitaker.
Tracks include remixes of Do You Wanna Funk? by Patrick Cowley and Sylvester, and I Feel Love by Donna Summer.
Listen to The Spirit of Heaven playlist on Spotify.
The panel was produced by Jo Riou from The Quilters’ Guild and features different luminescent textiles to recreate nightclub lighting, which reflect when they catch the light.
This panel features 40 messages of inspiration and hope from volunteers, service users and staff of Terrence Higgins Trust, past and present.
This includes a large heart featuring the game-changing U=U message, which means that we can now say definitively that people living with HIV and on effective treatment can’t pass it on to their partners.
The panel was designed by Paul Bray and Jim Fielder at Terrence Higgins Trust and produced by Geraldine Edgington, Sarah Ashford and Merrill Tanton from The Quilters’ Guild.
A group of enthusiastic young people from The Guild (Region 13) also embroidered some of the hearts featured on this panel, including words like power, love and care, which have been and continue to be so central to the fight against HIV.
View larger version of the quilt image
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