A new memorial quilt paying tribute to the UK's first named person to die of AIDS-related illnesses has been revealed at The Festival of Quilts in Birmingham's NEC – four decades on from his death.

When Terrence Higgins (known as Terry) died at London's St Thomas' Hospital on 4 July 1982, his death sparked the creation of a charity in his name that would alter the course of the HIV epidemic and save countless lives.

As part of a year's worth of celebration to mark 40 years since its namesake's death and incredible legacy, Terrence Higgins Trust has worked with The Quilters' Guild to create a brand new eight-panel memorial quilt.

The project to create the Terry Higgins Memorial Quilt has been overseen by the charity's co-founders Rupert Whitaker (who was Terry's partner) and Martyn Butler, as well as Terry's close friends Linda Payan and Maxine Saunders, who worked closely with talented quilters from across the UK.

The quilt includes eight panels celebrating different aspects of his character, including as a Welshman, gay man and his time in the Royal Navy. 

The quilt is made up of eight different panels (image via Terrence Higgins Trust)

While two of the panels explore his working life as a Hansard reporter in Parliament by day and his evenings spent as a barman and DJ in London's Heaven nightclub.   

The final panel was made by service users, volunteers and staff from Terrence Higgins Trust to celebrate the huge progress made in the fight against HIV in the last 40 years. 

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It features in blue stitching the stigma-busting message 'Can't Pass It On', meaning that someone living with HIV and on effective treatment can't pass it on to partners.

Each panel contains part of the heart motif which features in the charity's logo – shared by Heaven nightclub where Terry collapsed and taken to hospital with an unknown illness back in 1982. When joined together, the heart is visible as a tribute to the love, compassion and care that has been integral to the HIV response – in the face of fear, hysteria and discrimination when activists and charities were left to fight for action, progress and people's lives.

One of the creatives behind the project was Kenilworth's Clive Bruder who runs a group encouraging young men to sew.

"It feels special to be part of Terrence's life in this way," he told BBC Midlands Today.