A coalition of politicians, charities, private companies, and the general public has managed to save the only inpatient HIV centre of its kind from closure, its CEO has told BuzzFeed News.

"I feel really relieved and really optimistic," said Simon Dowe, who runs the Sussex Beacon.



The Beacon, which was built on the outskirts of Brighton 25 years ago at the height of the AIDS crisis, offers both a suite of hospital beds in private rooms and a range of day-patient services for people living with HIV, many of whom have complex health conditions.

But as BuzzFeed News reported last month, with cuts to funding earlier this year – in particular from the NHS – the centre's future was in doubt. The specialist facility, which looks after people as they are dying as well as providing support to those with an array of HIV-related illnesses, was also operating against a backdrop of 28% cuts to HIV services across England.

The outcry over the threat to the Beacon, however, sparked a series of offers both locally and nationally to help save it.

An online petition was launched, signed by more than 10,000 people, many of them local residents, along with a huge response on social media and a series of money-making initiatives, according to the CEO, including sponsored events.

"Generally our target population are quite poor, so we don't get a lot of one-off donations," said Dowe. "But there’s been a lot of community fundraising going on, which is brilliant: people doing things in bars, putting £5 in a bucket. We went to a cabaret night that was put on for the Beacon last night."