Crusaid

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CRUSAID was a British charity that provided financial assistance during the AIDs epidemic to institutions and to people suffering from HIV/AIDs. In 1996, the charity had close to £11million in assets

Founded in Chelsea in 1986, CRUSAID was absorbed into the Terrence Higgins Trust in 2011.

CRUSAID supporters included the Princess Alexandra, the Duchess of York, Princess Margaret and Diana, Princess of Wales. CRUSAID managed many high profile performance events in London that included prominent actors, musicians, dancers and theatre producers. CRUSAID also started charitable walks and other events throughout the country for the general population.

Description[]

From the outset, a major element of CRUSAID's financial giving centred around the Individual Hardship Fund. This Fund made individual grants to AIDs sufferers. Requests included being rehoused, buying a washing machine to help manage night sweats or diarrhoea, receiving a travel grant to assist with a hospice stay. The CRUSAID grants were tailored to the needs of the individual.

Recommendations for patient requests were required from a Social Worker, Doctor or Nurse and grant requests were received from all over the country. In time the Individual Hardship Fund was consolidated with a similar fund operated by the Terrence Higgins Trust to be managed by CRUSAID. The Fund later received annual contributions from the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Sainsbury Trust.

Using their management of events, CRUSAID was able to build a database of donors that reached 25,000 names by 1986. They used this large database to pioneer the use of direct mail solicitations for charity in the United Kingdom. The success of this approach was very much in evidence when CRUSAID launched a campaign to co-fund an HIV research centre. The appeal set up a regular donor base that CRUSAID used for many years.

History[]

In December 1985, a group of friends were dining together. A topic of discussion was a recent fundraising event to buy a dishwasher so that HIV ward at St Stephen's Hospital in Chelsea. The purpose was to replace paper plates and plastic knives and forks with proper crockery and utensils. The staff were afraid of cross-contamination with HIV. The friends were also discussing the awakening community response in the United States to the epidemic. Later, in 1986, one of the attendees revealed that he had tested positive for HIV and challenged his friends to do something.

In June 1986 CRUSAID was launched at a reception at Leighton House in London with over 60 people attending. CRUSAID started in David Macfarlane and Geoffrey Henning's flat. In 1987 CRUSAID obtained a grant for three years of funding from The Monument Trust to employ a member of staff and rent an office. In 1988, Michael Watson was appointed chairman, a post he would hold for almost eight years. Soon after this he appointed Henning as Director.

The initial CRUSAID mailing, with an invitation to the reception and announcing the launch, met with a very sympathetic response, and income in the first year exceeded £100,000. Freddie Kobler attended the launch and offered £500,000 if a suitable project could be found. Discussions were initiated with a number of UK hospitals. The Kensington and Chelsea Hospital offered the first day-care centre in the United Kingdom for the treatment of HIV, and CRUSAID funded it.

In 1990, CRUSAID started its annual Walk for Life, with thousands of people walking through London. In 1991 walks were held in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Windsor, with proceeds going to local AIDs projects.

Gilbert and George sold 25 paintings at the Anthony d’Offay Gallery and donated over £500,000 for HIV-related projects. Support from West End theatre producers led to the selling of tickets for sold-out shows to people happy to match the ticket price (paid to the theatre) with a donation to the charity.

Watson retired as chair after eight years and was succeeded by Lord Eatwell. Henning retired as director in December 1996 and was succeeded by James Deutsch, who was in the post for about five years.

The CRUSAID board soon decided that the organisation could not handle the cost of organising more high-profile events. They decided to forgo them unless a sponsor could be found. However, this move did lower the public profile of CRUSAID. Some said that it also slowed public discussion of HIV/AIDS.

By 2007 advances in medicine meant fewer demands on the individual hardship fund, and research was being prioritised and commercialised. The role for niche fundraising was diminishing. In 2011 the CRUSAID board voted to merge the charity with Terrence Higgins Trust.

Supporters[]

CRUSAID was supported by several members of the British Royal Family. The Princess Alexandra attended the premiere of the film A Handful of Dust. The Duchess of York launched the Susan Sontag Book, The Way We Live Now and attended the Christies Art Auction in aid of CRUSAID and the Aids Crisis Trust. The Princess Margaret attended Royal Academy private viewings of the Monet and Frans Hals Exhibitions plus a preview performance of Anything Goes with Elaine Page.

The Princess of Wales attended the opening of the CRUSAID Centre at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and Bethany Hospice in Cornwall. The Princess also attended the House of Commons reception hosted by Emma Nicholson MP. At the invitation of her cousin, the Countess of Dalkeith, the Princess attended a reception and auction in the National Gallery of Scotland. She then outbid her cousin for a painting.

Other CRUSAID supporters included the Countess of Dalkeith, Sir Christopher Booth, Sir Louis Blom-Cooper, Baroness Lane Fox, Baroness Nicholson, Baroness Neuberger, Lord Olivier, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Cameron Mackintosh, The Most Rev Richard Holloway, The Most Rev Keith Patrick O’Brien, Lord Nolan, Lord Patten, Lulu, Jonathan Dimbleby and Lady Cameron of Lochbroom (chair of the Scottish office).

Fundraising events[]

Many classical music artists participated in fundraising concerts for CRUSAID at St John's Smith Square in Westminster. They included James Bowman and Emma Kirkby, Dame Margaret Price and Graham Johnson and the 10th anniversary celebration of Les Arts Florissant under William Christie.

In 1987, Henning and David Kernan formulated of idea of actors performing their one-man shows on Sunday for CRUSAID. Sundays at the Playhouse was launched in October 1988. Twelve performances were staged at the Playhouse Theatre. Participants included Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellen, Prunella Scales, Sir Derek Jacobi, and an evening of Stephen Sondheim.

In January, 1989, CRUSAID staged the ballet Romeo and Juliet, in aid of the Royal Opera House and CRUSAID. It was performed by artists from the Royal Ballet, starring Natalia Makarova and Julio Bocca. The evening was attended by the Princess of Wales.

CRUSAID then sponsored Music for Life. a two-day set of music events at the South Bank Centre, . The first day included a boat trip on the Thames River. The first day events included piano recital by Stephen Bishop-Kovacevich; a special concert of Songs and Sonnets conceived by Elijah Moshinsky and an afternoon concert with Dame Evelyn Glennie, Richard Rodney Bennett and the Labèque sisters. The closing Gala Concert included Brigitte Fassbaender, Dame Anne Evans, Dame Felicity Lott, Sir John Tomlinson, Sherrill Milnes, Cynthia Haymon and Sir Willard White, plus members of the chorus of the Royal Opera House, the English National Opera and the Philharmonias.

The second Music for Life featured cameo works devised by Dame Judith Weir and David Jones. The day included a performance of Noye's Fludde, by Benjamin Britain and culminated with the UK premiere of the Broadway musical “9” by Maury Yeston, with singers and actors headed by Jonathan Pryce.

A unique collaboration with members of the West End known as West End Cares created an opportunity for members of different shows to host their own late night events for CRUSAID. This initiative took off thanks to support from Dursley McLinden. The Launch of West End Cares took place at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 1991 in a show compiled by Julia McKenzie with cameo from Bea Arthur and Dame Angela Lansbury. West End Cares started hosting late night performances of shows such as La Cage Aux Folles, Raindogs, and Nine.

Dance for Life, another CRUSAID initiative in 1991 was adproduced by Gillian Lynne at Her Majesty's Theatre, in the presence of the Princess of Wales. It was hosted by Dame Moira Shearer, Christopher Gable and Sir Derek Jacobi, with performances from Sir Anthony Dowell, Alessandra Ferri, Sylvie Guillem, Dame Darcey Bussell, and Julio Bocca.

In 1994, and 1995, CRUSAID and the National AIDS Trust hosted The Princess of Wales, Concert of Hope at the Wembley Arena. Performers in 1994 included K.D. Laing, Mick Hucknell and George Michael. The second year saw Take That perform with LULU.

In 1994 CRUSAID hosted the Tribute to Rudolph Nureyev at the London Coliseum in the presence of The Princess Margaret.