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During the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s, we discovered that not all heroes wore capes. Some wore nurses’ uniforms, some wielded floorcloths, some waved placards. And some simply listened. Come to St Stephen’s Church in Robin Hood’s Bay on Saturday 28 November 2026 at 7 pm to hear their stories and listen to music from the 1980s from musicians from North Yorkshire and beyond.=====
The 1980s was a decade of all kinds of music, from Pink Floyd to Jive Bunny, and Ah-ha to Yazz and the Plastic Population. There were monumental world events and divisive politics. We saw the beginning of the World Wide Web and the end of the Berlin Wall. Shoulder pads got higher, stilettos got whiter and hair got bigger.
But behind all this change, there was a crisis growing. In 1981, the medical journal The Lancet reported the first case of a disease without a name. By the end of the decade, hundreds were dead. Mostly young. Mostly male. Mostly gay.
And we discovered that not all heroes wore capes. Some wore nurses’ uniforms, lab coats or aprons. Some wielded floorcloths or placards. And some simply listened.
Suzanne Elvidge’s book Dancing in Heaven celebrates their voices. Come along to St Stephen’s Church in Robin Hood’s Bay on Saturday 28 November 2026 at 7 pm to honour World AIDS Day, listen to the stories read by Anna Parker, Alethea Estill, Suzanne James, Margaret Urwin, Kenzie Greenwood, Sue Hawkins and Suzanne Elvidge, and hear the music of the 1980s from The Marigolds, Alison Eve, Eve & the Garden, Dee B, Karen Dyson, Anna Parker, George Husband, Scarborough Soft Singers, Union Jill and Rob Parker.
Entrance by donation, with money raised going to the National AIDS Trust and Switchboard.
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Event venue
St Stephen's Church, Robin Hood's Bay, 5 Thorpe Lane, Whitby, YO22 4RN, United Kingdom
Tickets
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