Ian McKellen, Michael Cashman, Anne Reid and More to Celebrate 25 Years of the Ian Charleson Day Centre, 25 Nov

Hosted by Julian Clary, with an introduction by Ian McKellen, the evening of song, speech and music to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Ian Charleson Day Centre at the Royal Free Hospital will include performances by Michael Cashman, Anne Reid and Stefan Bednarczyk, the X Factor's Anton Stephans, mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, actor Jack Lowden and the London Gay Men's Choir.

Speakers will be Nick Partridge, Laurence Isaacson and Sean Mathias. A SOURCE OF LIFE -- 25 YEARS OF THE IAN CHARLESON DAY CENTRE will be in front of an invited audience at St Paul's Church (the Actors' Church) in London's Covent Garden on Wednesday 25 November.

The event is to celebrate the Ian Charleson Day Centre's exceptional work over the years and the difference that has made to the lives of so many people. Not only does the Centre help support patients in north London with HIV, but it also links with the UCL Institute of Immunity and Transplantation to be a global hub for medical centre with the ultimate goal of finding a cure.

In 1989, Professor Margaret Johnson launched the UK's first open access HIV service at the Royal Free Hospital. It was named the Ian Charleson Day Centre in 1990, after the death of one its patients, the late Ian Charleson. Ian was an actor admired and loved by critics, audiences and his fellow actors. His roles included Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire and Hamlet at the National Theatre.

The Ian Charleson Day Centre (ICDC) treats HIV positive people from a diverse range of backgrounds and cultures. Even though there's still no HIV cure, HIV has become a treatable condition that can be managed throughout a patient's lifetime using antiretroviral drugs and other HIV treatments. It is important to diagnose and treat HIV early and continually for the best results. ICDC provides sensitive, non-judgemental HIV testing, counselling and treatment for people affected by this life-changing condition. The Centre can be contacted on 020 7830 2051.