David Solly – Founder of TVPS

 An Interview with Positive Pete our TVPS blogger!

 In April 2014 I travelled down to Cornwall for a respite break at the KPS Trebullom Respite Centre.  It was there that I met David Solly, a legend in UK HIV support campaigning, who was not only involved in the establishment of TVPS, but also of the KPS Trebullom Respite Centre in Cornwall, where he is the volunteer manager.

 Although, not in the best of health, and suffering terribly from Peripheral Neuropathy – the curse of being long-termed diagnosed – he agreed to be interviewed for the TVPS 30th Anniversary publication.  The interview went something like this:

 David, tell me about your background, what’s your story?
Well, I was born in London in 1956, adopted in 1957, and brought up by my adopted mother (Irene) and father (Harry).  Irene was a great support to me after my father died, and when TVPS was set up she was the first volunteer cook at the Burnham Centre (Slough).  She died in 2011.

 I went to primary school in South London, before we moved to Bracknell in Berkshire in 1969.  I attended secondary school there, leaving in 1974.  I then worked for a marine company who specialised in making a certain type of steering wheel for boats.  When the owner died the company was wound up and we were all made redundant.

 I then got a job with Racal Electronics, working in their Publicity Department, ending up as a Designer of Exhibition Stands, Reception areas and in charge of corporate signage for buildings and their large fleet of vehicles.  Vodafone was originally a part of the Racal Group, and I got to travel the world over a 20 year period, designing and setting up company receptions and corporate signage and exhibitions.  I travelled to the Americas, Europe, Russia, China, Japan, India, Pakistan and Iraq before the Gulf War and the Middle East including North Africa.

 My work was rewarding and I was generally quite happy during the 1980’s, living with my partner Roger Davenport.  I remember first becoming aware of HIV/Aids in 1983 when I saw a Horizon programme on TV, “The Killer in the Village”.  This was a report from the USA and initially I was dismissive about it ever becoming a major health problem in the UK.

 However, in 1985 Roger came home one day looking devastated.  He had taken one of the first Aids tests and had been told he was HTVLIII-positive (the original name for HIV).  I was shocked and started to worry about my own condition.  Did I have it?  I didn’t pluck up the courage to take the test until the following year- 1986.  My worst fears were confirmed.  After that Roger threw himself into HIV/Aids research and set up an HIV Awareness and Support Group.  Roger and I separated after 8 years and I found a new partner, who was also HIV+.

 In 1991 my partner, John, died of an Aids related condition, and I was made redundant from work in 1992.  I believe this was a consequence of them finding out about the reason for his death and were worried that I might have Aids too.  I challenged them on the real reason for my being made redundant.  Although they did not admit openly to it, they did increase my redundancy payment marginally, just to get me out the door.  I accepted and left without a fuss. I subsequently met Kevin and we lived together for 3 years, before he also sadly died of an Aids related condition in 1995.

 Despite knowing my status, I did nothing about monitoring my condition, almost living in denial for many years after.  In fact, I only started treatment in 2001, and have suffered terribly with peripheral neuropathy for the last 5 years and have had PCP on two occasions, now taking a high dosage of strong pain killers in an attempt to manage the pain.

 Tell me about how TVPS came into being?
1985 saw the start of the journey which has now led to 30 years of continuous HIV/Aids awareness and support work in the Thames Valley area.  The Reading Area Aids Support Group, set up in 1985, set into motion what has today become known as TVPS.  They provided a telephone help line called AIDSLINE, hardship funding, and a buddy (befriender) support system.  At the time they were established there were only a few HIV+ clients.

In 1987 Roger called a meeting at a pub in Windsor, ‘The Noah's Ark’, to set up the Aids Support Group (Slough/Windsor).  Then in January 1988, Roger and I met with the Reading Area Aids Support Group, represented by a volunteer called Mary Mantell, and a couple of other volunteers.  As a result of this meeting a new group was established – Reading Body Positive – later to become Thames Valley Body Positive.  Reading Body Positive was based on the model of the UK’s first support group – Body Positive - set up in London in 1985.

 Around 1993 there was talk of merging the various support groups into one.  Mary Mantell of Reading Body Positive contacted Roger and together they set up Thames Valley Body Positive (TVBP) which was the fore-runner to TVPS.  Sadly, Roger died in 1993, and I continued to help with the formation of TVPS as a way to honour his memory.  The rationale for merging was to make it easier to source funding and to provide more effective support services for those with HIV throughout the Thames Valley.

 In 1993 TVBP took out a lease on a house on the Bath Road, between Slough and Burnham, which continues to be the base for TVPS today.  In 1994 TVBP, The Aids Support Group (Slough/Windsor) and West Berkshire Aids Support Group merged to form Thames Valley Positive Support (TVPS). 

 Our first paid worker for TVBP was Mary Mantell, the volunteer supporter from Reading Area AIDS support group (RAAGS) who helped set up Reading Body Positive that became Thames Valley Body Positive (TVBP).  After she left it was Richard Hawkes, who went on to become a Social Worker for Reading Council.  We also employed a part-time worker called Angela.  Both Richard and Angela went from our office in Slough (109a Windsor Road) to the Burnham Centre in 1994 when TVBP took on the house in which TVPS still resides.  After the merger with The AIDS Support Group (Slough/Windsor) their paid worker Janet joined Richard and Angela.