Take Care Campaign

The Take Care campaign began in 1989 in response to the high rate of HIV infection in Edinburgh and the Lothians, affecting mainly young heterosexual people. The campaign was intended to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS amongst all members of the community and involved advertising, events and education. Although the campaign recognised that there were particular ‘at risk groups’ vulnerable to HIV transmission, such as intravenous-drug users, it aimed to avoid stigmatising particular groups or behaviours, and instead emphasised that HIV was an issue for everyone. The campaign took a very direct, explicate and vibrant approach to get its message across. Straight-to-the-point promotion of safe sex was disseminated which stressed that everyone should ‘take care of themselves and encourage others to take care’. This ground-breaking, and at times controversial, awareness raising campaign was jointly launched by Lothian Health Board (LHB) and Lothian Regional Council (LRC.)

The collection is varied, both in terms of content and materials. It includes operational, administrative and project files; educational resources and promotional material including leaflets, posters, display boards, t-shirts, badges, balloons and condoms; newspapers; and audio/visual materials. The campaign also collected material from related organisations and projects illustrative of similar initiatives both in the UK and abroad. This collection thoroughly documents the entire campaign and includes a wealth of publicity material, an impressive reminder of the visual aspect of the response to HIV and AIDS. The collection was transferred to LHSA in 1999 directly from NHS Lothian. Where no title was given for an item or file, one has been estimated (in square brackets.)