Liverpool’s oldest LGBTQ+ charity has been remembering the life of Bob Silcock this past week.
The “Merseyside legend” and “local treasure” was a founding member of the Merseyside AIDS Helpline - one of the organisations that went on to form Sahir House. The charity said Mr Silcock was instrumental in helping reduce the stigma around HIV.
Mr Silcock died last month at the age of 92. His funeral is set to take place at the start of March at Liverpool Parish Church Our Lady's St Nicolas, Pier Head, which is said to have been “his spiritual home for many years”.
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Sahir House’s Kath Charters and Gillian Clothworth knew Mr Silcock personally and said he will be remembered for his “campaigning and advocacy work reducing HIV stigma and addressing health and social inequalities experienced by the LGBTQ+ community”.
They told the ECHO: “We really valued his time and his knowledge of the city’s LGBTQI+ networks and agencies. Bob had a wealth of experience so valuable for our work which he would generously share.
"He had a great sense of humour and was often mischievously bringing lightness to some heavy times. Many folks will miss the warm welcome he afforded to all who came through our doors.”
Amongst many other charities and organisations he volunteered for, Mr Silcock also volunteered for Sahir House. He began his volunteering work with the charitable organisation in 1995 up until last year.
Part of Mr Silcock’s volunteering role was as a receptionist which would involve welcoming people to appointments, training and events alongside answering calls. He would also staff stalls, attend events and support campaigns. The role came naturally to Mr Silcock as “he was a great people person and enjoyed the engagement with partners and public alike”.
Mr Silcock initially volunteered for the Merseyside AIDS Support group as a buddy and helpline volunteer and was "instrumental in setting up the first helpline for people living with HIV" (PLWHIV) and the community which was known as Mersey AIDS line in the mid-1980s.
His actions were in “response to the isolation, fear and stigma of HIV/AIDS that prevailed at the time which was causing great anxiety among gay men, their family and friends”.
Kath Charters, the Wirral's HIV lead for Sahir House, said: “Bob and his peers wanted to provide emotional support and a listening ear for people who were diagnosed with AIDS, and for their partners and family.
"This was so very necessary at the time when people had no information other than they had been diagnosed with a terminal disease which they may have had for a while and the knowledge that they were going to die.
“They were host to a virus which was causing severe symptoms that were impacting their ability to work, live independently and be loved and loving to their partners, family and friends. It is difficult now to imagine the terror they might have been feeling.
"Partners and family were left in their bereavement feeling frightened and isolated because of the stigma surrounding the virus and the lack of knowledge at the time around transmission routes.
“To have someone on the end of a phoneline who would listen without prejudice and judgement maybe having lived experience of the trauma you were undergoing, was of great comfort and got many folks through difficult long nights caring for their loved one.”
Kath, who lives in the city centre, recalls Mr Silcock as a “knowledgeable, caring and creative” individual, but it was his “endless patience” and “understanding” nature which stood out.
She added: “His campaigning and passion for equality for the LGBTQI+ community was inspiring. Having lived through times when being homosexual was considered a crime, this was a key area that informed his ongoing commitment to ending stigma and discrimination for those affected by and living with HIV.
“He always kept abreast of current issues and campaigns regularly attending updates and being involved with other groups. He spent time forging links and building networks for the betterment of all services.”
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