A ‘SANCTUARY’ that has supported people living with HIV in Oxfordshire will close its doors at the end of the week.

The Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), based in East Oxford, had been fighting for its survival after funding was cut as part of Oxfordshire County Council’s adult social care budget savings last year.

On the brink of closure in March 2016, the trust was thrown a lifeline when Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) stepped in and gave £149,000 to keep it running for another year.

But now all funding avenues have dried up and the charity will close its Rectory Road doors at the end of this week, with staff offering online support until the service formally ends on April 30.

Part-time film and performing arts lecturer Rory Kilalea said THT had been a sanctuary for him when his partner died three and a half years ago.

The 55-year-old, who has been living with HIV for 15 years, said: “Like many others in my generation who are living with HIV, I do get affected by loneliness.

“They were my support system, I knew they cared and would be there to help me if things got difficult.”

Nearly 500 people live with HIV in Oxfordshire and the region has some of the highest rates of late diagnosis, 50.8 per cent were diagnosed once the virus had already started to damage the immune system.

Mr Kilalea added: “Because of cuts to councils and NHS, mainstream services have become impersonal and you can feel like a number.

“I see stigma all the time, I still get an odd reaction from a dentist and places like that when I say I have HIV.

“There’s a pause, and then they always make more of an effort in plastic gloves. Nothing is said, but the pause, the feeling of discrimination is there."

The Oxford centre, which has supported residents for more than 20 years, would run 90 support sessions per quarter and also do outreach work, promoting safer sex and advice on contraception.

Oxford Centre Manager Mara Ranieri Davey said she was concerned about the wellbeing of people living and at risk of HIV in the county.

She said: “The advice and counselling services are a lifeline for people living with HIV, many of whom are facing immense financial and emotional hardship.

“We know many of our service users would be concerned about using a mainstream service while HIV is still such a stigmatised and misunderstood condition.

“It is short sighted to lose HIV prevention services as these protect people from a stigmatised and lifelong condition."

Support is still available through mainstream services and the THT will also offer online counselling through MyHIV online support service and its free confidential helpline THT Direct. Visit www.tht.org.uk/myhiv

CCG spokeswoman Sue Boyce said there were other services in the county which support people living with HIV.

She said: "Because of significant advances in treatment, HIV has moved into a more chronic long term condition which can be managed by mainstream healthcare and public health services."