The Department of Health (DH) funds voluntary sector organisations to undertake community based HIV prevention work targeting the groups most at risk of HIV in this country.

For gay men, the group most affected by HIV in England, the Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) co-ordinate the Community HIV and AIDS Prevention Strategy (CHAPS). This is a research and evidence based collaborative project between THT and a number of regional community based groups, in towns and cities (London, Manchester, Birmingham, Brighton, Leeds and Bristol) with some of the highest incidence of HIV amongst gay men. THT's HIV prevention resources have been copied and used across Europe and in parts of the US and Australia. The DH funded CHAPS model of HIV prevention for gay men has been held up internationally as a model of collaborative working between community based organisations, between the voluntary sector and Government and between researchers and practitioners. For further information visit the THT website at www.tht.org.uk.