Amanda: Widow of Andrew, who died as a young adult.

The Haemophilia Society were an absolute dead loss as far as I'm concerned. I think they were diabolical. In fact, after Andrew died, I had a lot of nightmares and one of them, I do remember, involved the Haemophilia Society and me standing on a soap box somewhere in London complaining about the Haemophilia Society, how awful they were and how they hadn't supported us. And the Haemophilia Society I think should've been making the MacFarlane Trust work better, they should've been championing the cause of their members, and also should've been doing a lot more with government to highlight the issues. It seemed to me as if they did very little.

Caroline M: Wife of Mick, who was also interviewed.

I started working at Birmingham Body Positive, and it was just great. I have to say, it was the first time that I could be open about it. Really the gay community in Birmingham just kind of opened their arms to us, and told us loads of things around, 'Well you should be getting this benefit, and you can get this help, and do you know you're entitled to get this support?' It was really, really good. And again to meet other people who were in a similar position to me, you know, not people with haemophilia who have got the partner, but partners of just positive people. It was really, really good time, really good time. It really felt like we were accepted, and looked after.

David and Sue: Parents of Robert, who is living with haemophilia and HIV.

DAVID: Yes, we do a lot of counsel speak and a lot of talking, we are exceptionally honest.
SUE: But the thing for you and me, our generation, when we were brought up we didn't have 'feelings'.
DAVID: No.
SUE: You weren't allowed.
DAVID: No.
SUE: And so when the counsellor said to me, 'How do you feel?' I said, 'Well, what do you mean?'
DAVID: Yes, yes, that's a point. I said to you, in the last three or four years I have been more emotional than I ever have previously and it's the result of counselling and finding out all sorts of things, or not finding out, saying the words of them.

David and Sue: Parents of Robert, who is living with haemophilia and HIV.

DAVID: I remember going to a meeting there [Haemophilia Society] and I felt oh God, it's like the First World War! The Generals sitting there [laughing] in their house a long way from the line, saying "Do this! Do that! Do the other" and there was, in the case of Birchgrove, they were the people there who were sort of wiping the sick out of other people's mouths...

Ian and Jean: Parents of Peter who died as a young adult.

IAN: If a thing can be strengthened, it's strengthened, you don't know what would've been, how you would've got on if you hadn't got some sort of faith, could you?
JEAN: I don't know who it was said, 'Do you think you'll need counselling?' I think that might've been someone at the church.
IAN: Well this counselling business is a sort of modern thing. We used to say, if you've been through a war or what have you, you haven't got time to be counselled! You just went on. I mean in most cases family can look after one another and you've got the clergy and you've got people you can appeal to, but it's a bit overdone sometimes. Counselling's a modern term, isn't it, really?
JEAN: I would then add that we were with Dr Frank at the time and had spoken to him. He was very, very easy to talk to and we told him quite early on about Peter. Most, most understanding, most sympathetic doctor.

Janet: Mother of Stuart.

We didn't get very good help at the hospital, because I think the haemophilia sister was off ill for quite a long time and the consultant seemed not to be available. I should think there was quite a period of them being stress-related, off work.

Norma: Mother of Catherine, Caroline, John and James. John and James died as young adults.

You just had to get through it. I think that my way of getting through things is just to keep everything going, routine. Which is frightfully boring and probably stupid, but it's the only way I could cope with it. I kept on working, I did clinics, and I kept on working. But I think probably that kept me slightly sane, I don't know.

Pam: Wife of Dennis who died as an adult. She is living with HIV.

I used to go to little meetings. But there again, they were mostly gay. But they were supportive, they were really good. We'd sit and chat and have a tea, and things like that. We used to go out sometimes for a trip, that was all organised. It was a few years ago, so it was nice to be able to sit and chat about it without having to check yourself. But no, on the whole, the groups have been supportive. But of course that's all going out the window now, because people aren't dying. I suppose they're not clinging together so much. Things are better.