British AIDS group honors Elton John

Sir Elton John will receive the Hero Award from a British charity on Wednesday in honor of his fund-raising work for people with HIV/AIDS, reports Reuters. The U.K. Coalition of People Living With HIV and AIDS said that its inaugural award would go to Sir Elton, whose Elton John AIDS Foundation has handed out over $30 million over the course of nearly a decade. John will accept the honor at a gala event in London; guests scheduled to attend include Boy George, Ronan Keating, and fashion designer Matthew Williamson. "With an expected 50% rise in new [HIV] infections [in the United Kingdom] within the next five years, it is important to focus our attention on the lives of those people infected and affected," said John in a statement. "I accept the Hero Award with gratitude but, more importantly, in the acknowledgement of the 30,000 [HIV-]positive people here in the U.K. today."