SUNSET Boulevard star Faith Brown teamed up with mayor Chris Kelly to launch red balloons to mark the start of World Aids Day on Saturday.

The balloons, which were released on the steps of Southampton Civic Centre, were intended as a symbol of hope for infected people around the world.

This year, World Aids Day has the theme Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind and aims to tackle a lack of public concern about HIV.

Later, volunteers gave out red ribbons to shoppers in the city centre to increase Aids awareness and remind people that the virus is still a problem.