Spectrum Inclusion is helping raise awareness of the LGBTQIA+ community in the East Lancashire area, with specific groups for Rossendale and Darwen currently. We are creating a safe place for people to find information on how to support people within the LGBTQIA+ community. We offer training to community groups, volunteers and others to ensure that LGBTQIA+ community members’ needs are met appropriately and sensitively, and to promote cohesion with the wider communities. The training is informal workshop-style question and answer training, helping to raise awareness of the issues facing the LGBTQIA + community, answer any questions people have but may not of had a space to ask, and promote and encourage discussions to further learning. This is one of only a few organisations in East Lancashire, and although there are LGBTQIA+ organisations in Lancashire as a whole, these are patchy and not always easily accessible for more rural communities.

We also offer social meetups, family drop ins (for parents/carers/guardians of LGBTQIA+ young people, parents who themselves are just coming out as LGBTQIA+, and people who have been abandoned by their families or don’t have a supportive family), 1-2-1 peer mentor support, advocacy, and we will also be holding out first Pride event this summer.

One of our main current projects is the Spectrum Lantern Campaign, which involves identifying local venues and community groups as safe, friendly LGBTQIA+ places. This is done by delivering a short awareness training session and identifying venues/groups with a unique window decal and logo for emails and social media. They receive a resource folder, which also contains a commitment to reporting and tackling hate crime. We also have an incident report for anyone who doesn’t have a safe/friendly expericene and we will review each venue/group 12 months after the training date.

A project we will be starting soon will be to offer specific school support for LGBTQIA+ students, which will involve training staff and offering ongoing support as well as 1-2-1 sessions for students.

1. All LGBT+ Communities