Leeds LGBTQ+ Community Consortium

Working collaboratively to improve the lives of LGBT+ people

Leeds LGBTQ+ Community Consortium is working with partners to reduce social isolation amongst older, unwell, disabled or otherwise restricted members of the LGBTQ+ communities. We aim to improve health and wellbeing by providing inter-generational activities, events and information to enable LGBTQ+ people to develop new interests and become more connected.

About LLCC

In 2020 when Covid 19 lockdown increased the isolation of LGBTQ+ people who were restricted to their homes due to age, illness or disability, who maybe had no family close by, or no family at all, and may have experienced antagonism from neighbours, the Sage Advisory Group, LGBT+ Women’s Space, Out Together (previously Friends of Dorothy)  and Pride of Place Leeds Ltd decided to join together to form a consortium to try and enhance provision and jointly address this social isolation.

During Covid 19 lockdown all groups went online and increased their contact time, gradually returning to face-to-face meetings and reducing their sessions again once all the pandemic restrictions were lifted and their users felt safe to go out and about.

Sage has since closed but the Sage Men’s Group for over 50s GBT+ men continues to meet and run an email list and there is still a Sage WhatsApp Group. They are now entirely volunteer run and not constituted.

LGBT+ Women’s Space is also entirely volunteer-run with no regular funding. They now meet monthly and have a WhatsApp Group.

Out Together, is a charity established in 2020 and continues to organise regular meetups, meals and outings.

Pride of Place Leeds Space Committee could not pursue the development of the LGBTQ Cultural & Community Arts Space due to charitable funding being re-directed to Covid needs, so initiated this coming together of agencies working with older LGBTQ+ people. It is now actively attempting to obtain funding and open a temporary space for the LGBTQ+ people of Leeds.

The Consortium quickly became established at the beginning of 2021 contracting the services of a Cool Co-Ordinator to organise online events. TransLeeds, Fresh Grass Roots Rainbow Community, and The Alphabet Collective have since joined the Consortium and it now provides a mixture of online and in-person events, continuing to enhance the lives of isolated LGBTQ+ people in Leeds and beyond.

The Consortium was successful in obtaining funding from Metro, Leeds Older Peoples Forum, Leeds Community Foundation, Arnold Clark Community Fund, Consortium LGBT+, Hey Heighbours and the National Lottery Community Fund so is excited to offer a programme of online and in-person events.