In July, clients and volunteers from our LGBTQ+ Project proudly marched, along with the rest of Nottingham, in support of this years Notts Pride Parade.
For some, this was their first Pride Parade, and experiencing with them the swell of acceptance from the crowd was an emotional moment and a real privilege. We also helped to raise awareness of our work at our busy Pride Market Stall. It was a very joyful day.
The day before Pride we visited the ‘Under the Rainbow’ exhibition at the Broadway Cinema. This was organised by The Sparrow’s Nest Library and Archive with support from ‘Peoples’ Histreh’. It was a great opportunity to show our clients the history of the Nottingham LGBTQ+ community; a community they are now a welcome part of.
The exhibition featured last year’s Pride Parade and we were thrilled to see a photo of one of our clients proudly holding up our rainbow logo. This will now be held in the historical archive, cementing our client’s place in local LGBTQ+ history.
Finally, last week we visited Nottingham Castle and were lucky enough to get a guided tour from the curatorial team who showed us the permanent collection of art from an LGBTQ+ perspective. It was a joy to see the clients engaging with the world of art in a way that reflected their own identities and it was certainly an enjoyable and educational day for all.
We have had some very positive feedback after these events.
“Under this flag we are all one”
“It was beautiful day. I had a good time”
“I really enjoyed the session, it allowed me to be inspired by art and I now want to start drawing more. I’m not often in the right “space” and don’t get the opportunity to explore art, including exhibitions, very often”
