Bristol Pride Community Fund

This project enabled a group of 10 young people to plan and deliver a youth pride event - supported by Off The Record staff and volunteers. With this fund, young people were able to purchase the necessary resources and pay performers to create the space and the activities of their choice. The event also included guest speakers giving workshops on LGBT+ topics and local drag performances.

This project enabled JIGSAW Thornbury to invest in a wide range of LGBT+ resources that were essential written resources for their lending library. These resources are available for all of their members to access and borrow that they may not be able to otherwise access due to cost or specialty. They also proved to be useful for discussion events in safe environments.

With over 20 books purchased, all of these new resources are available through their online library, for over 1000 members to browse.

The grant funding enabled Kiki Bristol to put on the event ‘To read: A night of black queer literature’, selling a total of 137 tickets and supporting 4 artists to showcase their creative practice. The fund supported Kiki to build a holistic experience for the black and brown queer community in Bristol and beyond.

The funding allowed this group to have their first set of physical visuals for the Rainbow Service event which were then used again at Bristol Pride, the march, and the community tent. Creating this funding allowed Christians at Bristol Pride to send a positive message that counteract other negative Christian beliefs.

This year was the first year CBP have achieved an attendance with more than 100 people and claim this is due to a more cohesive and appealing visual as a group - helping further support LGBT+ Christians who usually would not come to pride due to previous trauma.

The project ’Reclaiming Narratives’ aimed to use art as a tool to empower the Chinese community in Bristol and help heal the trauma they have experienced as a minority. The Community funding supported the second stage of this project, which focused on creative writing and zine-making, providing marginalised individuals with a platform to tell their stories. Ultimately, the funding has seen a vibrant and growing LGBTQ+ Chinese community established in Bristol and created a safe space where people feel comfortable sharing their stories and emotions. This initiative was carried out by Queer China UK and QueerPatch.

The funding from Bristol Pride allowed the team at Friends of Somerdale Educate Together to add to the diversity of books available in their library, helping depict different family types. They were chosen to align with the school's value of "no child an outsider" and the UNICEF Gold Rights Respecting School status. These LGBT+ Library books are available in the library for children to browse or borrow to take home, and are going to be used as a focus for other Pride events during Pride month.

The funding supported subsidised places on the Queer Hiking Peak District Weekender, offering 3 nights for walkers on low incomes. It was the first time the group has done 3 nights, and it was also the most popular yet in terms of places selling out in just 5 mins!

This funding assisted Queer China UK in completing the "Reclaiming Narratives: Healing and Empowerment for Chinese-speaking LGBTQ+ Communities" project. The goal was to tackle the pervasive sense of trauma within the Chinese LGBTQ+ community in Bristol and work towards empowering and healing individuals, allowing them to reclaim a sense of normalcy in their lives. Over the past few months, Queer China UK has successfully organised two workshops as part of this initiative.

The first event was the Sharing Salon, facilitated by Jing, the project coordinator from Queer China UK. The second workshop, the Dancing and Performance Workshop, was led by dancing and performance artist Yin, encouraging participants to use balloons, brushes, and touch to establish connections with one another.

The funding was granted for the daycare’s LGBT+ Visibility training which was offered free of charge to volunteers, playworkers, and childcare staff in the Bristol.

The course focused on the diverse nature of families and how important it is to make sure everyone is represented. Our discussions focus on same sex families, with the principles being relevant to all family types as well as other areas of diversity and equality. The course was attended by 14 people and helped trainees reflect on assumptions and use of language, explore how to talk about different families and a signpost resources to promote the diverse nature of families and challenge stereotyping. 79% felt it would have a huge impact on their practice.

This Book Reading event hosted the authors of a groundbreaking book that focuses on the UK HIV epidemic, and within that reflects on the HIV experience of African communities through individual stories rather than HIV statistics.

It is the first book to specifically do that, and has been made possible through the contributions of five Black African women living with HIV and residing in the UK. In this book, they share their experiences and the reflections of many more people like them, and together with their allies, they hope the world never forgets what they went through, what they did, and how they lived, fighting for their survival as HIV and the stigma related to it threatened their lives.

The purpose of the Black Excellence Cabaret was to get together the LGBT+ Black and those mixed with Afro/Caribbean heritage to connect and perform. The cabaret was created to address issues of Racism within the Queer Cabaret scene, showcase the talent that is available by Black and POC people, and create a network of support.

The Community Fund was able to support with rehearsal space hire, venue hire, and travel expenses.

Breakthrough is a charity for adult survivors of trauma and abuse across the South West. This team provides specialist therapy, group therapy, support and wellbeing services; a crisis helpline for service-users; befriending; and mental health courses.

The Community Fund enabled free places for LGBT+ individuals on an 8-week course for survivors of trauma and abuse offering specific support for individuals looking to work through past trauma and lead a more fulfilling life.

Individuals were also able to join a therapy group after the programme for ongoing support, and work with a project support worker to address and practical areas of difficulty such as housing, finances & budgeting, social isolation, job retention, addiction work, deed polls, accessibility, etc.

Bussy Patrol was funded to put on the show 'Trans/Form', an exploration of trans+ experiences through the lens of the human body. The funds allowed the team to host three runs of the show at Strange Brew, as part of the Bristol Pride calendar,

Funding also contributed to hiring a specialist lighting engineer for the show.

Through the Community Fund, Evergreen Primary Academy were able to purchase a range of LGBT+ inclusive resources for teachers and staff including books highlighting diversity and inclusivity, lanyards, and flags.

Yate Academy applied to the Community Fund and were successfully able to implement high quality staff training about challenging homophobia as well as supporting LGBT+ young people. The grant funding also allowed for inclusive books to be purchased alongside Role model visits to the school.

The Hong Kong Film Festival UK were able to screen the film 'LAN YU' (2001) in a Bristol, accompanied by a post-screening talk with a speaker from the LGBT+ community, with knowledge in Chinese LGBT+ scene.

The Community Fund helped Elmfield School in providing resources, time and training to staff involved in developing and supporting this group. The funding also allowed the group to develop ways to share the deaf queer identity and raise awareness of the Deaf Community within the wider LGBTQ community.

Trans Pride Southwest will be using the funding to support their 2023 programme of events in November, ensuring we can continue to offer a range of events for the community. Our initial ideas for our 2023 programme include our regular annual Community Day, Protest and March, Afterparty, Comedy night, and Poetry Night, as well as some new ideas including youth events, sober coffee afternoons, an alternative gig, an open mic night, and sports events.

Members of their staff team who belong to the LGBTQI+ community ran activities. They were keen to be part of Pride and the idea of running these sessions came from them.

The farm ran four, two hour long, sessions across the two sites. These were aimed to be for adults, who were welcome to bring their children along. Two of the sessions focussed on growing, run by the gardening team. Two other sessions focussed on animal care, run by the farming team. Participants had a tour of our farm animals, which include cows, pigs, goats, sheep and chickens. Participants had the chance to feed the animals and top up the hay racks. For the brave, there was even the chance to muck out!

This was a community outreach project that fostered understanding and relationships within the LGBTQ+ community, by exploring the effect of Section 28. It brought together different generations within the queer community: those who have lived with section 28 and those today who have very different experiences, bridging the gap of our very recent history.

Conversations and interactions from the tea party style event were recorded and developed into a podcast, made available to the public through all major audio platforms.

These funds will allowed for a day of rest and retreat for the trans and non-binary community. Held at the accessible, private, Boiling Wells setting, a small woodland valley just 3 minutes walk from St Werburghs farm in Bristol, this outdoor gathering was an offering for trans and non-binary people to rest and connect with nature and each other around the fireside. Activities during the day included drawing, lino printing, archery, a reflective writing invitation around the fire, a shared lunch and space and time to rest in each other’s company.

This project offered a platform for Chinese LGBTQ+ in Bristol to join together and establish community cohesiveness through zine making, to get to know and support for each other. At the event, each participant was able to make a zine detailing their life story, how they found their gender identity, and how this identify impacts their lives in Bristol.

Secondly, the project presented the life stories of Chinese LGBTQ+ individuals in Bristol through photography and oral history. Jing, as a photographer, combined
photographs and writing to capture the tales of Chinese LGBTQ+ in Bristol, as well as explored how Bristol's culture impacts the community. The participants' zines, photos, and written works will be displayed in an LGBTQ+-friendly location.

Phoenix Song Project is a Bristol-based music therapy organisation by and for trans and nonbinary people. These groups were facilitated by a committee member-worker trained in therapeutic songwriting, who is also a member of the local trans and nonbinary communities. The groups offered a supportive space for self-expression and community support.

Phoenix Song project groups provide a space for trans and nonbinary people to experience and develop their creativity, especially musically, in an explicitly inclusive setting, with peers who share some understanding of what other group members may have gone through.

An interactive panel event with spoken word held at Kuumba Centre, St Paul’s. We encouraged and supported first time panellists to share lived experience of intersectionality; looking at the intersect of LGBTQ+ and disabled people.

This event celebrated queer social dancing, enabling new and experienced LGBTQ+ dancers to access activities and make new connections. The goal was to increase the visibility of queer social dancing in Bristol and provide a foundation for future development work.
It was also important that the event is affordable for everyone regardless of income, so part of the funding enabled concessionary tickets for people on low incomes.

LGBT+ Faces of Bristol aims to represent and empower the LGBTQ+ community in Bristol, by hosting photographic portraits on their website, as well as sharing across social media. Bristol Pride Community Fund enabled the printing and framing of portraits that toured various venues around Bristol including the Tobacco Factory, Bristol Pride’s Art Trail and the Grain Barge.

Let's Walk are an ethnically diverse led walking group providing sessions in Central and East Bristol, empowering and motivating people who may be new to the activity.
Bristol Pride Community Fund funded a free taster session of Nordic walking. Held during Pride week, the session was aimed at the LGBTQ+ community to encourage people to be physically active and try a new sport.

PrideCAF is a one day event that showcases LGBTQ+ comic artists and zine creators. Comics and zines have played a vital role in the past in spreading information to the community where they are usually censored. PrideCAF gives the vibrant, independent community of creators a spotlight to show their work. The aim of the event is to provide free entry for people of all ages to explore, connect and engage with LGBTQ+ comic and zine creators.

Bristol Pride Community Fund enabled PrideCAF to pay the travel expenses for special guests who have extensive knowledge of working as independent comic creators as well as being part of the LGBTQIA+ community. The fund also helped with table hire, refreshments and promotional material meaning more people were able to take part.

Breakthrough is a charity for adult survivors of trauma and abuse across the South West. 1-in-5 people experience trauma (childhood abuse, accidents, domestic violence, sexual assault) during their lifetime. This team provides specialist therapy, group therapy, support and wellbeing services; a crisis helpline for service-users; befriending; and mental health courses.
The Community Fund enabled free places for LGBT+ individuals on a 10-week mental health skills course helping groups of up to 12 survivors of trauma understand the impact of trauma on the mind and body, and develop skills to help their mental health, relationships, recovery, and coping strategies both now and in future life.

“I found this group to be so informative and helpful, helping me feel better able to handle life basically” - START participant

Bristol Pride Community Fund supported a large public event at Ashton Court at the end of September, involving performances from acclaimed Bristol-based artists Saili Katebe, Asmaa Jama and Tom Marshman, as well as a takeover of the music room, with plants and atmospheric lighting. They were also able to hire a professional photographer to record the evening. The group were also able to put on free transport to reach over 20 people who would not have been able to access the event otherwise.

“The fund made a huge difference. It allowed us to get the event off the ground, enhance our reach through the partnership with Bristol Pride, and fund the performers, who are majority working-class, LGBTQ+ and Global Majority background. “ - Jack Young

Through the show and archive workshop, Tom invited the audience to reflect on their own support networks, the strong bonds that can come from oppression, and bring other work and that of the archives to a wider queer audience. Bristol Pride Community Fund ensured that the performance and accompanying workshop could happen after a previously unsuccessful Arts Council application.

“The fund provided essential funds to help make the show a reality… Many audience members connected with the show on a very emotional level, which was heartening to see as it is such a personal story that touches on grief, friendship, queerness, loneliness, and mental illness.” - Nia Evans, Producer

St Bonaventure’s School in Bishopston was awarded £500 to purchase books that represent as wide a range of identities, by buying over 50 books recommended for children to explore our diverse communities in an age-appropriate way.

Each class chooses a book as part of their Power of Reading topic for the term, responding to the children’s experiences and backgrounds and integrating the learning across all subjects. The school’s library will also showcase a special section as a toolbox for children to read more about diversity as they wish to.