Gay centre has £80,000 refit
More than 200 people were entertained by stilt walkers and drag queens at the re-launch of Leicester's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender centre.
The Leicester LGBT headquarters, in Wellington Street, in the city centre, has had an £80,000 refit, including new foyer, cafe and social room.
Saturday saw the centre's official reopening, which was given a splash of colour and entertainment via drag queens Miss Marty and Miss Penny, who greeted visitors.
Martyn Parker, organiser of the Leicester Pride parade, said: "We want to get the word out that we're here and that we offer services such as health advice and support for a number of issues."
The social room will host the centre's groups, which include 1st Out – a Thursday night club for teenagers.
Tim Peters, youth worker at the centre, said: "We're a very inclusive club. We say we're the LGBTQ youth group – the Q stands for questioning.
"If there's young people who aren't sure of their sexuality they're very welcome and if they turn round one day and say they're straight were not going to kick them out or anything."
Rainbow and Dove owner James Cockerill provided free food and drink. He said: "The centre provides a lot of support for a lot of people."
The centre, which employs four full-time members of staff, is a registered charity. For details call 0116 254 7412.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender centre is relaunched
A meeting place for Leicester's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community is being relaunched to raise awareness of its services.
The LGBT centre, in Wellington Street, in the city centre, is hosting an event today from 1pm to help raise its profile.
Stilt-walkers and drag queens will be on hand to meet and greet visitors at the newly-refurbished bar and function room at the centre.
Food and drink have been supplied by the Rainbow and Dove pub, in Charles Street.
Martyn Parker, trustee at the centre and chairman of the Leicester Pride festival, said: "Pride has always been well supported, but the centre itself has remained more in the background.
"We're hoping to change that, though, and the event is all about raising the profile.
"We've invited lots of people, including city councillors and city mayor Peter Soulsby, we're expecting a good turnout."
The event runs from 1pm until 6pm.
For more information, visit: www.leicesterlgbtcentre.org
Spectacular show of pride by city's LGBT community
The colourful spectacular that is Leicester Pride saw hundreds of people take to the streets in celebration.
The annual parade began at Orton Square before making its way around the city centre to Victoria Park, where revellers where entertained with a funfair and live entertainment.
The event, which took place last Saturday, also gave various organisations a chance to highlight their services.
For almost 40 years, Leicester Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Centre in Wellington Street, has offered support to and fostered a sense of community among gay people in the city and county.
Centre support officer Dennis Bradley said: "As people come out and discover they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, there is a new group of people that needs to be taught the centre exists.
"Our purpose in being at Pride was to raise awareness that we do have a centre and that people should come and see what they can get from it."
A dozen groups use the centre, including First Out, for younger people aged 13-19; Spectrum, with users aged 20-35; Grey Pride for people aged 50 and over and transgender groups Leicester Chameleon Group and Mixed Agendas.
"The LGBT community makes up about a third of the overall population," said Mr Bradley. "Pride is a good celebration of life of LGBT people here in Leicester, of our progressiveness towards equality and the diversity that exists within the community.
"Pride is a wonderful event that raises awareness to the wider community that we do exist and that we are a large number."
Pride also gave organisations an opportunity to highlight the importance of safe sex and offer advice on sexual health alongside representatives from the Leicestershire Aids Support Service and the HIV and Aids prevention charity Trade.
For more information on the centre, visit: www.llgbc.com
