The King's Award

This highly committed and hard-working group began its work as an influencer in the local community over 13 years ago.  From those early beginnings working with the local police force to address Hate Crime and isolation of minority groups within the community, it has grown in stature and reputation to now be considered a major player representing the LGBTQI+ community locally in all walks of life.  Formally established in 2016 it has developed a multi-faceted approach to address the issues faced by LGBTQI+ people across the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, raising their profile whilst at the same time changing perceptions.

Today, it is firmly embedded, operating on two levels; firstly it plans and implements large borough wide events to engage with the wider community in order to change perceptions and the way the LGBTQI+ community is regarded. Secondly, they position themselves where they are able to make significant inroads on issues which specifically affect LGBTQI+ people in the areas of health, where there is a recognised disproportionate impact due to smoking, drinking and cancer; the Care setting, the Arts, social setting and the provision of advice and support to young people amongst others.

Their members want to be treated as ordinary people and not face barriers when accessing services and at the same time they want the LGBTQI+ community to be more visible because when there is more visibility, hopefully there is more understanding, more tolerance and more acceptance.

Given the challenges that they face, the sometimes difficult dialogue and perhaps social stigma which may surround the issues, it’s clear that addressing them takes resilience, fortitude and courage which is in abundance across the group members.  In a relatively short space of time the group has developed an outstanding reputation at all levels across Bury which is rarely seen.  In the words of one of their partners, “Our town is relatively small and because they reach out to all community groups to get involved their events are always part of the fabric of our community which in turn creates “ally-ship”.  The LGBTQI+ community is part of what makes us Bury and the rich diversity of culture that we share”.

The group works tirelessly to tackle inequality, sometimes in the face of threats and violence and champions the rights of individuals to reclaim their freedoms which are often denied.  Good communication is one of their strengths, reaching the whole community, all ages, in all areas and supporting people whatever their needs.

The group is very focused and has a clear direction, and clear objectives.  They are particularly adept at identifying the needs of the LGBTQI+ community by asking the right questions and ‘listening’ to the responses.  They are good at sharing their expertise with other community organisations and able to offer training and advice to address specific issues

The impact on local people has been very significant both at an individual level and across the wider community. In the last 13 years, the visibility of the LGBTQI+ community across the borough has increased significantly and safe spaces have been created for their members irrespective of age or interest and there is no doubt that the work of the forum will continue to place the LGBTI+ matters at the heart of the community.

The passion and dedication of the existing volunteers, and indeed those who came before them, is abundantly clear when seen at first hand.  

Despite the challenges they have had to face, and indeed still do, they are undaunted and continue to be an inspiration for others.