'This service is going to save lives': LGBT+ support group to start counselling sessions

• Video report by Lewis Warner

A group that gives support to LGBT+ people in Cumbria is expanding its services, thanks to new funding. 

Outreach Cumbria has been granted £25,000 from Cumbria Community Foundation in order to set up a counselling service. 

Research from before the pandemic, carried out by Outreach, appears to show the need for a specific service like this in Cumbria.Out of almost 100 responses, 71% of LGBT people reported dissatisfaction with existing services and 60% said that they would use a dedicated service.Outreach also spoke to around 100 clinicians in Cumbria and 60% of them said they felt that they'd not been able to fully meet client needs. With 88% believing in the need for a specific counseling service.The organisation aims to start the new service in the coming weeks. They hope more funding will be secured in the future in order to expand the sessions.