LGBT+ Northern Social Group nominated for National Diversity Award

By Kris Jepson

A Newcastle group supporting lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender people has been nominated for a prestigious National Diversity Award.

The LGBT+ Northern Social Group, which hosts charity events, big nights out and smaller events like coffee mornings, has been shortlisted for the Community Organisation Award for LGBT.

Organiser PJ Pearcy told ITV News “We are phenomenally proud. We’re so, so happy about actually even getting a nomination, never mind actually getting through to the finals. It’s going to get us a bit more of a profile out there to be fair. There’s only so much we can do as a group when we’ve got this much time and this much kind of work to do.”

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Created two years ago, the LGBT+ Northern Social Group provides the community with a “safe space” to make new connections.

Organisers told ITV News they saw a huge lack of online social spaces for the community and felt there was a “gap” for people who wanted to make friends without the pressure of it being a purely dating and nightlife scene.

The group have always aimed to be a grassroots, community lead group which helps support social connections

within the community, often raising funds for local charities. The group say they want to enforce the fact that being part of this community is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about.

Since its inception, the group has grown to over 1,250 members, ensuring that they provide events away from the typical LGBTQ+ drinking scene, whilst they enjoy the atmosphere and great nights the scene does provide them, they appreciate that not everyone will enjoy this.

Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

One member, Adam Young, told ITV News, “The North East is a big place and while we’ve got a few big cities there’s a lot of people living out in more rural areas, where I used to live before I moved to Newcastle and that was really the problem, social isolation and not into bars, which is a big part of the scene, then its been hard to find some good friends, so that’s what the group does. It’s got online components so you can always chat with people no matter where you are, if you’re really shy and then there’s other big things and parties and nights out if you’re really a social butterfly and love, love meeting people.”

The full list of finalists for the Community Organisation Award for LGBT at the National Diversity Awards are:

  • Angels of Freedom

  • Sparkle

  • Hidayah

  • LGBT+ Northern Social Group

  • Colours Youth Network

  • OutREACH Cumbria

  • CliniQ

  • Chester Pride