London LGBTQ+ Community Centre

by London LGBTQ+ Community Centre in London, England, United Kingdom

We did it
On 13th June 2018 we successfully raised £102,541 with 2193 supporters in 56 days

Help us support countless LGBTQ+ people across the capital and beyond by setting up an LGBTQ+ Community Centre in East London.

by London LGBTQ+ Community Centre in London, England, United Kingdom

 New stretch target

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New stretch target

Firstly, thank you. 

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated, shared and supported this project. The London LGBTQ+ Community Centre has taken a huge step forward into opening its doors by hitting our target, and we couldn’t have done that without all of you. 

Every donation, whether £1 or £1000+, is going to change the lives of LGBTQ+ people today and for generations to come. Your generosity means the world, and we really mean that. History is being made. 

With your help, we have managed, thanks to you, to reach our £50k target with six days to go. That’s 144 hours, to be precise. 

Because of your incredible support, particularly in the last couple of days as the clock ticked on, we’ve decided to extend our target. We could never have dreamed of doing this weeks ago. 

It’s a huge task, and one we aren’t taking on lightly. We know how generous our nearly 1,500 supporters we have have already been, and we know how much of your time, energy and cash you have already given. 

But, we wouldn’t be setting out to stretch our target if we didn’t think it was possible, and, more importantly, it’ll take us a whole lot closer to making London’s LGBTQ+ Community Centre a reality. Here’s why:

As it says on our Crowdfunder page, we have estimated we need £100,000 in the bank to fit out a 4,000 Square Foot space. Initially, we intended on raising half of that money from this crowdfund, and the other half from grants, trusts and individual donors. But, here’s the thing: we’d much rather be approaching funds, trusts, City Hall and councils to help us provide support and services in the Centre, to employ staff, and to provide for our community. 

Those income streams are much better suited to helping us carry out our work once we open, and we can then ask for regular support. 

We didn’t think that it would be possible for us to do it this way, but thanks to you, it looks like we can. 

This means in the next few months we can focus on continuing to learn from and with every member of our community, to make a centre that is for everyone. When we approach those major donors and trusts, we know already we’ll be able to open our doors. 

We’ve also been busy working hard behind the scenes holding fundraising events, which means we had about £8,000 in our bank account yesterday. And then today, something magical happened - a generous donor transferred us £16,000. More on that soon. 

So here’s where we are. In the next 144 hours, we want to do what just a few weeks ago seemed impossible. We want to finish this Crowdfunder with £100,000. To get there, we’re going to stretch our target to £75,000. That’s half again of what we have raised, in just six days. We’ve raised over £12k in the last three days alone - so if we keep up this amazing momentum together we can make this happen. 

We cannot tell you how excited and grateful we are to have got this far already. The support this project has received - both in donations and love - has confirmed just how needed the London LGBTQ+ Community Centre truly is. With your help, by stretching our target, we’re going to get a whole lot closer. 

And don’t worry, if we don’t hit our stretch target, we don’t lose everything that has already been raised. 

Thank you so much for your support. Let’s do this, together. 

London LGBTQ+ Community Centre x


The word ‘community’ is hard to define. For some, it’s a common geography, a shared history or passion that brings a group of people together. For LGBTQ+ folks, it’s who we are. For us, community, can be a lifeline. 

We’ve come a long way since homosexuality was partially decriminalised 50 years ago, but the fight for equality doesn’t stop there. Because of the tireless work of activists and campaigning groups over decades, we’re finally, boldly, out of the closet. But now, in 2018 and standing on the shoulders of giants, we want to come out of the shadows too. 

Our community, like every other, deserves a space that’s safe and secure to lay down roots. 

Our Vision for the LGBTQ+ Community Centre

The Centre will be a completely accessible, multi-purpose space, run by and for LGBTQ+ people. It will be open from morning until night for use by individuals and campaigning groups. 

The Centre will serve as a cafe employing LGBTQ+ people looking for work, a meeting point, a workspace and a social centre. We aim to create an information hub with research capabilities and a sign-posting service for those seeking support to discover the brilliant charities and organisations who specialise in LGBTQ+ specific service provision. Each year, three full-time positions will be created, for a programmer, fundraiser and marketing lead for the Centre - providing invaluable training and opportunities to LGBTQ+ people. 

In just six months the Centre project has already engaged with hundreds of people through meetings, events and online, and we’ve garnered the support of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Mayor of Hackney, MPs in the local area, business owners, community groups, charities, health practitioners and the press. 

Our growing team of volunteers have a wide variety of backgrounds - and we’re using our skills, expertise and experience to drive this project forward. 

Our Fundraising Goal 

Our goal is to raise £50,000 through our crowdfunding campaign from our incredible, international, intersectional community to get this project off the ground. This will help us reach the £100,000 we need in the bank to get moving on acquiring and kitting out our 4,000 SqFt space. We have already raised over £5,000 from small fundraising events to get us on our way. 

Our business plan sets out our income and expenditure and how we’ll sustain ourselves. 

Our Team

We are group of volunteers from the LGBTQ+ community. There are hundreds of us involved, all with unique skills and expertise, from communications and fundraising experts and community organisers to healthcare professionals, artists, performers and business people. 

We hold monthly open meetings where plans are made and new volunteers can get involved, while our six working groups have responsibility for different areas of our work. These are  Press and Media , Events, Fundraising, Governance and Finance, Community Outreach and Decision Maker Relations. Each has experts in the field involved, but also those looking to learn new skills. And, they're always growing - it's never too late to get involved. 

The Space

Cafe and workspace - 1000 SqFt

The cafe and workspace will be the entry point and hub of the Centre, providing a safe and welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ people. The cafe will provide affordable, healthy food to visitors, with regular pay-as-you-can events for those unable to afford meals. Unlike in commercial premises, efforts will be made to ensure visitors do not feel obliged to purchase food or drink to use the space, and the room will be equipped for co-working and socialising. 

Event space - 1000 SqFt

This multipurpose space will host events, groups and activities for the community. This would include LGBTQ+ friendly exercise classes, group therapy sessions, rehearsals, AA and NA meetings and other community-led activities. The Centre will also programme cultural events in this space, be that exhibitions, performances, discussions, screenings or talks. 

Toilet facilities - 400 SqFt

Gender neutral toilet and shower facilities, for volunteers, staff and visitors to access. 

Advice and clinical rooms - 2 x 200 SqFoot 2 x 100 SqFt

In addition to the main spaces, needs have been identified for private meeting spaces within the centre. These would accommodate affordable counselling sessions, sexual health checkups and testing, the provision of individual advice and support on a range of issues and smaller meeting spaces. 

Office space - 300 SqFt

On a day-to-day basis, the centre will be operated by a combination of staff, volunteers and third-party organisations delivering services. This space will operate as a flexible, administrative hub. 

Outdoor space

An outdoor space has been identified as important, to be used both as a social space and community garden for growing produce and horticultural therapy.

Together, we can redefine community and write our own history, so please give what you can. 

Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£5 or more

Thank you.

For some, £5 might not seem much, but for us, £5 means the world. Thank you for donating.

£10 or more

Thank you.

If you can afford to give £10, we'd be eternally grateful. Thank you.

£20 or more

Email from the team

For pledging £20, our team will send you a personalised thank you email to let you know how much your donation means to us.

£50 or more

Personalised progress updates and social shoutout

For pledging £50, you will receive all of the above. Additionally, we'll shout out about your donation on social media, so please let us know your social media handles when you donate. We will also send you personalised emails to keep you up to date with the status of the project.

£100 or more

Celebrate with us

For pledging £100, you will receive all of the above. Additionally, we'd love to invite you to the opening of the Centre. You will be able to speak to volunteers about the project and plans for the centre and celebrate with us.

£500 or more

Friend of the Centre

Have your name listed as a Friend of the Centre. When doors open, a wall of supporters will take pride of place in the main space. Make yours part of it! It would mean the world. Of course, you also get all of the above.

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