Save the Open Table Network: Invest in belonging
Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
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Aim
LGBTQIA+ inclusive faith communities across the UK could lose their national support network. Open Table needs £16,000 by December.
'It's the only place I don't have to explain myself.'
That's how one Open Table member describes what this community means to them.
For 18 years, Open Table has built places where LGBTQIA+ people of faith can belong without hiding or apologising.
Right now, we need your help to make sure those places survive.
The reality
Views that make LGBTQIA+ people feel 'less than' are being voiced with increasing boldness, and it's becoming harder - especially for our trans and non-binary siblings - to find spaces that feel safe.
That climate has hit our finances directly. As a national network that is proudly, unconditionally trans-inclusive, we're operating in the toughest funding landscape we've known.
Our multi-year infrastructure funding ended in March, and we've since been turned down for two major trust grants.
The photograph above was taken during the 18th birthday celebration of the first Open Table community, in Liverpool, where the network began. What began as one small gathering in Liverpool has grown into a network of nearly 40 communities across England and Wales, with more communities seeking to join this year.
We've spent 18 years catching people who fall through the gaps. Now the national network has fallen through a funding gap of its own.
We need:
- £8,000 by September to get through the autumn
- a further £8,000 by December to secure our future.
Our reserves are nearly exhausted.
This appeal replaces our usual Big Give Christmas Challenge - we can't afford to wait until then. If we don't raise the funds we need now, the Open Table Network charity will be forced to close.
Please support us today.
What your money funds
Local Open Table communities can't survive without the national network behind them. Your donation funds our small national team, which:
- helps new communities get started, so more people can find a safe space near them
- supports local leaders with training, mentoring, and coordination
- connects people across the network, breaking the isolation so many LGBTQIA+ Christians feel.
Without this, existing communities become vulnerable the moment things change, and there's no support to help new Open Tables get off the ground.
Lives changed
New independent research into Open Table's impact found:
- 84% of members said taking part has 'very much' or 'extremely' reduced their feelings of isolation
- 87% said an LGBTQIA+ affirming faith space was very or extremely important to them
- 94% say Open Table has directly improved their wellbeing
'It is a safe place where I am not "on my guard".'
Behind every number is a person who no longer has to choose between their faith and who they are.
Your donation protects their place at the table.
Your action
Every penny given is a vote for a safer, more inclusive future - an act of resistance against rising hostility, and a statement of solidarity with LGBTQIA+ Christians who deserve to know they are loved unconditionally.
Your donation will help us keep the table open.
You can also:
- Share this with your network. Even one share can put Open Table in front of someone who's been looking for exactly this kind of space.
- Pray for us, our leaders, and every community we support.
Thank you for investing in a safer future together.
Kieran Bohan, Director, Open Table Network
If you'd like to find out more about the Open Table Network and the impact we have, here are two recent stories:
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 7th September 2026 at 12:00pm