The Charter Mark

Hello and welcome everybody - Drew here!

Well Winter is on its way and I’m starting to plan this Years awards ceremony for the Navajo Charter Mark 2011. We already have lots of new organisations and projects engaging with the scheme it what will be a bumper year for Charter Marks!  The event will be taking place on the 25th of November at the Lantern Centre in Preston.

Here at Navajo we really want to encourage more Charter Mark holding organisations to get involved in the actual running of the project, whether by joining the Navajo Consultative Partnership or by becoming a Navajo Ambassador and helping with the assessment and monitoring process, hosting events and meetings, contributing some funds for publicity, or helping to widen the provision of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans awareness training to organisations throughout Lancashire.

So, whether you’re an organisation that has been heavily involved over the years or one that actually forgot for a while that it held the Charter Mark (!) you are most welcome to contact me to find out how you can support us.

2010 saw an increase in the uptake of the Charter Mark swelling the number of organisations engaging in the scheme to 131.

New organisations for 2011 includePreston Domestic Violence Services, U.R Potential Blackpool, P.C.C Training and Development, P.C.C Communications
Victim Support Lancashire, Bay 6 Project (Barnados), Andrew Doyle Solicitors, Lancashire NHS Trust, Registration Services Preston, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, The Richmond Fellowship, Littledale Hall Drug and Alcohol Threaputic Rehabilitation Unit, Maundy Relief Counselling Service, Out in the Bay LGBT Group, Nelson Library, Burnley Library, Haslingden Library, Ormskirk Library, Penwortham Library, Great Harwood Library, Clayton Green Library

We would like to extend a warm welcome and best wishes to them all.

Lancashire LGBT Centre Group

Since its inception in 1999 the former ‘Preston Lesbian and Gay Centre Group’ has gradually evolved and was formally constituted in 2009 with a Board of Trustees then renamed ‘The Lancashire LGBT Centre Group’(LLGBTCG) in order to include the Transgender community and accurately represent that the membership and the work of the Group was becoming increasingly Lancashire wide.

The Centre Group is now working closely with a number of partners to secure funding and build capacity in order to achieve the Groups objectives to promote and develop social, economic, cultural and community activity through working with voluntary groups, partnerships and public authorities.

Based on the values of inclusion and equality the Centre Group will strive to be innovative and creative in order to engage, empower and inspire people become involved within the LGBT community, and to challenge homophobia, biphobia and transphobia whenever and wherever it arises.

The Centre Group’s ultimate aim is to raise funds for a Lancashire LGBT Centre – a safe space in Lancashire where members of the LGBT community can come together to celebrate, learn, share information and support individuals, facilitate events that raise awareness around LGBT issues and celebrate LGBT peoples rich history and culture.

During this years celebrations for LGBT History Month the LLGBT Centre group were given a shop unit inside the entrance of Preston’s Guild Hall Theatre to provide a ‘Pop Up’ LGBT Centre

It was a first for Lancashire and a very proud moment for everybody involved—however as a group they are constantly looking for continuing support along the road to successfully launching a permanent site for the LGBT centre in the future.

The Navajo Charter Mark itself is currently FREE but should you wish as an organisation to make a charitable donation or organise a fund raising event for the group it would be very welcome.
 

For more information on how you can become involved in the Lancashire LGBT Centre Group, find out about LGBT events and activities or other LGBT Groups in you area please visit
 

www.lancashirelgbt.co.uk