Hello, we are
Coming soon to Brighton.
A safe and inspiring place for the LGBTQ+ community and their friends.
Pull up a chair and make yourself at home…
A centre for our community in the heart of Brighton
From Anne Lister to Oscar Wilde, Brighton has been a draw to queer people for well over 200 years. And while some only pop down for the odd weekend, many more of us have fallen in love with the place so much that we have moved here for good. So many, in fact, that Brighton now has the highest proportion of LGBTQ+ households in the whole of the UK.[1]
Which is why we thought it was about time our community had its own centre. And why we’ve put together this website – to let as many people as possible know about this exciting new project. You can help by sharing this link on social media or by joining our growing band of volunteers.
- Brighton & Hove City Snapshot: Report of Statistics 2014 (PDF). Corporate Policy and Research Team at Brighton & Hove City Council. p. 20. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
Conor Pope – Unsplash.com
The Ledward Centre – in Jubilee Square
Named after James Ledward, one of the city’s most prominent supporters of LGBTQ+ rights, this new and exciting space will be a lasting tribute to his memory and the huge contribution he made to our entire community.
From the building itself – light, modern and accessible – to the services and cultural activities for which it will be home – The Ledward Centre will live and breathe the values that make the full spectrum of Brighton’s LGBTQ+ communities so confident, vibrant and proud.
Haydn Golden – Unsplash.com
What’s available and what’s planned
Welcoming – Even before we open, we want to invite you in. No matter what your ability or life-experience, you can join our growing number of volunteers right now.
Informative – Plus, there’s already links on here to organisations and charities who provide help and resources for people within our communities.
Supportive and Helpful – As soon as possible we’re planning to open a pop-up café where we can get together in a calm and safe environment.
Inclusive and Diverse – And once we’re up and running, we’ll have:
- Community café
- LGBTQ+ bookshop
- Exhibition space
- Meeting room & cinema
- Classrooms
- Offices for Scene Magazine
- Community radio station
And so much has been achieved already:
The Ledward Centre will be managed and run by a new charity called The Brighton LGBTQ Community Centre CIO. We are awaiting registration with The Charity Commission.
Many hands make light work
Of course, how quickly we can fulfil our plans for the Ledward Centre depends on you. To join our growing band of enthusiastic volunteers from across our communities, please click here for more information.
Watch this space…
Like all of us, the Ledward Centre is a work in progress.
- Read our latest blog posts to find out what our volunteers are working on.
- Find out more about our funders.
- Let us know what you might want from your LGBTQ+ Centre in our Community Consultation Survey.
- Help us spread the word about the Ledward Centre by sharing us on social media.
Latest blog posts
Open for business (and pleasure) - [Average reading time: 4 minutes.] It’s been quite busy at The Ledward Centre this Autumn. While we are still finalising the lease - the relaxation of the lockdown restrictions has meant that we have been able to host a few more events. So we thought we’d give you an update of what we’ve been up to...
Step by step, putting it together… - [Average reading time: 3 minutes] Over the last couple of months we have been busy planning and obtaining quotations for the conversion of the building. We recognised that the architect’s original drawings, while extremely good, would prove too costly. We redrew the plans to ensure better use of the limited funding available. What we did not want to do was to compromise on the needs identified by our communities when we commence construction. We had to find a way around some major cost items.
Meeting All Our Community Needs - [Average reading time: 8 minutes] In 2018, two significant reports were published, one by the National LGBT Survey and the other by Stonewall. These demonstrate that LGBTQ+ communities experience disproportionate levels of loneliness, social isolation, mental health issues, domestic abuse, suicide, homelessness, physical health issues, poverty, food poverty, hate crime and discrimination.
The Ledward Centre building: A Volunteer’s perspective - [Average reading time: 4 minutes] As I stood inside the building looking out, I noticed most people walked straight past without even noticing us. Occasionally someone would look in, possibly because the door was open for a change. The empty shell that is to become The Ledward Centre currently looks fairly unremarkable, but it soon became clear to me that will most definitely change.