About Pride in Ely
Pride in Ely CIO is a charitable group founded with the aim of promoting awareness, education and creating safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community in Ely. We are led by our trustees, a committee of volunteers who manage the charity and organise our events and outreach. We are a not-for-profit organisation and 100% of any revenue or donations we receive is ploughed back into our charitable aims.
Our official charitable objects (which can also be viewed here) are as follows:
To promote equality and diversity by the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity by:
- Providing support services for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and other sexualities and identities (LGBTQ+)
- Advancing education to improve the understanding of LGBTQ+ people
- Organising support meetings and events exclusively for LGBTQ+ people
- Organising inclusive events to encourage the acceptance of all people regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity
Our Activities
One of the most visible activities of any Pride organisation is Pride day itself. This varyingly takes the form of parades, festivals, celebrations and parties all generally open to the public, creating a safe space for LGBTQ+ people and the wider public and helping to raise awareness and visibility in the process.
Pride in Ely is now in its third year, having hosted two successful Pride day events. Pride in Ely, Cambridgeshire 2018 was our inaugural event which took place in Jubilee Gardens, in Ely, Cambridgeshire. This was followed in 2019 by another very successful event which, despite gale force winds and a last minute move into The Maltings at Ely’s riverside, was even more successful. These events have helped to raise awareness and provided an opportunity for vulnerable people to explore their sexuality in a safe, family-friendly environment. Importantly they have also allowed members of the public to come and learn about LGBTQ+ issues and culture but also to socialise, celebrate and interact in an LGBTQ+ safe environment.
For many of the non-LGBTQ+ people who attend our events, their exposure to LGBTQ+ people and lifestyles will have been limited to media stereotypes and sadly also as a result of societal intolerance. The usualising effect of these safe and fun interactions is a critical part of our education outreach.
In addition to our Pride day events, we also organise and co-host a range of other activities. These range from quiz nights to school talks, public seminars and more. We have plans to increase our reach and range of activities, including exploring a Queer Film Festival, guest speakers and more besides. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic we’ve also explored new ways to build and reach the LGBTQ+ community on-line.
Another area of our work involves liaising with local schools, community groups, churches and local authority bodies such as councils and uniformed services. We aim to represent and educate, as well as building links and relations with these various bodies. This helps to foster inclusivity, to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ rights and equality issues and also to promote greater community cohesion, through shared working and understanding.
If you’d like to get involved with events and activities, please sign up to our Newsletter. If you’d like to volunteer to help or offer your services in any way, please visit the Support Us page – we’d love to hear from you!