A LEADING LGBTQIA+ charity today unveils a major transformation to encapsulate the additional support services it provides across a larger geographical area.
To coincide with the conclusion of Pride Month, Northumberland Pride has announced it will now be known as Pride Action North.
The change of name is intended to better communicate the high volume of services the charity provides for members of the LGBTQIA+ community throughout the North of England.
Northumberland Pride was established by volunteers in 2017 to organise an annual celebration event for the people of the county, and has grown significantly over the years.
The charity now employs eight members of staff to cater for the increased demand for its specialist support and advocacy in areas such as youth work, hate crime, domestic violence and mental health and wellbeing.
Changing its name to Pride Action North signifies just one part of the transformation, as the organisation has unveiled new branding, mission statement and values too. A new website is currently under development.
Darren Irvine-Duffy, the charity’s chair, said: “The development of the charity has been quite phenomenal when I reflect on the early days of wanting to bring a Pride event to the people of Northumberland so they didn’t have to travel to a city.
“There’s been a very natural transition to an organisation which provides holistic support and meaningful services to ensure every member of our growing community feels accepted for who they are and safe in every environment.
“The rebranding is the biggest moment in our history, and we are very excited to be operating under a new name as we continue to increase our presence and support communities throughout the North.
“As the name suggests, we are an organisation which takes action as we strive towards making the region a safer, more inclusive and accepting place for everybody to live, particularly members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“We have invested endless hours of time and effort in engaging with a cross section of service users, stakeholders and staff through various focus groups to gauge their views of what our organisation means to them and we are thrilled with the outcome of the extensive rebranding project.
“Operating as Pride Action North will open more doors to provide additional services, and these are extremely exciting times for our charity, our partner organisations and all our members.”
The rebrand comes at a time of significant expansion for Pride Action North which has recently appointed its first charity manager and extended its reach through dedicated link workers to support LGBTQIA+ people.
Among the services the charity provides are a range of community and youth work such as one to one support, counselling, youth and adult group sessions, mental health and wellbeing support, domestic and sexual violence and abuse support, hate crime support and engagement with schools.
It also runs a number of training and development programmes focusing on inclusivity, advocacy, awareness raising and partnership working and collaboration.
Charity manager Angela Brudenell said: “Pride Action North carries out such meaningful and vital work in its quest to remove discrimination in all its forms, and delivers an equitable service which meets the needs of everyone within our communities.
“Allowing as many people to access our services, and receive support and guidance, is of great importance to us as an organisation, and we have strengthened our team and facilities to accommodate an increase in referrals to our services.”
A new website to support Pride Action North’s new identity is currently under construction, and will include more details on the organisation and its services. Go to www.prideactionnorth.org.uk for more.
