The CommunityBirmingham LGBT Community Trust was set up in 2002, with the aim of reinvigorating the diverse Lesbian and Gay communities in Birmingham. Originally named just Birmingham Pride Trust, reflecting its origins as a breakaway group from Pride with an initial funding donation from profits from the festival. Several of the former Pride organisers had wanted to do something to improve the quality of life of the lesbian, gay and bisexual community year round, not just during the May bank holiday festival.
Having grown from an initial half dozen Trustees to 9 in 2007, there are currently 13 Trustees, three of whom are directly elected by the BLGBT Forum which was set up in January 2006.
We have embarked on numerous consultation events aimed at bringing the issues and needs of the LGBT community in the city into the consciousness of key decision and policy makers. These include grass roots consultation events such as the Are You Being Served conferences and Gay Life Matters events.
During this time, and with limited funding, the Trust believes it has made an impact on local service providers, through its lobbying and information sharing and consultative processes.
We have also focused on building a stronger sense of identity for the LGBT community in the city through a series of key events and projects such as Gay Birmingham Remembered and the annual Pink Picnic.
The Trust has been pleased to receive Birmingham City Council funding since 2006, and is currently funded through a variety of sources including a Capacity Builders grant.
In 2008 Steve Ball, who had chaired the Trust for the previous four years, stepped down and Helen Boyle took on the position.
