A new group set up by a North Tyneside charity is helping to bring members of the local LGBT community together.
With Newcastle celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender culture at Northern Pride last weekend, Age UK North Tyneside have launched a new over 50’s LGBT group for the Tyneside area.
After the success of Age UK North Tyneside’s trans group, which has run for five years, staff at the charity were approached to help launch an LGBT group for the area.
Age UK North Tyneside volunteer and community coordinator, Emily Houlder, said: “We were delighted to be asked to get involved in this project for the local community.
“With very few groups available in the local area, especially for people of this age, we were more than happy to help.
“We undertook some online surveys which received very positive and supportive feedback towards the idea, so we quickly moved to get the group up and running.”
The first set of meetings have been arranged by Age UK staff but the group is led by the members themselves, who are now starting to plan their first activities and events.
Emily added: “The group is open to all and is a great opportunity for members of the Tyneside LGBT community to come along, meet new people and share their interests.
“The first few sessions have been fantastic to be involved in and I look forward to seeing the group go from strength to strength over the next few months.”
The Age UK North Tyneside LGBT group runs fortnightly between 7-8.30pm, meeting at Whitley Bay Big Local, 305 Whitley Road, NE26 2HU, Whitley Bay with the next meeting taking place on Monday 7th August.
For more information on the work and services offered at Age UK North Tyneside, visitwww.ageuk.org.uk/northtyneside