Agenda and minutes

Present: Cllr Anna King (Co Chair AK), Matthew Toresen (VIN, Co Chair MT), Theresa (Lowdown), Ben (UNISON), Matt (OutThere Lowdown), Cllr Zoe Smith (Cllr ZS), Vicki Rockall (NBC VR), Aimee Luck (NBC AL)*.

Apologies: Ian (Umbrella Fair)

The last minutes on record are from November 2016 due to social meetings and cancellations.

AK set out the timings for the day. The flag will be raised at 08.30am and stalls will be set up in the Royal & Derngate. Registration will be open from 9.00am with events starting at 09.30am. The civic ceremony will take place on the Guildhall Road at 1.00pm with the Mayors speech and one minute of noise. The conference will end at 3.45pm.

VR and AL will support the set up at 08.30am and will be around at points throughout the day to provide support.

ACTION: VR to bring cards; MT will bring whistles and badges.

It was suggested that the location on the civic ceremony may be unclear.

ACTION: VR and AL to clarify that the ceremony will take place on the Guildhall Road, outside of the Derngate.

LGBTQ Forum will use Q Space tent again this year. The theme is ‘Summer of Love’; marking the 50^th anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act which decriminalised homosexuality.

Straight Allies will have a stall on the Sunday.

The cost to attend is higher this year and there is a shortfall of £500. Cllr King and Cllr Smith offered to support the event with £250 each to cover this.

Ben suggested UNISON may be able to fund something for the event.

ACTION: MT to make a formal request to UNISON

A suggestion was made to involve Outlaws to provide family sporting activities

ACTION: MT to contact Outlaws.

Including refreshments and food improves attendance. Numbers have been lower recently so members are keen to bring this back.

ACTION: MT to ask NHFT/St Andrews about funding refreshments/food for the next social.

Ben suggested posting a reminder on Facebook for the meetings.

ACTION: AL to post reminders on the LGBTQ Forum page.

VR suggested linking International Coming Out Day with Hate Crime Awareness Week again as this was effective last year. This was agreed.

Winter Pride to be removed from the Action Plan for this year.

Attendance at last year’s World Aids Day was low. MT discussed potential organisations setting up locally which may support the event. ZS suggested their needed to be work around the narrative ahead of the event to encourage attendance.

ACTION: World Aids Day to be added to the agenda for discussion at the next forum meeting.

Ben proposed Press releases need to go out earlier. VR explained that Press releases are organised by Comms and we do not have control over that but could inform forums earlier.

ACTION: VR and AL to share events with forum mailing list around 2 weeks before the event.

AK gave information on the Town Festival, taking place at the Racecourse on 1-2^nd July and suggested LGBTQ Forum and Straight Allies have a display.

ACTION: AL to add to the Action Plan.

Ben will pass information on all the forums to UNISON for the attention of group representatives.

Transgender Remembrance Day, 20^th November was brought up as a potential event for the calendar.

ACTION: AL to add to next agenda for further discussion.

Carnival is taking place in June. Lowdown will be involved and LGBTQ/Straight Allies would like to have a presence.

Buddies of Beckets are having a Mela on 30^th July at 12.00, it would be good for LGBTQ and Straight Allies to have a presence.

Matt discussed future plans for Q Space who would like to become a centre for the LBGTQ community, providing social and support spaces. AK advised of start up grants if Q Space were looking to start up as a social space/café initially.

Q Space are hosting information gathering events and also have a survey available online for anyone unable to attend the information days.

ACTION: AL to share the survey monkey link with other forums and to share the information day Facebook event from LGBTQ Forum page and Straight Allies page.

Link to the survey is as follows: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/G6BS7MD

Transgender Remembrance Day, 20^th November.

Alzeimers; Ian Hind (Dementia Friends).

Community Spaces Northampton to attend to discuss available spaces.

ZS suggested the website could do with improving or rebuilding.

Could possibly match with a volunteer on the spreadsheet.

ACTION: AL to contact the volunteer and put in touch with forum if appropriate.

ACTION: AK to support AL to have admin access to LGBTQ Forum for updating. Now completed.

July 18^th 6:30 – 8:30pm venue TBC