The Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery is the local museum service for the borough of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. It is a museum with collections of Christian icons, Egyptian hieroglyphs and local history, as well as those of the former Lewis Textile Museum.
The building
The museum is in a Grade II listed building, on the corner of Museum Street and Richmond Terrace. It was originally opened as an art gallery and library in 1874, with the library occupying the ground floor and the art gallery on the first floor.
There were twenty three of us who visited the museum, but prior to the visit we enjoyed lunch at the Postal Order and after the visit we popped into the Cathedral.
Queer Up North was one of the most pioneering and influential LGBTQ+ art festivals in Europe. It quickly became a beacon for queer culture, drawing artists and audiences from across the globe, and played a pivotal role in shaping Manchester’s identity as an inclusive and vibrant LGBTQ+ city.
New digital archive website launching 2 October 2026 – queerupnorth.org
Are you transmasculine? Aged 25 and over? We want to hear from you!
Summary
OUTpatients is the UK’s LGBTIQ+ Cancer Charity. We are looking for 8 transmasculine people to take part in an online workshop to understand views and experiences of cervical cancer screening (also known as a smear test).
Currently, transmasculine people face barriers to accessing healthcare, especially cervical screening. This is a paid opportunity (shopping voucher), and your views will help to inform an NHS campaign to help our community get lifesaving care.
Who can take part?
We are looking for transmasculine people who:
Are registered as male with their GP, or are planning to register as male with their GP.
Have a cervix
Aged 25+
Live in England.
We use transmasculine as an umbrella term that includes transgender men, nonbinary people assigned female at birth, and some intersex people.
You do not need to have had a cervical screening to take part. In fact, we are particularly interested in hearing from people who have not attended, or who have had negative experiences with healthcare!
What will the workshop look like?
Online
4-8 transmasculine people
Facilitated by a transmasculine person
Discussion of your views and experiences of healthcare, including cervical screening.
We also know that transmasculine people of colour face intersectional barriers to healthcare. We are therefore keen to host an additional workshop specifically reserved for this community. This will be facilitated by another transmasculine person of colour to help people to feel safe and comfortable sharing their experiences.
The International Day of Older People (IDOP) takes place each year on 1 October. To celebrate the event Out In the City members went to “Saturday Afternoon Fever!” organised by Manchester Central Library and featuring singer Dee Dee Allen.
We were treated to afternoon tea, singalong and dancealong classics. There was a pop quiz – Name the Decade – and Out In The City members correctly answered all 20 questions and won the prize of two boxes of chocolates!
Collaborating with academics
Between April and June 2026 Len Grant was working with academics at the University of Manchester as they used creative methods to research older LGBT people’s experiences of home and care.
Len Grant
Older lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people experience health and social inequalities which continue into later life, and their needs are often poorly met by housing and social care services.
There were a group of eight older LGBT people participating and five workshops were held. Some participants were also met individually in their local neighbourhoods. This work explored methods that enable people to express their experiences over time and space, through movement, material things and feelings.
Waiting On A Friend: Natalie Adler in conversation with Monica Pearl
Friday, 9 October – 6.30pm – 8.00pm
Blackwell’s Bookshop, 146 Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9GP
Book here (£5 General Admission / £17 Book and ticket)
Join us for a conversation on Natalie’s debut novel, set during the AIDs crisis of 1980s New York.
We are thrilled to welcome Natalie Adler to Blackwell’s in partnership with the University of Manchester’s Centre for Sexuality Studies and Culture. Natalie will be discussing her debut novel, Waiting On A Friend, set amidst the AIDs crisis in 1980s New York. Natalie will be in conversation with Dr Monica Pearl, senior lecturer and veteran of ACT UP New York.
About Waiting On A Friend
East Village, summer of 1984. Renata is a young dyke-about-town who has the ability to see ghosts, which has been happening more and more frequently as her friends have started dying of what has recently been named AIDS.
So, when her best friend Mark dies, she assumes she’ll see him again. There’s no way Mark wouldn’t give her a chance to say goodbye, would he? But to her disappointment – and increasingly, her concern – Mark doesn’t appear.
Renata has other problems, too. A mysterious, police-like force has begun ridding their East Village neighbourhood of anything abnormal or inexplicable. At first, she’s sure they’re scam artists, but it becomes clear they’re actually trapping ghosts. With her band of lovably eccentric pals and lovers, Renata is determined to fight back against the erasure of her friends’ memories and the sanitising of her beloved New York.
About the author
Natalie Adler is an editor at Lux magazine. She was a 2022-23 Susan Kamil Emerging Writer Fellow at the Centre for Fiction. She has an MFA in fiction from Brooklyn College and a PhD in comparative literature from Brown University. She is from New Jersey and lives in New York City.
If you cannot make the event but would like a dedicated copy of the book, please email events.manchester@blackwell.co.uk or call them on 0161 274 3331.
The event format is usually a 45 minute discussion between the author and interviewer, followed by a chance for audience members to ask questions. There will be the opportunity to get your book signed/dedicated after the event. Events are a brilliant opportunity to discover new books, meet authors and likeminded readers and learn something new.
Cinema Social offers community groups, grassroots and not-for-profit organisations the opportunity to book a FREE private screening at HOME!
Cinema Social strives to strengthen HOME’s connections with local community groups, bringing people together for a shared, uplifting and inclusive experience in HOME’s welcoming cinema space. Cinema Social is exclusively for groups who are making a difference, supporting young people and communities, or working to promote positive change.
Twenty-three of us went to see My Beautiful Laundrette, a 1985 British romantic comedy-drama film. It was directed by Stephen Frears and written by Hanif Kureishi, and was one of the first films released by Working Title Films.
Set in London during the Thatcher years, the film reflects the fraught relationships between members of the Pakistani and English communities at that time. The story focuses on Omar (Gordon Warnecke), a British man of Pakistani origin, and his reunion and eventual romance with his childhood friend Johnny (Daniel Day-Lewis), now a street punk. The two become the caretakers and business managers of a launderette.
The British Film Institute ranked My Beautiful Laundrette as the 50th-greatest British film of the 20th century.
11 Wilcox Road, now demolished, was the site of the laundrette, in 2023Newly reinstalled Rainbow Plaque, marking the site of the fictional “Powders” laundrette, in February 2026
The film was shot around Wandsworth, Battersea and Vauxhall, all districts of South London. The location of the building which housed the laundrette on Wilcox Road, Vauxhall, was given a Rainbow Plaque in 2021. Following demolition of the building, a Rainbow Plaque was reinstalled in February 2026.
Rainbow Plaques is a programme led by London LGBT+ Forums’ Network, which identifies hidden and lost LGBTQIA+ heritage in our streets and public spaces.
Growing older with pride through community and healthcare support
Matthew James Belfield, Head of Marketing, Communications and Editorial for LGBT Foundation
Growing older is a privilege, and LGBTQ+ people deserve to do it with connection and pride. Learn about our work and how our foundation supports older LGBTQ+ people.
Across the UK, LGBTQ+ people are living longer, fuller lives. Older LGBTQ+ people are parents, partners, friends, volunteers and community leaders. They shaped the communities we know today, and their contributions continue to make our communities stronger.
Ageing is not the same for everyone
Many older LGBTQ+ people face loneliness, social isolation, poorer health outcomes and concerns about accessing inclusive healthcare and social care.[1] Some worry about whether they can be open about who they are. Others may not have the same support networks that many people rely on as they grow older.
At LGBT Foundation, ageing well is about much more than living longer. It is about staying connected to the people who matter, maintaining independence and feeling respected, valued and included. Older LGBTQ+ people should have access to the community and healthcare they need to thrive.
“connection and community can improve quality of life in later years“
Community activities and specialised GP support
Our work is the blueprint for inclusive ageing. Through Pride in Ageing, LGBT Foundation supports older LGBTQ+ people across Greater Manchester and the Liverpool City Region through social groups, community activities, information and opportunities to shape the services that affect their lives. By bringing people together, tackling isolation and amplifying the voices of older LGBTQ+ communities, the programme demonstrates how connection and community can improve quality of life in later years.
Through Pride in Practice, we support GP practices to deliver inclusive and welcoming care for LGBTQ+ patients. The programme has transformed healthcare across the UK, giving healthcare professionals the tools, knowledge and confidence to better support LGBTQ+ people while helping patients feel safer and more confident accessing care. Next time you’re at your GP, ask them about Pride in Practice and how they support inclusive LGBTQ+ healthcare.
Ageing is not just about adding years to life. It is about ensuring everyone can age with independence, connection, good health and pride.
Getting older should never mean facing things alone. Discover support, information and community atlgbt.foundationor call our national helpline on 0345 3 30 30 30.
[1] LGBT Foundation, 2020. Hidden Figures: LGBT Health Inequalities in the UK
Manchester Midday Music
Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3WS
We have FREE tickets for the following concerts (usually £15.25 / Concession £13.25). Please let us know if interested as soon as possible here.
Monday, 26 October – 1.00pm – 1.50pm – Scott Brothers Duo
Jonathan Scott organ / Tom Scott piano
Rossini arr. Scott Overture to The Italian Girl in Algiers Handel arr. Scott Andante from Organ Concerto Op 4, No 1 in G Strauss II arr. J. Scott Kaiser-Walzer Op 437 Falla arr. Scott Ritual Fire Dance Rachmaninoff arr. Scott Adagio Sostenuto from Piano Concerto No 2 Wagner arr. Scott Ride of the Valkyries
Brothers Jonathan and Tom perform in instrumental combinations which cover the entire keyboard spectrum with a busy international concert schedule of performances across the UK, as well as at major festivals and concert halls in Spain, France, Germany, Norway, Finland, Romania, Sweden, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Switzerland, Netherlands, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea. Their online performance videos have totalled well over 100 million views and are among the most watched in the world.
Friday, 13 November – 1.00pm – 1.50pm – A4 Brass
Jamie Smith cornet / flugelhorn / Jonathan Bates tenor horn / Mike Cavanagh baritone horn / Chris Robertson euphonium
Strauss Festmusik der Stadt Wien Mozart Overture, The Marriage of Figaro Doss Moskito Vaughan-Williams English Folk Song Suite Bruckner Locus Iste Gregson Brass Quartet No. 2 Grainger Molly on the Shore Gounod Finale from Faust
A4 Brass Quartet comprises principal players from some of the UK’s top brass bands, including Black Dyke, Grimethorpe Colliery and Brighouse & Rastrick. With “technical virtuosity in abundance” (Brass Band World), these four astonishing musicians come together to perform both lyrical and high-octane works, forming a distinctive and new take on chamber music.
The Quartet’s unique blend of instruments creates an exclusive sound that stands out from the standard brass quartet. With this unusual instrumentation, A4 Brass has actively developed their repertoire, commissioning new music, composing and arranging music themselves.
Tuesday, 1 December – 1.00pm – 1.50pm – Hyung-ki Joo piano
Mompou Variations on a Theme of Chopin Możdżer Improvisation on Chopin Prélude Op 28, No. 7 Joo Selection from Childhood Ravel La Valse
“A smart, dashing performer with an industry buzz created as much by his charismatic presence as by his work at the keyboard”. Billboard
Pianist, composer, and creative force Hyung-ki Joo is redefining the concert experience, playfully blending storytelling with musical innovation to engage audiences beyond traditional classical formats. On stage, he enraptures audiences with his jovial and contagious stage presence as well as his energetic, brilliantly virtuosic performance.
Waterside Arts – 1 Waterside Plaza, Sale, Trafford M33 7ZF
Waterside are committed to ensuring their programme reflects the communities they serve, creating opportunities for LGBTQ+ artists to develop their work, share their stories and connect with audiences.
Join them this autumn and discover some of the remarkable LGBTQ+ artists helping to shape the future of theatre.
‘People forget we exist’: Why older LGBTQ+ people fear losing identity
Article by Josh Parry / BBC LGBT & Identity Reporter
Mindy says people often presume she is straight because of her age
As a 75-year-old lesbian, Mindy Meleyal has lived through every major milestone in the modern LGBT rights movement, from the start of decriminalisation in 1967 to the first same-sex marriages in 2014.
But now she says this important part of her identity is frequently overlooked due to her age.
She’s part of England’s older LGBTQ+ community, which a new report suggests often experiences poorer health, more limited finances and greater social isolation than the wider older population.
The report, from the Centre for Ageing Better, says without specialist support, this growing demographic could be forced “back into the closet” when accessing care, warning they may even delay getting the care they need because of concerns about homophobia.
Adam Porter, a housing development manager from the LGBT Foundation charity, says he regularly meets older members of the community in exactly that situation.
“It’s very common for people to hide things if they have a carer visiting their home, for example hiding their wedding photos or taking down a trans flag,” he says.
“In the case of someone moving into a care environment, that means hiding who they are in their own home, for what could be the rest of their life.”
He says he has been “horrified” by some of the stories he has heard meeting older LGBTQ+ people, including some who have had carers offer to “pray for them” regarding their sexuality.
Porter is part of the team behind Kindred House, a first-of-its-kind LGBTQ+ social housing scheme for over-55s, set to open in Manchester next year.
An artist’s impression of what Kindred House will look like when it opens
The scheme, a joint project with the local council, will provide 80 self-contained apartments and communal areas available to the local community.
The majority of residents will be LGBTQ+.
The Kindred House scheme is what’s known as extra-care housing, which means residents live independently, but there is a 24/7 care team available for those who need extra help, and all staff will receive specialist training around LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Porter says he hopes the scheme will “trigger some conversations” about how to best support older LGBTQ+ people in the challenges they face.
‘People start clumping you together with other stereotypes’
Mindy and her wife Linda have been together for more than 30 years, but says they’re often mistaken for sisters.
“She’s 18 inches taller than me, I’ve got a Yorkshire accent and she’s got a Northern Irish accent,” Mindy says. “I think it’s pretty obvious we weren’t brought up in the same building.”
She believes part of that is often down to people presuming she is straight because of her age.
“There are different tribes of people in every age group, but when you get older, people start clumping you together with other stereotypes,” she says.
After divorcing her husband and coming out as lesbian, Mindy co-founded a lesbian commune in Hull before moving to Manchester
On one occasion, while Mindy was in hospital after a stroke, a nurse referred to Linda as Mindy’s husband. She said it was not only “insulting”, but made her consider what sort of training the staff might have had.
The Spotlight on Ageing report says these sort of experiences can also have an impact on the support people receive.
Sarah Wilkinson, research and analysis manager at the Centre for Ageing Better, says after a “lifetime of homophobia and transphobia”, older LGBTQ+ people now face the “additional, and overlapping, challenge of ageism”.
The report says older LGBTQ+ people are less likely to have children – someone born in 1950 would have been in their 50s by the time same-sex couples could legally adopt – and that they are more likely to be estranged from their families when compared to their heterosexual counterparts.
The report also found more than half of gay and bisexual men aged 65 and above live alone, compared with less than a quarter of heterosexual men. Bisexual women aged 50 to 64 are twice as likely as their heterosexual peers to live alone.
It also suggests that only half of gay and bisexual men aged 50 and above definitely agree they would have someone to help them if they needed, 14 percentage points lower than heterosexual men of the same age.
‘Chosen family means a lot to me’
Norman Goodman, 75, came out as bisexual in his late 60s after the death of his wife Marilyn.
The couple never had children, and Norman now has no immediate family nearby to help him with things like hospital visits or housework.
He says his support system comes in the form of his partner Tony, and a group of friends and neighbours he refers to as his “chosen family”.
“I’m lucky, I’ve got great friends and great neighbours, and I know I can knock on somebody’s door day or night and I could get help,” he says.
Norman came out as bisexual when he was in his 60s and says he relies on “chosen family” to support him
But despite having their support while he’s relatively independent, Norman says he worries about the prospect of facing discrimination if he needs more formal care as he ages.
“Hopefully I will maintain and look after myself the best I can, but I’ve heard horror stories of gay people in nursing homes being treated terribly,” he says.
“I think nurses, doctors, carers should all be trained on how to look after LGBT people.”
It’s the reason behind schemes like Manchester’s Kindred House, which are not unusual in other parts of the world.
There are similar projects in Spain, Sweden, Germany, the US and Canada, but in the UK they are few and far between.
In 2021, the UK’s first LGBTQ+ retirement home, Tonic, opened in London with 19 apartments for private rental or shared ownership.
The scheme attracted so much attention, later this year it is set to feature in a Netflix documentary telling the story of one of its first residents, Chek Min-Ong.
After 43 years together, Min, 77, and his late partner Tim, had discussed their plans for a future where one of them would live alone, as Tim’s health deteriorated.
Min and his late partner Tim wanted to make sure they lived somewhere supportive when one of them passed away
“Tim and I have always had this very open discussion, we wanted to know, when one of us is not here anymore, the other person will have a community and feel safe,” Min says.
When Tim died five months after moving into Tonic, Min says his new-found community rallied around him.
“It is what (Tim and I) always wanted, that we’d never have to explain ourselves,” he says. “We’d never have to face a question and feel guilty about not telling the full story, or having to lie.
“You’re just here, being yourself.”
‘It’s something I’m really proud to be a part of’
While schemes like Kindred House and Tonic are welcomed by Mindy, Norman and Min, the Spotlight on Ageing report warns that, because the older LGBTQ+ population is growing, the demand for specialist services is expected to outstrip supply.
Between 2019 and 2024, the number of over-50s identifying as lesbian, gay or bisexual in the UK increased by around a third – from roughly 340,000 to almost 460,000.
There was a 4% rise in the number of heterosexual people aged 50 and above in the same period.
These numbers are projected to continue to increase as the relatively larger younger generations of people identifying as LGBTQ+ age.
Porter warns that without more schemes like Kindred House, and more training and awareness for those in other care settings, the ageing population may struggle to get proper support.
For Mindy, who is part of a steering group advising on the plans, knowing there may be more options available in the future is reassuring.
“It’s important that you can go, that you think, ‘You know what, I could live there because I know the staffing, the ethics, the rules, everything about the place has been put together from an LGBTQ+ focus,'” she says.
“That’s what we’ve been doing and it’s something I’m really proud of being a part of.”
Preface to “State of Ageing Spotlight – Older LGBTQ+ People”
I welcome this very timely report spotlighting the experiences of older LGBTQ+ people.
The fear as we age – and contemplate greater care and different living arrangements – that we may need to go back into the closet after a lifetime of being out and open about our sexuality and gender identity is a very real one.
Too often older LGBTQ+ people are regarded as simply ‘old’ and as a problem that needs dealing with. This ignores the rich, varied, amazing and remarkable lives many of us have lived, and the achievements of surviving in a world that does not always recognise or acknowledge us, and can be increasingly hostile.
As I live in Manchester, with its large active and engaged diverse LGBTQ+ population, I am aware that I have a degree of protection not available to those who live in more rural and isolated communities. Pride in Ageing, run by the LGBT Foundation, the majority LGBTQ+ occupied extra care housing scheme currently being built in south Manchester, and the volunteer-led Out in the City group which addresses social isolation are examples of best practice in this field.
I hope that this report will serve to inform policy-makers of the particular lived experiences and needs of the older LGBTQ+ community in the provision of services, and much more besides.
Lizzie Gent, network member, Ageing Better Voices
Image credits: Brian Hart, Che Archives, Bishopsgate Institute; Getty
Falls Prevention Awareness Week
21 to 25 September 2026
The week aims to raise awareness of falls prevention and encourage people to take practical steps to reduce their risk of falling. This year’s theme, From Awareness to Action, focuses on helping people stay active, maintaining strength and balance and living independently for longer. Community based Strength and balance classes aiming to support long term adherence to exercise. For more information visit here.
Bi Visibility Day is a call to recognise and celebrate Bi+ history, Bi+ community and culture, and all the Bi+ people in their lives. This is its 28th year.
People individually and collectively celebrate and mark the date in all sorts of ways: in recent years there have been meetups, brunches, dinners, Bi Pride marches, flag-flying, talks, discussions, debates, film screenings, parties and more.
How will you mark Bi Visibility Day in 2026?
First observed in 1999, Bi Visibility Day is the brainchild of three United States bisexual rights activists: Wendy Curry of Maine, Michael Page of Florida, and Gigi Raven Wilbur of Texas. Bi Visibility Day is also known by other names such as Bi Pride Day, International Celebrate Bisexuality Day. The festive celebrations now often take place in Bisexual Awareness Week and Bi Visibility Month. More history on the Wikipedia page.
Ordsall Hall is a large former manor house in the historic parish of Ordsall, now part of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester. It dates back nearly 850 years, although the oldest surviving parts of the present hall were built in the 15th century.
Ordsall Hall has had a long and interesting history with many different uses – a family home, working men’s club and church hall. The most important period of its life is undoubtedly as the family seat of the Radclyffe family who resided there for over 300 of those years. It was first mentioned in records in 1177!
With the assistance of a guided tour we explored a variety of rooms throughout the hall, including the Great Hall, the Kitchen, Star Chamber and the Great Chamber.
Before marriage equality became law, George and Brad Takei were already building a life together.
Now, four decades after they first found each other, the beloved couple is celebrating 18 years as legally recognised husbands.
George shared a beautiful anniversary photo of himself and Brad in New York City, smiling with their arms wrapped around each other—the same love, the same partnership, after all these years.
Their journey began 40 years ago, but it wasn’t until 14 September 2008, that they could finally say “husband and husband” in the eyes of the law.
They exchanged vows at the Democracy Forum of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, following the California Supreme Court’s historic decision striking down the state’s ban on same-gender marriage.
Four decades of love. Eighteen years of marriage. One incredible reminder that love can endure long before the law catches up.
Happy Anniversary, George and Brad Takei.
Rose Valland
In 1940, the Nazi High Command marched into the Jeu de Paume museum in Paris. They saw a quiet, unassuming French woman straightening frames and organising files, and they dismissed her as harmless background noise.
They were wrong.
As Hermann Göring arrived to personally select stolen masterpieces for his private collection, the greatest art heist in history unfolded. While most curators were pushed out, the Germans kept one administrator to manage the building’s logistics.
This was Rose Valland. To the occupiers, she was just a low-level bureaucrat keeping the facility running. But they made a fatal miscalculation: they assumed she only spoke French.
Rose spoke fluent German. For four terrifying years, she never let that secret slip. Not once.
She stood silently in the corners while officers discussed top-secret shipment schedules. She listened as they debated which trains would carry Vermeers and Rembrandts to bunkers in Germany. She heard them laugh about the Jewish families they had robbed. The mental toll was agonising; she had to watch the heritage of her nation being crated and erased.
Every night, she went home and risked immediate execution by secretly cataloging everything – the artist, the original owner, and the destination code on each crate. She used scraps of paper and memorised train numbers, writing them down only when she was safely alone.
When the French Resistance considered bombing the railways to stop German transports, Rose intervened with specific intelligence. She told them which trains held munitions and which held the soul of France. By providing this data, she ensured the tracks were sabotaged just enough to delay the transport without destroying the irreplaceable cargo.
Then came the Liberation in 1944. The “Monuments Men” – the Allied unit tasked with recovering the art – arrived in Paris. They knew the art was gone, but they had no idea where to start looking in the chaos of the falling Reich.
Rose Valland finally broke her silence. She approached Captain James Rorimer and handed over her maps, her train numbers, and the exact coordinates of the stockpile at Neuschwanstein Castle. Because of her meticulous records, the Allies knew exactly where to go.
She saw their greed, she kept their secrets, and she witnessed their downfall.
Eventually, over 60,000 works of art were repatriated to France, largely due to her secret ledgers. Rose wasn’t just a curator; she was one of the most effective spies of the war. Today, when you look at a masterpiece in a European museum, there is a good chance it hangs there because a quiet woman knew how to listen.
Courage isn’t always a shout; sometimes, it is a whisper.
Valland had a relationship with Joyce Helen Heer (1917–1977), a Liverpool-born secretary-interpreter at the Embassy of the United States. The two women shared an apartment on rue de Navarre in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. The relationship ended upon Heer’s death from breast cancer; she was interred in Valland’s family vault.
