Funding awarded by Bucks Council for LGBT+ Cafe Club in Aylesbury

Buckinghamshire Council have approved funding to support the Aylesbury LGBT+ Cafe.

The Health Living Centre and Aylesbury Vale LGBT Social Group partnered to run the monthly session of the LGBT+ Cafe Club in February.

The pilot scheme was only been able to go ahead a couple of times this year due to coronavirus restrictions, but the response was enough to convince Bucks Council it should be supported.

The Aylesbury Community Board Funding Report on this explains the aims are:

• To provide a specialist LGBT+ Café club - providing a safe space for the LGBT+ community of Aylesbury and the surrounding area to meet on a regular basis in a closed environment in the Café area (Closed group) on a weekly basis

• Provide a specialist C-card clinic for the LGBT+ community to be held at the same time as the Café activity, hosted by a C-card trained member of staff

• At the same time as the Café club, the HLC would host a range of talks, interactive sessions, healthy living seminars and creative activities to encourage social interaction and encourage befriending to reduce social isolation

Marcela Heime is Chief Executive of The Healthy Living Centre on Walton Court:

"We want to put both elements together. So if you want to come and have a cake and just talk to other friends, fantastic! You have that possibility.

"But also if you know in some of the other rooms you know we have a yoga session or an organisation that helps with mental health.

"It will provide not only the social element of the hub but also service for them. And there will be a box for them for suggestions because we don't want to impose anything they are not interested in.

"We are hoping that people will feel like they have a safe place to go and express themselves. It will be for them, for their families and for their friends.

"The only restriction we have is that is has to be a friendly and safe environment for all of the community."