After months of keeping it a secret, we can finally unveil a major transformation which encapsulates the additional support services we provide as a leading LGBTQIA+ charity across a larger geographical area.
To coincide with the conclusion of Pride Month, we have changed our name from Northumberland Pride to Pride Action North.
The change of name is intended to better communicate the high volume of services we provide for members of the LGBTQIA+ community throughout the North of England.
Northumberland Pride was established by volunteers in 2017 to organise an annual celebration event for the people of the county, and has grown significantly over the years.
We now employ eight members of staff to cater for the increased demand for our specialist support and advocacy in areas such as youth work, hate crime, domestic violence and mental health and wellbeing.
Changing our name to Pride Action North signifies just one part of the transformation, as we have also unveiled new branding, mission statement and values too.
Our chair Darren Irvine-Duffy said: “The development of the charity has been quite phenomenal when I reflect on the early days of wanting to bring a Pride event to the people of Northumberland so they didn’t have to travel to a city.
“There’s been a very natural transition to an organisation which provides holistic support and meaningful services to ensure every member of our growing community feels accepted for who they are and safe in every environment.
“The rebranding is the biggest moment in our history, and we are very excited to be operating under a new name as we continue to increase our presence and support communities throughout the North.
“As the name suggests, we are an organisation which takes action as we strive towards making the region a safer, more inclusive and accepting place for everybody to live, particularly members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“We have invested endless hours of time and effort in engaging with a cross section of service users, stakeholders and staff through various focus groups to gauge their views of what our organisation means to them and we are thrilled with the outcome of the extensive rebranding project.
“Operating as Pride Action North will open more doors to provide additional services, and these are extremely exciting times for our charity, our partner organisations and all our members.”
The rebrand comes at a time of significant expansion for us after recently appointing our first charity manager and extending our reach through dedicated link workers to support LGBTQIA+ people.
Among the services we provide are a range of community and youth work such as one to one support, counselling, youth and adult group sessions, mental health and wellbeing support, domestic and sexual violence and abuse support, hate crime support and engagement with schools.
We also run a number of training and development programmes focusing on inclusivity, advocacy, awareness raising and partnership working and collaboration.
Our charity manager Angela Brudenell said: “Pride Action North carries out such meaningful and vital work in its quest to remove discrimination in all its forms, and delivers an equitable service which meets the needs of everyone within our communities.
“Allowing as many people to access our services, and receive support and guidance, is of great importance to us as an organisation, and we have strengthened our team and facilities to accommodate an increase in referrals to our services.”