Agenda and draft minutes

Attended: Aimee (WNC, stand in chair/minutes), Bill (Lowdown), Helen (Lowdown), Jacqui (Northamptonshire Carers), Stef (NFRS), Belle, Will (QSpace), Phil, Kit (QStory), Daniel, Alex (NCF), Amy (NFRS), John (NLive)

Apologies: Matt Toresen (co-chair), Storm, Jane (Rathgar), Cllr Anna King (Chair), Leo, Ben, Surendra (NIFF)

Forum to suggest groups to invite under intersectionality and diversity – none received.
Actions: Belle to send suggested contact. Kit to send links to LGBTQ refugee groups.

Aimee to invite rep from NBCT – reached out but no one identified to attend.
Action: Aimee to follow up. Surendra, Northampton Inter Faith Forum chair, invited and keen to attend future meeting.

Revisit action plan – action plan printed for review at meeting.
Ran out of time to discuss fully. Action: Forum to review and send comments to Aimee.

QStory not receiving forum emails. Action: Aimee to investigate and resolve – completed.

Stefan Gardener-Potter

LGBTQ network established in the service and recruitment beginning in the New Year. Looking to reach out into different communities – seeking help to share this message and reach out and represent the wider community.

Amy to liaise to arrange informal ‘have a go days’ for young people/adults pitched at different levels (fun/career). Stef looking to open up Mounts for these days as not been used in the past. Action: Aimee to share details with forum from Stef/Amy.

Session would be an open drop in not formal. John offered to host NFRS on the radio and to cover any ‘have a go days’ – Action: Aimee to put Stef/Amy in touch with John (NLive) and Jacqui (Northamptonshire Carers).

Jacqui Falconer-Blake

Recognise many older LGBTQ couples may live and portray themselves as friends for fear of stigma – if you are aware of anyone who is caring for someone please put them in touch with Jacqui.

When people don’t want to admit they have/need a carer, can the self-identified carer still access support?

Yes. No need for the person needing care to be involved/in agreement. Emotional support can be more taxing than physical support and they can also access support from Northamptonshire Carers service.

What links do you have we hospitals and GPs for accessing carers who don’t recognise themselves as such – particularly with Covid where people were not often able to with patients?
NGH has a dedicated Carer Support Officer but problem in acute services are transient staff who aren’t always aware as they move around/move wards.
GPs (60%) should be contacting patients with surveys to reach out to carers. CQC assessment for GPs now includes carers so they are now reaching out to the service on how to engage so hope to see improvements.

NGH now have a carers network. Positive of Covid is working from home for many people who have been unable to in the past and combine this with a caring role.

Action: Aimee to share PowerPoint presentation to the forum with minutes.

NLive broadcast for several hours and interviewed about 10 people – really positive; carried on momentum from 2019. Request to be involved in committee to do lead up promo/interviews.

QStory – good location. Could improve communications ahead of event for stallholders.

Fire – great engagement/interaction. Good turn out and those identifying as allies. Parade was great, just want to see event / parade to get bigger. Need wider comms/marketing tools to direct people in from outside of town centre.

Daniel – market stalls too close together, lack of food vendors and facilities. Peacock Place as an issue. Aimee confirmed ASB officers are working hard to resolve issues at Peacock Place but is taking time.

Accessibility is an issue; lack of seating, distance to toilets etc. Sound did not reach far and became poor quality at the stalls– need more speakers.

Not feeling properly community led – need more community input. Agreed this was difficult as Covid put on hold plans for the Committee to become a constituted group and apply for funding/take more of a lead.

Appreciated the event being different to MK which took place the day before and is much larger/more well established. Northampton Pride felt more about the Community.

Action: Aimee to send out pride committee review meeting date and add QStory and NLive to committee group. Invite people and places development officer – ‘Jackie McQueen’ to provide support to Committee.

Suggested to invite Refugees support group rep to meeting, particularly topical with current Afghan Citizen Resettlement programmes – Action: Kit to share groups to Aimee.
Action: Jacqui to share second contact for NBCT with Aimee.

Diwali coming up – can we do anything? Action: Aimee to find out if there is a way for LGBTQ Forum to be involved.

Qstory, Qspace and Trangst still working with NREC on messages of Hope project and workshops planned in November. Social media posts are in final edit. Action: Kit to share for circulation once ready.

Action Plan:
Discussed in brief but to pick up in full at next meeting. Action: Aimee to attach current action plan for all to review.

Domestic Abuse item – Alex raised that Police were looking for feedback from Women’s and LGBTQ&A Forums on policies, asked if there has been any progress. Action: Aimee to follow up.
Aimee shared that planning has begun for 16 days of activism annual campaign. Could be an opportunity to progress some of this work/restart the conversation; possibly include a virtual workshop/discussion on the subject of Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence in the context of LGBTQ relationships.

Tuesday 30 November – Social

Tuesday 30 November – social tbc