Queer Heritage South awarded £1.25million from the National Lottery for "pioneering" LGBTQ+ heritage project across Brighton & Hove

Queer Heritage South is "delighted" after receiving £1.25million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for their “pioneering” Queer Heritage South: Live Archive project. This follows a successful pilot year, supported by the Heritage Fund, that builds on a ten-year track record of Queer Heritage South’s "dynamic LGBTQ+ heritage programmes" including the signature LGBTQ+ History Clubs, the Coast is Queer Festival and collaborations with Brighton Festival (Revealing St James St) and Charleston (Queer Bloomsbury).

To date this is one of the largest single investments in LGBTQ+ heritage by the Heritage Fund since 1994, which alongside other supported projects in Blackpool, Newcastle and Margate, show the strides taken by communities across the UK in shaping and preserving their history.

Preserving Brighton & Hove's LGBTQ+ history is crucial.

Queer Heritage South: Live Archive will work towards creating a new and inclusive digital archive, future-proofing LGBTQ+ collecting in Brighton & Hove, animating the archive through cultural events, and delivering a major exhibition in 2027. Thanks to the project, there will be a full-time Community Archivist for the first time in the city’s history, focused on the preservation of Brighton & Hove’s unique LGBTQ+ heritage across the project and the city’s heritage institutions and archives. 

The 2021 census confirmed that Brighton & Hove has the highest density of LGBTQ+ people outside of London. The city is also home to an older population who have a distinctive lived experience of life before and after the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967. According to Queer Heritage South, it is “vital that their memories are recorded and preserved to be learned from in the future”.

David Sheppeard, Project Director at Queer Heritage South, said: "At a time when LGBTQ+ stories are being forcibly erased from collections, websites, libraries, and public life worldwide, preserving Brighton & Hove's LGBTQ+ history is crucial. We are delighted that Queer Heritage South is taking a significant step forward with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund. This funding will allow us to co-produce an accessible digital platform with communities to share our stories at a time when we need inspiration and creativity to address the issues we face.

“The next phase of our public programmes will kick off with the Coast is Queer Festival of LGBTQ+ literature at the University of Sussex, delivered in partnership with New Writing South, from 9 - 12 October. These events perfectly embody our project's goals: creating a space for community, learning, reflection, and finding ways to move forward together. We invite everyone to join us." 

Brighton & Hove has a rich LGBTQ+ history and this funding will help ensure these stories are preserved, celebrated and shared for generations to come.

Stuart McLeod, Director of England - London & South at the National Lottery Heritage Fund, added: “We’re incredibly proud to support Queer Heritage South with this project thanks to money raised by National Lottery players. It is a powerful example of how heritage can be inclusive, dynamic and led by the community it represents. 

“Brighton & Hove has a rich LGBTQ+ history and this funding will help ensure these stories are preserved, celebrated and shared for generations to come. As we approach the 60th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality, it’s vital that we reflect on the past while building a more inclusive future.”