June was Pride month, a time dedicated to celebration and commemoration of the LGBTQIA+ community. We’d like to take a moment to reflect and tell you about some of the amazing work that Q:alliance, Milton Keynes’ fantastic LGBTQIA+ charity has been carrying out. Since 2021, we have had the pleasure of working closely with Q:alliance through our Mental Health Alliance Network. They have also been engaged in other VCSE networks in Milton Keynes, including the Refugee Support Network and the Voluntary Sector Alliance.
They work in Milton Keynes and the surrounding areas, including Bedford.
Q:alliance received a funding pot as a member of the Mental Health Alliance. As part of this, they have been running a huge variety of impactful projects with the help of the funding. So far they have set up a number of sports groups such as football and badminton, organised social events like quiz nights and walking groups, and planned huge workplace training sessions for local businesses such as Apple and the H&M warehouse.
“Q:alliance is thrilled to partner with Community Action MK. Through their support we are able to provide vital services to the LGBTQ+ community in Milton Keynes. We look forward to many more years of working together and instigating positive change on the city.”
– Jay Virgo, Communications and Engagement Manager.
Over the last couple of years Q:alliance has also supported our team here at Community Action: MK (CA:MK) with a training session on LGBTQIA+ awareness and they have delivered a similar session for the VCSE groups involved in the Mental Health Alliance! They engage with and deliver training for organisations across the sectors – voluntary, health and public sector. If your organisation is interested in training for your team/ staff to increase your team’s awareness and support for gender diversity and the LGBTQIA+ issues, you can get in touch with them here.
See the overview of the training provided by Q:alliance here.
Q:alliance work tirelessly to improve the lives of the local LGBTQIA+ community and attend monthly meetings of the Mental Health Alliance network to contribute their thoughts and ideas on how change can best be implemented.
They also run a range of social and community events: from walks to cinema outings. On Saturday 22nd June 2024 we went to their Community Day held at the Margaret Powell House in Central Milton Keynes, where we had a stall and a chance to engage with the attendees:
Thank you very much to Q:alliance for inviting CA:MK to their community day on the 22nd June 2024! It was a great day. We enjoyed meeting people and talking about our work and hearing about the good work happening in Milton Keynes. The guest speakers were brilliant, moving and inspiring. If you get a chance next year we thoroughly recommend joining in!– Annette Parmar, Community Action: MK Volunteering Lead
Q:Alliance turned 26th this year – see their celebratory post on Instagram here 🎂
If you would like to find out more about Q:alliance’s work and see what events they are running, and access the range of support and resources they offer, check out their website here.
Follow them on social media to get updates about their events and other opportunities and to join the LGBTQIA+ movement as a support and ally: @Qalliance.
#beyouwithq