It Takes Time To Grow Resource Hub

Proud Parents

Over the last 50 years attitudes have changed and increasingly parents have wanted to understand and support their LGBTQ+ children. Parents Enquiry was a national helpline and support group for parents of lesbian and gay children founded in 1968 by Rose Robertson who ran it from her home in London for the next 30 years. These pamphlets were originally written by Rose, reproduced by the Campaign for Homoesexual Equality, and likely distributed by the Cambridge-based Proud Parents group.

“Telling Your Parents” and “What is Homosexuality” Pamphlets, 1970s/1980s

A Sporting Community

The Cambridge Rollerbillies formed in February 2008, as the Romsey Town Rollerbillies, inspired by London Roller Derby who first brought the sport to the UK. The league has been teaching people to skate and play roller derby in Cambridgeshire for over 15 years.

As a sport, roller derby prides itself on being a kind and inclusive community, historically known as a safe space for women, members of the LGBTQ+ community and for people of all body shapes and sizes.

Helmet, programme and badges, 2022-2024, Loaned by Cambridge Rollerbillies

Loaned for the collection by Cambridge Rollerbillies

loaned by the cambridge rollerbillies.

From 2005 to 2014, a civil partnership was the only form of legal recognition for a same-sex relationship, prior to the introduction of equal marriage laws. These cards from a civil partnership ceremony in 2013 illustrate well-wishers attempts to find cards suitable for the occasion when only a few manufacturers catered of LGBTQ+ life events. 

The progress towards inclusive education was further recognised in 2011 when Cambridgeshire County Council won this prestigious award

Award loaned by Bethan Rees, 2011. Text reads: Stonewall  Education Award, 2011. Cambridgeshire County Council

HIV/AIDS in Cambridgeshire

Cambridge Aids Action (Now known as Dhiverse) was set up as a local response to the rapid spread of HIV amongst gay men in the 1980s. Their offices at Dales Brewery (off Mill Road in Cambridge) were often used by a variety of other LGBTQ+ groups, including The Kite Trust, Encompass Network and SisterAct.

Flyers and Pamphlets, 1990s

A Cambridge branch of the Gay Outdoor Club was founded in around 1978. In 1981, the national chairman was Cambridge-based Philip Judson, and he was involved in coordinating a 4-week expedition to climb Mount Everest as part of a team of LGBTQ+ men. The Gay Outdoor Club is still operating with a Cambridgeshire branch and proudly calls itself ‘Britain’s biggest and longest lasting national club for LGBTQ outdoor activities’. 

SisterAct, a Cambridge based group founded in 1993 for ‘women who like women’ also regularly advertised outdoor activities as part of their programmes. Their newsletter from 2015 highlights a joint walk with London Hiking Dykes and a weekly Footy Friday in Cottenham. 

Cambridge Pride

The Pink Festival was an open-air event at Cherry Hinton Hall in Cambridge with a number of marquees offering varied entertainment including live music, cabaret and comedy. The events ran from 2003 to 2010, with the last event attracting around 10,000 attendees. The Pink Festival team then went on to establish Cambridge Pride in 2019 featuring a punt parade along the river. The COVID-19 pandemic meant that in-person events were put on hold for the next two years, but Cambridge Pride has returned as an annual event on Jesus Green since 2022. Cambridge Pride 2025 will take place on Saturday 14th June.

Ely Pride

Pride in Ely took place for the first time in 2018 and now runs annually with stalls and entertainment in Jubilee Gardens and The Maltings on Ely’s riverside. Pride in Ely 2025 will take place on Saturday 9th August.

Ely Pride

Pride in Ely took place for the first time in 2018 and now runs annually with stalls and entertainment in Jubilee Gardens and The Maltings on Ely’s riverside. Pride in Ely 2025 will take place on Saturday 9th August.

Peterborough Pride also took place for the first time in 2018, and has grown over the last six years with nearly 5,000 people joining last year’s event at the Green Backyard on Oundle Road. The event now opens with a march each year open to anybody who would like to walk through the city centre to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. Peterborough Pride 2025 will take place on Saturday 19th July. 

Fenland Pride

Fenland Pride took place for the first time in July 2024 at the Queen Mary Centre in Wisbech. The event was organised by The Kite Trust and included a swimming session, an art exhibition, film screenings, board game evenings, and a main event with performances and stalls. The artwork for the event was created by Alex Diviney.

Fenland Pride Flag, Posters and Stickers, 2024