February is LGBT+ History Month in the United Kingdom. It’s a month to celebrate the heritage, culture and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex self-defining groups.

Activists and allies can support by:

  • Increasing the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (“LGBT”) people, their history, lives and their experiences in the curriculum and culture of educational and other institutions, and the wider community;
  • Raising awareness and advancing education on matters affecting the LGBT community;
  • Working to make educational and other institutions safe spaces for all LGBT communities; and
  • Promoting the welfare of LGBT people, by ensuring that the education system recognises and enables LGBT people to achieve their full potential, so they contribute fully to society and lead fulfilled lives, thus benefiting society as a whole.

Trans Week of Awareness is observed from 13th-19th November. It’s a week to celebrate the achievements and contributions of trans people. The end of Trans Week of Awareness is marked by the Trans Day of Remembrance on November 20th. This year there are a number of events happening in the United Kingdom and throughout November to raise awareness of trans issues.

How to talk (and listen) to transgender people - Jackson Bird

Dementia-friendly screenings create a slice of normal life for people living with dementia, a chance to experience film in a relaxed and supported environment. Cinemas across the UK are providing screenings throughout the year, but World Alzheimer’s Month is an opportunity to highlight these events.

Dementia-friendly screenings are sometimes called relaxed screenings, though these can also be suitable for people with multiple sensory sensitivities or different conditions such as autism spectrum disorder or learning disabilities.

Screenings are adapted to make the environment more suitable for people living with dementia. Sometimes, simple adaptations can be enough for someone to experience a slice of ordinary life and enjoy a cinema experience with their companions.

Find out more about running dementia-friendly screenings here or check out the downloads on this page.

20+ resources for National Coming Out Day

Held October 11th in most countries and October 12th in the United Kingdom, National Coming Out Day was started in 1988 as a way for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community to speak out about issues that concern them and their supporters. There are an overwhelming amount of support resources on the Web … More

Key information and statistics on sight loss in the UK

What are the main causes of blindness in adults? Age-related macular degeneration is by far the leading cause of blindness in adults. Other significant causes of sight loss are glaucoma, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. How many people have sight loss in the UK? Every day 250 people start to lose their sight in the UK. As of … More

Sight loss data tool

The  RNIB’s Sight Loss Data Tool is the UK’s biggest collection of eye health datasets. The product collates a wide range of publically available datasets and allows users to view local area data easily in one of three different automated reports. The full report tells a tailored story about the local area; custom tables allow … More

[VID] How to engage new young audiences in experiencing theatre

To encourage new young audiences to experience theatre, the Arts Council’s A Night Less Ordinary scheme in association with Metro offered over half a million (618,000) free theatre tickets to anyone under 26 at more than 200 venues throughout England. In this video Jane Finnis, Culture 24, Jake Orr, www.ayoungertheatre.com, Susan Whiddington, Mousetrap Theatre Projects … More