Lochaber Pride: Working Away Behind the Scenes

While things may seem a little quiet on the surface, we wanted to let everyone know that we are very much hard at work behind the scenes at Lochaber Pride.

At the moment, we are deep into funding application season. Securing funding is essential if we want to continue delivering events, activities and support across Lochaber, but it takes a huge amount of time, effort and paperwork. It is not always the most exciting part of running a Pride organisation, but it is one of the most important, and we are working hard to build a sustainable future for Lochaber Pride.

Over the summer and early autumn, we have also been out and about attending a number of local outreach events, including the Morvern Games and Gala, the Sunart Show and the UHI Fort William Freshers' Fayre.

Why is this important? Visibility matters. Every conversation, every friendly face at a stall and every opportunity to share information helps create a more inclusive Lochaber. It lets LGBTQ+ people know they are welcome, valued and supported in our communities. It also helps us connect with allies, build understanding and encourage people to get involved with what we are doing.

And that brings us to one of our biggest challenges.

We desperately need volunteers.

There is so much we want to do. We have ideas for events, community projects, outreach activities and support initiatives, but the reality is that we simply do not have enough people to make everything happen. Whether you can spare a few hours a month or would like to take on a more regular role, we would be incredibly grateful for any help you can offer. Volunteering does not have to be a huge commitment, and every contribution makes a difference.

If you have ever thought about getting involved, now is the perfect time. Please get in touch. We would love to hear from you.

Looking ahead, our next event will be our Post-Christmas and New Year Bash. We are hoping to return to the Nevis Centre for another bowling event, which was great fun last time around. We will share more details as soon as everything is confirmed.

We are also pleased to confirm that we have set a date for next year's Pride event. One exciting change is that it will be held on a Saturday, making it easier for more people to attend and take part.

We are also putting a lot of thought into making next year's Pride march even more impactful and visible. We have some exciting ideas in development, but we will keep those under wraps for now until plans are finalised.

For now, we would like to wish everyone a fantastic Halloween.

Thank you for your continued support and belief in what we are trying to achieve across Lochaber.

We will be back in touch very soon with more updates.