A SOCIAL group for gay and transgender people in Keighley is offering grants to groups and businesses that have helped its members.

Keighley LGBTQ Group has found itself with surplus money after Covid-19 caused the cancellation of its planned activities and trips.

The members will instead spend the money supporting organisations that have freely given support to them over the past 12 months.

Group spokesman Helen Hallam said: “We’ve had some help over the past couple of years from local businesses and organisations, so now we want to help those who have helped us.”

Examples include Keighley Film Club, which has discussed screening films of interest to the LGBTQ community, and another organisation that provided a free venue for the group’s fundraising event.

Keighley LGBTQ Group has 34 registered members aged 18 and over, with about 30 attending activities regularly.

It has a face-to-face meeting once a month at Keighley Healthy Living, along with information days, and social events such as pantomime trips.

Each year the group also takes part in Pride events in Manchester, Leeds and Calderdale, but most if not all of this summer’s Prides have been cancelled.

The group usually spends some of its funds on supporting members’ attendance at such events.

Helen said: “We decided that if we couldn’t do our Prides or socialising, and this is a very difficult time for small businesses and groups, we thought ‘let’s help where we can’.”

The group has £1,000 to give away, but the size of each grant will be depend how many organisations its committee decides to support.

Helen said the group had itself tried unsuccessfully over the years to apply for grants, and had subsequently become self funding, paying its own rent for the regular activities.

The LGBTQ group, whose letters stand for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer, was set up about eight years ago, and was originally part of the Equity Partnership, a charity supporting the LGBTQ+ community across the district.

In recent years the group became independent, predominantly organising social activities. Email lgbtkeighley@gmail.com to nominate a business or group.