Online LGBT+ heritage project seeks volunteers

The Queer Norfolk website features photographs, posters and news cuttings about the county's LGBT+ community

On online project documenting a county's LGBT+ history is looking for more volunteers and contributions.

The Queer Norfolk website has launched, showcasing objects stored away in museums and archives that told the story of the county's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender past.

Adam Baker, who is running the project voluntarily, has put almost 100 items online.

But he said: "We'd really like to get a lot more digitised, so we're really keen for people to volunteer."

Adam Baker has been putting the items on the website and digitising the archive

The project also wants more items, including photographs, that tell Norfolk's LGBT+ past.

Some of the items found in the archives date back to the 1700s and artefacts from over the years included posters, leaflets, magazines, mugs, T-shirts and trinkets.

Mr Baker said: "The queer community, a lot of people might say it's a new thing and it's only been around for the last 20, 30 years but the roots go back much further than that and that's something we've really found with this project."

He said the archives had revealed people from the Victorian period "leading LGBT lives".

People in Norfolk have been asked to to contribute items for the collection

The scheme has been supported by the charity Norwich Pride and Norfolk Heritage Centre, which has a Norfolk LGBTQ+ collection that has been developed over several years..

Rachel Ridealgh, from the heritage centre, said as well as digitising items the project needed help with promoting the website and supporting events.

"It's a great project to be part of," she said.