LGBT outdoor group aims to offer 'safe space'

Megan Atkinson said she wanted a group that was not based around bars or pubs

A woman has set up a group for LBGTQ+ people living in more rural or isolated parts of the East Midlands.

Megan Atkinson, 30, from Bottesford, Leicestershire, said many gay people, especially in smaller communities, felt as if "they are the only one".

She founded Queer Adventure Collective, designed to give people a "safe space" to meet that was not based around pubs or bars.

The group has already had a "cracking start" with successful meetings at Attenborough Nature Reserve in Nottinghamshire, and the National Space Centre near Leicester.

The group's first meeting was at Attenborough Nature Reserve

She said: "I felt there was something missing from the East Midlands particularly.

"I wanted something which wasn't focused on specifically nightlife, going out to bars and pubs.

"I've been part of outdoor groups in Devon and the Peaks, so felt a LBGTQ group more locally was missing."

The first meetings attracted a mix of people, she said, with some from Nottingham itself who wanted a more outdoor experience and others from more rural areas who had struggled to find like-minded people.

Ms Atkinson said that while benefitting from time outdoors was not particular to the gay community, she felt it was important to combine the two elements.

She said: "If you are worried about people not being so nice to you, it does make things harder.

"I think with communities like this it gives people a safe space, if they are questioning or finding things difficult.

"Whether they are trying to have children or facing mistreatment, it is good to have people around you that you can talk to.

"There are little pockets of new communities that are being made under this one big community and we are only just getting started.

"I am super excited to see where it is going to go and hopefully have a positive impact on people's lives."