Be You and LGBT Quality Marks: A Guide for Blackpool Businesses
How bars, hotels, shops, surgeries and youth groups in Blackpool can become genuinely LGBTQ+ welcoming, and get recognised for it.
LGBTQ+ visitors and residents are a huge part of Blackpool's economy and community. They notice which businesses make them feel welcome, and they tell their friends. Blackpool now has three ways for an organisation to show it takes LGBTQ+ inclusion seriously: the Be You Business Quality Mark, the Be You Youth Provider Quality Mark and the long-running county-wide LGBT Quality Mark. This guide explains each one, who it's for and how to get started.
Which mark is right for you?
| If you are... | Look at... |
|---|---|
| A bar, club, restaurant, café, hotel, guesthouse or shop | Be You Business Quality Mark |
| A youth club, sports club or organisation working with young people | Be You Youth Provider Quality Mark |
| A charity, GP surgery, college, care provider, solicitor, counsellor or funeral director | County LGBT Quality Mark |
Some organisations hold more than one.
The Be You Business Quality Mark
What it is
The Be You Business Quality Mark is part of Blackpool's Be You programme for the Rainbow Quarter. It certifies bars, clubs, restaurants, eateries, hotels and retail spaces that offer a safe, welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ customers and staff. It was developed by the council's public health team together with the LGBTQ+ health charity based on Dickson Road.
How it works
- Your business completes an audit against the mark's standards.
- Once you pass, you receive an introductory pack, including a Be You window graphic to display, so visitors can see at a glance that you're a welcoming place.
- Accredited businesses help visitors and residents identify safe, welcoming spaces across the town, not just in the quarter.
How to apply
Contact the council's public health team or the LGBTQ+ health charity at 102 Dickson Road (01253 311431, enquiries@ren-uk.com) to ask for the audit.
The Be You Youth Provider Quality Mark
This mark recognises organisations that actively support LGBTQ+ young people and build inclusion into their services. It is led by a Fylde coast youth work organisation that also runs Youth Pride, and its framework is being shaped by a young LGBTQ+ social action group, so young people themselves help decide what good looks like. Email socialaction@uyacic.org to register interest.
The county LGBT Quality Mark
What it is
The county LGBTQ+ charity's LGBT Quality Mark measures how well an organisation meets the needs of LGBTQ+ service users, volunteers and staff. It was introduced in 2015, building on an earlier LGBT charter mark, and is open to:
- voluntary and community organisations
- public sector bodies, including GP surgeries in Blackpool and across Lancashire
- some private organisations, such as solicitors, private care homes, counsellors and funeral directors
The scheme is currently being reviewed, so ask about the latest process.
The process
- Submit an assessment. It isn't an exam and you don't simply pass or fail.
- If you don't yet meet all the essential criteria, you're awarded Working Towards status, valid for up to two years, with a tailored action plan.
- Make the changes. These may include updating key policies. In larger organisations, getting policies signed off can take time.
- Receive the full Quality Mark, valid for three years.
- Renew with a short review, which checks you've kept up with changes in law and good practice. There may be a small renewal fee.
What you get
- a named contact at the charity for advice
- updates on legislation and good practice
- resources and practical support
- the right to use the Quality Mark logo on your website, email signatures and publicity
Call the charity's office on 07788 295521 to start.
Who holds it in Blackpool
Holders on the Fylde coast include Blackpool and The Fylde College and Blackpool Sixth Form College, the first further education colleges in the county to gain the mark (2021); GP practices including Adelaide Street Family Practice, St Paul's Medical Centre, South King Street Medical Centre and Glenroyd Medical Practice, with Elizabeth Street Surgery working towards it; the advocacy charity Empowerment; the youth organisation that runs the town's LGBT youth groups; and the Dickson Road health charity.
Getting your business ready: practical steps
Whichever mark you go for, these steps make a real difference and will help when you're assessed.
People and training
- Train your team. The county LGBTQ+ charity offers one-hour "Lunch and Learn" sessions on terminology and workplace inclusion, two-hour bespoke LGBTQ+ awareness sessions, a three-hour CPD-accredited trans and gender identity awareness course, and CPD-accredited LGBTQ+ mental health awareness training. Sessions can be online or in person.
- Name an inclusion lead who keeps policies up to date.
- Back your staff. Make sure LGBTQ+ staff know that discrimination and harassment from customers or colleagues will be dealt with.
Policies
- Include sexual orientation and gender identity in your equality and anti-harassment policies.
- Have a clear approach to trans customers and staff, including names, pronouns and facilities.
- Record complaints and act on them.
Your space
- Display your Quality Mark, and make it clear in your marketing that everyone is welcome.
- For hotels and guesthouses, treat every couple the same at check-in, whatever their genders.
- Consider gender-neutral toilets where possible.
Safety (especially for licensed venues)
The Be You action plan encourages venues in the quarter to join:
- Pub Watch and, for accommodation, Hotel Watch
- Ask for Angela, so customers who feel unsafe can ask staff for help discreetly
- bystander training for staff, and the planned venue safety accreditation
- the safer taxi scheme
Community
- Support Pride and the Rainbow Quarter Street Party, run with more than 20 local businesses.
- Take part in the Rainbow Weekend fundraiser in February or the Decorate the Town window competition.
- Join the local business group, which is a lead partner in the Be You programme and gives you a direct route to raise issues with the council.
Why it's worth it
In its first two years, the Be You programme reported 52 new jobs and 15 new LGBTQ+ venues, with nearly 30 LGBTQ+-friendly venues across the town. LGBTQ+ visitors have plenty of choice, and a visible, credible commitment to welcome helps you stand out.
Schemes and contacts can change, so check the latest details before you apply.