We're Still Here!
An artist-led project building Blackpool's first permanent collection of LGBTQ+ heritage, with oral histories, a history club and exhibitions.
We're Still Here! is Blackpool's most important LGBTQ+ heritage project. Led by artists at Abingdon Studios and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, it is building the town's first permanent collection of LGBTQIA+ heritage, so that the stories of the people who lived it are not lost.
What they offer
- Oral histories. The project trains volunteer oral-history champions and records memories of activism, family, love, work, nightlife and the costume and dress of a showbiz town. Recordings are published online.
- History Club. A free, 18+ series of talks and conversations. In 2026 it explored a local photographer's archive of the town's early 1990s gay scene and marked 20 years of Blackpool Pride, with people invited to bring their own photos and memories.
- Exhibitions. The project's 2022 pilot included an outdoor photography exhibition at the Grundy Art Gallery that reached more than 10,000 people.
Coming up
Two exhibitions are planned for 2027, at the Grundy Art Gallery and Showtown, running from around February to June. They mark 20 years of Blackpool Pride and coincide with 60 years since the 1967 Sexual Offences Act and 40 years since Section 28. Exact dates are still to be confirmed.
How to get involved
- Share your story or objects if you have memories of LGBTQ+ life in Blackpool.
- Volunteer as an oral-history champion.
- Come along to a History Club session.
Good to know
History Club events have been free but ticketed, so book ahead. The project began in 2021 with a sound installation at The Old Electric, now home to Electric Pink Voices rehearsals.