Celebrations as Blackpool officially launches Be Who You Want To Be
Blackpool officially launches its Be Who You Want To Be initiative at Central Library, with music, a school choir and speeches looking back and forward.
Archived news: 8 February 2024, as reported by the Blackpool Gazette.
On 8 February 2024 Blackpool celebrated the official launch of its Be Who You Want To Be initiative with an event at Central Library on Queen Street, in the heart of the quarter. There was music, a performance by the Westminster Primary School choir, and speeches about how far the town had come and the hardships of the past.
Who spoke
- One of the people who built the scene from the 1970s backed the strategy, recalling how licences were once refused to gay applicants.
- Carolyn Mercer, a former headteacher of Highfield High School, spoke about her own experience as a transgender woman.
- Council leader Lynn Williams and cabinet member Jo Farrell spoke for the council.
- The Renaissance charity, a key partner, was represented too.
A safe haven for all
The initiative builds on the cluster of LGBTQ+-friendly bars, venues and guest houses around Queen Street, Springfield Road, Banks Street, Dickson Road and Lord Street, north of the town centre. Rather than putting a label on the area, it carries a motto meant for everyone: Be Who You Want To Be. Speakers described it as an inclusive safe haven for all.
What the plan promised
The action plan, approved by the council's executive in January 2024, focuses on:
- safer streets, through CCTV and community policing;
- better lighting;
- more greenery;
- bringing investment into the Claremont area.
The online consultation behind it drew 269 responses and more than 3,000 comments, raising issues from support for businesses and access to health care to making more use of cultural assets like the Grundy Art Gallery.
What came next
The rainbow crossings on Dickson Road followed in March 2024, and new lighting, CCTV, street signs and planters over the next two years. See the Be You programme.