This year, for the first time, Launchpad had a stall at Reading Pride.
King’s Meadow was bustling with crowds of people coming to show their support and celebrate the inclusivity and diversity of the LGBTQ+ community.
Alongside the brilliant fun we had during the day, it was also a chance for us to spread the word about how we support people facing homelessness.
Sadly, research shows that a high percentage of homeless people are LGBTQ+. Research from Inside House shows as many as 24% of 16-25 year olds who are homeless are LGBTQ+.
Kirsti Wilson, head of fundraising and marketing at Launchpad, said: “We had a lot of people coming to our stall taking our leaflets away. Many were young people in shared housing who were starting to get concerned about the rising cost of energy bills and how this would affect them whilst paying rent.
“Many took our contact details away in case they need to get in touch with us. We were able to talk about our free drop-in service which operates every Monday, Wednesday and Friday between 10am and 2pm.
“We hope not to see them, but it’s peace of mind for them to know that we are here and can help should the worst happen.”
Our team set up in the morning at King’s Meadow, helped by our caretakers, who are more often seen maintaining our properties and were happy to help.
Kirsti added: “Whilst there was a serious side to us being there and spreading the word about our work, we also had a great deal of fun, and our brilliant face painter was kept busy all day creating beautiful, colourful rainbow faces adorned with sparkles.”
“Many people were interested in our fundraising events this year, especially the Big Sleep Out on 8 October at Reading Abbey Ruins. We look forward to seeing more sign ups to this iconic event and can’t wait to meet our amazing fundraisers in person, especially after so long!
“The Mayor of Reading Rachel Eden, who is a huge supporter of ours, stopped by, so it was wonderful to see her and update her on what we’ve been doing over the last few months.
“The Reading Pride, Love Unites festival is such a great event for the town and Launchpad were proud to be part of it in a small way and help spread the word about the charity. We even raised over £150 on the day thanks to everyone who had their face painted, or made a donation.”