Life

“We need you”: Charity for LGBTQ+ elders launches urgent appeal to prevent closure

By Alice Morey

29th November 2023

Opening Doors, an LGBTQIA+ charity aiming to ensure no older community members feel alone, isolated or without support, has launched an urgent appeal to save itself from permanent closure.

In a plea to the public for support, the non-profit has launched a fundraiser with the goal of reaching a target of £120,000 by spring.

“Having joined just eight weeks ago as CEO, I wish I could reach out to you under brighter circumstances, but the reality is that Opening Doors is facing a crisis that we can only overcome with your help,” said Bridget Symonds, CEO, in a statement shared on the charity’s website.

“We need to raise £120,000 by spring next year, or we face the unthinkable – the possibility of closing down entirely.

“The vital lifeline we offer to older LGBTQ+ people hangs in the balance, so we’re turning to you our loyal supporters, when we need you most.”

Opening Doors is the largest charity dedicated to enriching the lives LGBTQIA+ individuals aged 50 and over in the UK and its team works tirelessly to create a “welcoming haven for LGBTQ+ seniors, offering social and cultural activities, events, and support services tailored to their unique needs,” according to its website.

More than just an organisation, it has fostered community and provides “specialist training to care homes, housing associations and hospitals,” to ensure that the individual needs of LGBTQIA+ elders are catered to and are being met.

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Every year, the charity provides a safe space for more than 2,500 LGBTQIA+ people.

“Without Opening Doors, I don’t know if I’d be here,” one of its service users wrote on the appeal page. “I’m 78 and my partner died of AIDs a few years ago and I had no one to speak to before I was connected with my befriender.”

Donations to the Opening Doors appeal can be made here.