Libraries to host Proud Patches events for LGBT+ History Month

Clare Sams, textiles artist and Suffolk Libraries’ Environmentalist in Residence, will be hosting free sustainable stitching workshops at Ipswich Library and Beccles Library to celebrate LGBT+ History Month this month.

Clare will be showing people how to make a range of colourful patches using recycled materials, including pronoun badges, flag patches and lots more.

Clare has also helped to support staff at Lowestoft Library to run a sustainable stitching workshop. The Proud Patches workshops are taking place as follows:

• Ipswich County Library (suitable for ages 10+) – Saturday 3 February
• Lowestoft Library (suitable for ages 12+) – Saturday 17 February
• Beccles Library (suitable for ages 12+) – Saturday 24 February

Suffolk Libraries has an active group of staff who work across the organisation to create inclusive, diverse and safe spaces across the county. The group aims to enhance the understanding of LGBTQIA+ issues and ensure that everyone, whether a staff member or customer, can feel safe and welcome in library spaces.

Suffolk Libraries has been involved in previous Suffolk Pride events and also stocks a variety of fiction and non-fiction books with LGBT+ themes for all ages.

Ellie Hart, Library and Information Advisor at Ipswich County Library, has helped to organise one of the events. They said:

“Hosting events like this to commemorate LGBTQ+ History Month are vital for keeping the LGBTQ+ community in the public eye and showing we’re supporting them! Events like this would have been really important to me growing up as a queer kid in rural Suffolk and I love that I am able to help provide them now I'm 22.”