New advocacy funding agreed for Leeds groups

Working together to be heard: The Advonet Group discuss advocacy with other local charities

Three Leeds-based charities have been awarded grants to help their communities be heard.

Leading Leeds-based advocacy provider The Advonet Group has announced the winners of a new initiative to fund several community projects to spread the skills of advocacy in underrepresented and diverse communities in Leeds.

Chief Executive Philip Bramson said: “We want to spread both knowledge and fresh capacity of the strength of advocacy services into communities, which often are both hard to reach and have no or a very small voice to speak up for their clients.“We are providing funding and very importantly our professional expertise to help the three successful projects,” he added.

The three projects being supported are:

• Lippy People – the money they have been awarded will support their videos, giving people from disadvantaged groups in Leeds a chance to be heard• TransLeeds – their grant will help them to expand on their existing advocacy work for transgender people in Leeds• Middle Eastern & Mediterranean Community (MEMEC) – with their funding, they will build on their current work for people in their communities

News of their success has been warmly welcomed by the communities they work with.

Peter Townson from Lippy People spoke about their delight in getting the grant.

"This funding will enable Lippy People to build on the absolutely essential advocacy work involved in the Life, Loss, Learning, Legacy (4Ls) project, working towards providing a stronger platform for storytellers to share their lived experience,” he said.

Saving lives

TransLeeds said this about what their grant could do for transgender and non-binary people in the local area.

A spokesperson added: “TransLeeds offers support and advocacy to the trans and non-binary community in Leeds and beyond.

“At a time when trans rights are under attack, trans healthcare is in crisis, and more and more people are crying out for help, the services TransLeeds provides can literally save lives.”

MEMEC were similarly ecstatic about what the grant means for them and the communities they support.

“The Middle Eastern and Mediterranean community is delighted to be one of the Advocacy Development Fund winners for the year 2023,” stated their team.

Peter Gruen, Chair of The Advonet Group, added: “I am delighted we have found an innovative way to support small and emerging advocacy partners to enrich the service to important communities here in Leeds.”

The grants and work funded by them will be vital in helping to improve access to advocacy for marginalised groups in Leeds.

It will mean them having a greater voice and better outcomes when trying to access services.

Later this year, The Advonet Group will hold a free event featuring MEMEC, TransLeeds and Lippy People.

The Advocacy Together Event will focus on how advocacy can help raise the voice of disadvantaged communities in Leeds.

It takes place on Thursday July 20, 10am-1pm at the St George’s Conference Centre. To book a place, register at https://advocacytogether.eventbrite.co.uk.