Herefordshire Pride to apply for venue lottery funding
A Herefordshire group is applying for lottery funding to set up a place for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people to meet regularly.
Herefordshire Pride wants to set up a dedicated venue for the LGBT community in Hereford.
Char Carter, of Pride, said it wanted to provide "a safe environment" for the LGBT community and a place where people and their families can get support.
The group aims to apply for between £50,000 and £100,000.
Ms Carter, who chairs Herefordshire Pride, said the group was first gathering names on two petitions so it could show the level of support for the project before applying for funding.
'Without feeling hassled'
"There's nowhere for people to go," she said.
"It's the case that we need a safe venue, a regular place where people can walk in off the street without feeling hassled about it and where people can get the information they need."
She added a monthly meeting, which was held at The Courtyard arts centre in Hereford, was going to end.
She understood there was about 5,000 LGBT people in Herefordshire who could benefit from a dedicated venue.
Ms Carter said the aim was to create a centre which had an office and ran social events, including a bar which would eventually help fund the premises.