In 1985 a small group of gay and lesbian people identified the need for more support for their communities in and around Nottingham. They started a project called the Out House to meet these needs by developing a community centre and an outreach project.

Since then many community activities have been undertaken and the search for a suitable building has been a long and tortuous one. Despite the changing social climate, the underlying need for the Out House remains. Lesbians, Gay Men and Bi-sexual people are still often invisible. They still experience exclusion and discriminations of many kinds.

The Out House aims to provide a safe inclusive space as a focus for outreach and community services. A plan for a centre on Cranbrook Street has been changed because of the difficulty in securing funds to refurbish it. Currently we are exploring options for a smaller scale community cafe. Meanwhile, our temporary office remains at 40 George Street.

The Organisation

The Out House is a membership organisation. A voluntary Management Committee, elected annually by the members, oversees all aspects of the work of the Out House Community Centre Ltd (the official name of the project).  Most of the day to day work is carried out by staff and by sub-committees. A rented office space, located in the city centre, provides base for the project.

At present, work is delegated to the following sub-committees:

• Finance
• Personnel
• Fundraising
• Volunteering