When Issy moved to Penzance, Cornwall, in the Spring of 2023, she knew no one. To get to know people, she created a ‘Queer Book Club’. What started as a monthly meet up for LGBTQIA+ people in Cornwall to meet and get excited about books, quickly became a burgeoning collective of people wanting to organise, create joy and find spaces to be their authentic selves.
The Penwith Queer Collective (PQC) was formed, with the aim to create these things in West Cornwall, a part of the Duchy often forgotten in inclusion initiatives. A WhatsApp Community was formed, weekly coffee meet ups started, collaborations with local artists formed, beach BBQs were organised, Queer Jam Sessions began, people started swimming together and going to the cinema.
After a year of building the PQC, in 2024 Issy stepped back from her organising role to pursue other things. The PQC functions on a volunteer and donation basis, with a group of wonderful people facilitating and organising the various activities. The WhatsApp Community still has over 200 users communicating across the group chats, and two years later, the Queer Book Club is still meeting every month. People from over an hour away travel each month to be a part of it.
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