Our House is our flagship project. In 2019, after a decade working in the LGBTQ+ charity sector, I launched Learnest CIC alongside some brilliant people. The aim of Learnest CIC is to celebrate trans and neurodiverse people in the workplace, and put our skills to good use by giving back to our communities.

Since its inception, Learnest CIC has worked with over 150 clients to promote inclusive workplace practices and we have reinvested over £250k into LGBTQ+ initiatives. Our House Wakefield, emerged from this work and is now our flagship project.

In 2020, with funding from Prosper Wakefield, we carried out a series of workshops across Wakefield to understand the needs of the LGBTQ+ community. The feedback was clear: Wakefield needed a dedicated (and dry) LGBTQ+ space. As a trans and queer person familiar with mental health struggles, and as someone with a passion for Wakefield, I understood the importance of such a space.

In 2021, we secured our first home at 96 Kirkgate through ‘Makey Wakey’, the empty shop unit scheme ran by The Arthouse. Within a year, we welcomed over 3000 visitors through our doors, secured funding for staff, and expanded our creative programmes.

In December 2023, we learned we were losing our venue. This led to a few months of intense work and fundraising, where we were able to take stock, regroup and renew our focus for the future. Together, with a team of over 30 volunteers, I had the pleasure of building our new home from scratch.

We reopened officially in May 2024, bigger, brighter, and ready to start our new chapter as a permanent, vibrant, and inclusive space for Wakefield and West Yorkshire.

We cant wait to welcome you soon!

How are we funded?

Times are hard for everyone right now, and it costs over £28,000 per year just for us to keep the lights on at Our House. That is before our staffing costs.

Unfortunately, we don’t make enough money from our cafe sales (yet) to cover all our staffing and running costs.

We subsidise the space through the income we make via Learnest CIC, plus we apply for grants and ask those who believe in the value of our work to consider making a financial contribution towards our work.