Leeds Bi Group ran from October 2014 to June 2021, providing a variety of spaces for bi+ people and allies in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
The group was founded by Emily Metcalfe at BiCon (a yearly bi+ convention) when it came to Leeds in the summer of 2021. Emily and a small group of volunteers started with a couple of meet-ups a month at MESMAC.
Over time, the volunteers changed and the group developed. At it's busiest, there were four meet ups per month: a talky space at MESMAC, a pub meet at Wharf Chambers, a café meet up at Flamingos Coffee House and board gaming at Geek Retreat.
They ran yearly events on Bi Visibility Day (23 September), in conjunction with Leeds City Council's LGBT+ Community Hub and Touchstone. They also had regular appearances at local Pride and LGBT+ events such as marching in Leeds Pride, having a regular stall at York Pride and doing outreach in Leeds City Centre with other LGBT+ community stalls.
Leeds Bi Group was a social/support group for people attracted to more than one gender
Unfortunately, the covid-19 pandemic took it's toll on the group. There was a few months pause at the beginning of the pandemic and then month virtual meet ups resumed. They even managed a virtual Bi Visibility Day event.
At the beginning of 2016, the committee called a Special AGM and the decision was made to close the group. At this point the standing committee had been in place for several years, with Emily as Chair for the full 7 years. All committee members were ready to step down. As no one who was involved as a volunteer at the time wished to step into a committee role, the group was closed.
All remaining funds were split equally between Bi's of Colour and BiCon Continuity (ringfenced for anti-racism work).
You can still watch our 2020 Bi Visibility Day event, Bi+ Voices, on YouTube. All details are here.