Promoting and supporting diversity in the countryside

There are thousands of LGBTQ+ people living, working and contributing to rural communities. We want to celebrate them and to start a conversation about diversity, equality and inclusion in the countryside

We want to demonstrate that the countryside and rural careers can be vibrant, tolerant and welcoming places for everyone irrespective of gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

Our aims are simple.

We want to help LGBTQ+ people to be open about their sexuality and to live authentic lives in their community. We want to show that embracing our differences doesn’t only make life more colourful, it can also bring success and resilience to communities and rural enterprise.

We are doing this by giving a voice to LGBTQ+ people and their allies

We want rural organisations, colleges and businesses to make it known that they are welcoming places for LGBTQ+ people. We all rely on the countryside for our food and well-being and everyone in society should feel equally welcome within it. The current challenges – to restore and protect biodiversity, to reduce pollution and to provide healthy food – require us to attract and retain the best and brightest people to work in rural areas. Diversity leads to a better and more imaginative working and learning environment; different perspectives bring more productive outcomes.

We invite organisations to join us in this simple mission – ‘We stand against prejudice and support rural diversity, inclusion and enablement’ – and to use our logo as a symbol of their support

Our Pledge

We stand against prejudice and support rural LGBTQ+ diversity, inclusion and enablement.

Elizabeth ElcoateHome