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Reflecting on 2025

  • Writer: Heather Paterson
    Heather Paterson
  • 1 day ago
  • 10 min read

As 2025 comes to a close, I’m taking a moment to look back on a year that challenged and inspired me in equal measure. In my roles as Head of Partnerships & Development at Consortium of LGBT+ Voluntary and Community Organisations , Chair at Proud Changemakers, and LGBTQ+ columnist at Exposed Magazine, I’ve worn a variety of hats. So here in the tradition of the "wrapped" style end of year posts are some of my highlights from the past 12 months.


January


January saw the official launch of the book "Relational Practice: New Approaches to Mental Health and Wellbeing in Schools" in which I co-authored the chapter "Supporting neurodiverse LGBTQ+ students to thrive" with Carol Fordham. As part of the launch I delivered a session at The University of Sheffield on LGBTQ+ and Neurodiversity. 

I also completed my final session as a Steering Group member for the Queer Futures 2 project, a large national UK study, which took place across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, over the course of three years to identify and evaluate early intervention mental health support and services for LGBTQ+ young people.


As we moved towards registering as a charity, the month ended with a podcast for Proud Changemakers, Proudcast: Meet Our First Ever Trustees! where I chatted with my fellow trustees Amy Walton, Carrie Lyell and Leah Milner-Campbell about our mission of celebrating and elevating LGBTQIA+ people and stories.


February


In February, during LGBT History Month, I was back on the podcast, this time with TUC regional secretary Dave Pike talking about the history of queer activism and the role of trade unions with Fiona Moorcroft.


That month I also tried something completely new and released my first charity single “You Can’t Spell Stonewall Without The T” raising funds for GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD Law) to support their fight back against Trump’s anti-LGBTQ+ executive orders. Releasing new tracks through the year this then became the album "GLAD: Love Always Wins".


March


In March I joined SAYiT Sheffield and current CEO Nicola Fearnley-Hill for their 25th anniversary celebrations at the OEC Sheffield. It was also a pleasure to also catch up again with Jayne Dunn and Dave Pike.


Later that month I headed across to Belfast with Consortium of LGBT+ Voluntary and Community Organisations CEO Paul Roberts to celebrate a combined 100 year anniversary of LGBTQ+ support and advocacy in Northern Ireland from Cara -Friend, The Rainbow Project - Northern Ireland and HERe NI. 


Then to mark Women's History Month, I joined a panel of inspirational LGBTQ+ women activists for "All Together, One at a Time", a SAYiT Sheffield at Sheffield Central Library talking about our experiences of activism through the decades.


I also recognised that it is a tough time to be queer and working in the LGBTQ+ sector in the UK and I am usually the worst person for taking my own advice around self care - so I joined Leeds LGBT+ Community Consortium Art Club that I have continued attending throughout the year to make me take a little me time to do something fun and creative. These are a few of my creations from those sessions.


April


In April following the Supreme Court FWS ruling, I started what I didn't realise at the time was going to grow into such a large (and still ongoing) project listing and mapping all of the protests and trans supportive actions in response to the ruling.


One of my proudest moments this year was in April, when Proud Changemakers achieved official charitable status. This was more than a legal milestone; it marked how far we’ve come since launching in 2023. We’ve gone from a small volunteer initiative to a Charity Commission-registered CIO, with a new board of trustees and a strategic plan for the future. As Chair, I’ve been thrilled to see our team grow and to help amplify marginalised voices in the charity sector. We’ve built platforms where LGBTQIA+ charity professionals connect, support each other, and campaign for change. This progress has been a team effort, and it’s affirmed my belief in what a passionate grassroots team can achieve.


May


And continuing the year of anniversary events - In May I had the glad rags back on to join James Laley celebrating the 5th anniversary of Rainbow Blades, Sheffield United Football Club's LGBTQ+ supporters group.


This year I also continued speaking up publicly whenever I could. In May, I was honored to return to the stage at Sheffield’s International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) event, this time as a guest speaker (in my role as Chair of Proud Changemakers) rather than host. Standing in front of a crowd of allies and community members, I felt that familiar mix of anger at the injustices we still face and hope from our solidarity. There’s something powerful about coming together on IDAHOBIT – a reminder that even as our rights are being challenged, we are not alone and we are not backing down.


June


In June I was incredibly proud to be listed alongside great company as one of the awardees in the WE CREATE SPACE Awards 2025 in the Policy & Advocacy Impact category.


July


In more musical activity in July I joined forces with Steel City Sapphics to run an event for women and non binary folk, where I DJed, raising funds for Sheffield LGBTQ+ youth charity SAYiT Sheffield (where I was formerly CEO). We have continued running events through the year - our next disco will be in February details tbc.


I also DJed Mad Pride Sheffield 2025, a DIY grassroots psych survivor led group event celebrating the identity culture and history of people labelled as 'mentally ill' or 'mad', challenging discrimination and speaking up for their rights.


In July, I also had the chance to share some of my insights on inclusive leadership. I wrote an article for the Association of Chairs about “The chair’s role in elevating diverse perspectives”, reflecting on how we at Proud Changemakers ensure that lived experiences shape our board’s decisions and culture. I discussed practical steps like recruiting trustees with lived experience and creating safe, inclusive boardrooms where all stories are heard. Putting those thoughts on paper made me reflect on my own growth – a few years ago I never imagined I’d be advising others on governance! It also reminded me that leadership is a learning journey; I’ve been both a mentor and a student this year. (On that note, I quietly continued working toward a management qualification in my “spare” time – one of my personal growth goals is to never stop learning how to do better.)


August


In August I joined the independent panel for accrEDIted™ from The EDI Mark C.I.C. - The only impartial Equality, Diversity & Inclusion accreditation to comprehensively cover all protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010.


September


In September I was named in Membership World’s Top 100 Most Influential Membership Professionals 2025.


October


In October I presented at GiveOut's City for LGBT+ live crowdfunding event, securing vital funds for an LGBT+ Fund Grassroots Resilience fund that will launch in 2026.

I also headed up to Gateshead representing Consortium of LGBT+ Voluntary and Community Organisations at ReportOUT's #SaferToBeMe Summit and signing of the Newcastle-Gateshead Declaration.


December


Now here we are in December. I’ll be honest: reaching the end of 2025 is a relief in some ways – it’s been a full year! Just this month, I headed down to Eastleigh to attend Beyond Reflections Fundraising Ball and Trans+ Allies Celebration Event and was surprised with a recognition I never expected: I was named runner-up for the Paul Draycott Award for Trans Allies. I don’t do this work for awards, but I won’t lie, that one felt especially meaningful. Supporting my trans siblings is something I care about deeply, so to be acknowledged as a good ally (and by a trans-led organisation I respect) was touching and reaffirming. It’s really our community being honoured through that award – all the folks who choose love over hate every day. Standing on that stage, I was struck by how many amazing people are out there fighting the good fight. It was the perfect note to end the year on, reminding me that for all the challenges we face, we also have so much strength, resilience and real positive change happening at the community level.


These are the edited highlights from my camera reel so gives a bit of a misleading picture of what the majority of my work and activism looks like day to day, that mostly looks like this - sat at my computer in my spare room, writing, studying, having a lot of Teams meetings and replying to emails with my little dog Princess sat next to me keeping me company. The pictures might not be as exciting, but this is what some of my most important work looks like behind the scenes.


I have continued writing the monthly LGBTQ+ column for Exposed Magazine throughout the year (having now done so for over 10 years!) highlighting the wonderful variety of queer groups and events across Sheffield.


I have also had the pleasure of being on the Steering Group for the Queer Musical Storytelling project, creatively exploring queer life, love & the law in Bradford and Sheffield.

Alongside all of this I have been continuing my studies working on my Level 7 Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership with KnowledgeBrief which I am due to complete in mid 2026.


I have also spent more time than is probably healthy on social media. Following the growing anti-LGBTQ+ hostility and policy updates on other platforms making them unsafe for queer and marginalised people to engage with we saw a mass exodus from X/Meta - resulting in many groups and individuals losing community connections and reach that they had built over years impacting their ability to share news, challenge harmful narratives, promote campaigns and fundraise. In response I made it my one-woman mission to build the largest platform I could on Bluesky and use it to amplify queer and marginalised voices. (If you have something you want to share drop me a message and I'll happily give it a boost).


Looking back, I won’t pretend that juggling these roles and projects was easy. There were definitely moments of exhaustion and times I questioned if I was doing enough or doing things right. The political and social headwinds against LGBTQ+ people have been strong – from regressive policies to hostile media – and like many of us, I felt that weight. Working, volunteering, and simply existing as a queer person in the current climate can be exhausting, as I noted last year, and that held true in 2025. But more than anything, this year has reaffirmed why this work matters. Every challenge was met with a community coming together. Every time something hateful happened, there were more of us responding with love and action. I’m incredibly grateful for the colleagues, friends, and partners who have been part of this journey – the Consortium of LGBT+ Voluntary and Community Organisations team, the Proud Changemakers family (special shout-out to our CEO and founder Luca Straker , whose vision started it all), the Exposed Magazine crew, and so many others. None of the achievements I’ve listed were solo endeavors; they were collective victories.


As I reflect on 2025’s ups and downs, I’m feeling a cautious optimism for the year ahead. My hope for 2026 is simple: that we continue turning solidarity into tangible progress. For Proud Changemakers, that means building on our new charity status to launch some exciting initiatives – we plan to open up individual memberships and roll out webinars and events to help more charities become truly LGBTQIA+ inclusive. At Consortium of LGBT+ Voluntary and Community Organisations , I’m looking forward to entering our new strategic period and forging new partnerships that bring resources to grassroots LGBT+ groups who need them, especially as funding in our sector grows scarcer. And as a writer and advocate, I’ll keep using my voice – whether on the page or in person – to highlight the stories that need to be heard. 


On a personal note, I’ll also be focusing on balance. One of my intentions for 2026 is to make a bit more time for rest and recharge (hold me to this, please!). I know that to sustain our activism and work, we also need to take care of ourselves and each other. Over the holidays I’m looking forward to spending time with loved ones, recharging my batteries, and reflecting on how I can show up even better in the new year.


If 2025 taught me anything, it’s that even in tough times we can find moments of joy, and even in victory we must stay humble and keep pushing forward. I’m heading into 2026 with a heart full of gratitude and determination. There will undoubtedly be new challenges ahead – that’s the reality of the world we live in – but I truly believe we can meet them together.


Thank You: To everyone who’s been a part of my 2025 – whether you collaborated with me on a project, read one of my columns, attended an event, or even sent a supportive message – thank you. You remind me why this work is worth it. I’m continuously inspired by the LGBTQ+ community and our allies. We have so much work left to do, but we also have an amazing network of people ready to do it.


Here’s to a hopeful, healthy, and empowering 2026 for all of us. 🌈 Happy New Year – and let’s keep making change, together.


And a (non-exhaustive - sorry to anyone I've missed) list of just some of the wonderful people I have had the pleasure of working with this year, who continue to inspire and motivate me every day. Thankyou all for being wonderful and I hope you all have a restful and joyful holiday season to end the year.


 
 
 

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