The organisers of Walthamstow Trans Pride on why they’ve launched the Community Solidarity Fund, a pot of money raised locally for local trans people
What can you get for a tenner these days? A teeny, tiny pastry from a fancy bakery? 1.3 pints? All decent options, but maybe a little steep. What about doing something more meaningful with it instead?
If you feel like ten quid doesn’t go quite as far as it used to in London, Walthamstow Trans Pride has good news: it can still make a real difference in your community.
The borough’s fastest-growing party is back for 2026 with the usual dose of celebration and solidarity. This Saturday (24th October) will see the Walthamstow Trades Hall play host to another day-and-nighter, with live acts, craft stalls, and all-round trans joy. This year, though, we’re kicking things up a notch. The focus, this time, is on reciprocal care, sharing resources, and practical support.
It’s been another brutal year for trans people. The attack on trans people is constant, systemic and violent. We’ve protested. We’ve marched. We’ve spoken out. And we’ll keep doing all of those things. But solidarity has to be material too.
With this rallying call in mind, WTP has announced a new Community Solidarity Fund, a pot of money raised by the community, for the community.
In previous years, Walthamstow Trans Pride has partnered with The Outside Project, a London-wide collective offering services for LGBTIQ+ people who feel marginalised by societal structures around home and shelter. This year, however, the emphasis is on direct, local action. WTP are calling on the borough’s businesses and residents to become Local Champions by donating, raising awareness, and standing with Walthamstow’s trans+ residents at a crucial time.
Fundraising is now underway, with the aim of beginning to distribute support in 2027. How many people the fund can help, and how much support it can provide, will depend on how much is raised.
From kicking the EDL out of Waltham Forest in 2012, to 2024’s counterprotest against the Far Right, Walthamstow has a proud recent history of standing up for threatened or marginalised residents. The Solidarity Fund is the latest chance to show bigoted groups that Walthamstow stands together. It is a practical response to the unique threats and hostilities faced by trans+ people at a particularly dangerous moment.
Following a Supreme Court ruling, trans people face being excluded from toilets, changing rooms, and other everyday spaces. Trans young people are being denied access to puberty blockers that are still prescribed to other children.
Some trans adults are finding their regular hormone prescriptions suddenly withdrawn after years of treatment, while others face NHS waiting lists of over eight years for a first appointment. WTP hopes to reinforce and strengthen Walthamstow’s reputation for protecting and championing its LGBTIQ+ residents at a time when one group is under particular attack.
In May, Waltham Forest Green Party won an overall majority in the council, making Waltham Forest the first Green Party-led council in London. This month, they threw their support behind Walthamstow Trans Pride. Now, the group is asking the broader community to do the same.
Local businesses are already answering that call, generously donating prizes for a community raffle to raise money for the Solidarity Fund. It’s a brilliant show of support from Waltham Forest’s independent businesses, and we hope even more will get involved.
Give what you can. Raise what you can. Ask your friends, your workplace, your neighbours to do the same. Help us turn the solidarity we know exists in Waltham Forest into real, material support for our trans+ neighbours when they need it.
Getting involved couldn’t be easier. The simplest way is to make a one-off donation, however big or small. You can also become a Trans Pride Champion, organising a collection at work or bringing friends and neighbours together for a fundraiser, with a welcome pack to help you get started. Or buy a ticket for the community raffle, with prizes donated by local independent businesses. Every contribution helps build the pot and means more support for trans+ people in Waltham Forest.
To donate visit this website
Read more: Walthamstow Trans Pride to return for third triumphant edition
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