Press Release: New members boost for Croydon gay group

22 November 2006

Croydon Area Gay Society (CAGS) has seen a dramatic increase in its membership – current numbers are up 35 per cent on the same time a year ago.

David Page, Chair of CAGS, said “It’s very encouraging that we are increasing our numbers at a time when a number of groups have been struggling. I’m particularly happy that we’ve increased our female membership. We’re now the only voluntary group serving lesbian and gay people in the Croydon area, and aim to provide a welcoming and supportive environment, particularly for those lesbian and gay people who are not keen on the commercial gay scene. We’re planning a number of new activities during the winter months, to ensure that our new members get their money’s worth”

Ross Burgess, membership secretary, said “Some of our new members have come from the Croydon LGBT Forum, which sadly closed in the summer. But we’ve also attracted new people from various other sources, including our very successful tennis group, our presence at Pride festivals in London and Brighton, social events such as parties and days out, and particularly by word of mouth. But we’re still far from reflecting the makeup of Croydon’s gay community as a whole, and would very much welcome more women, more young people, and more people from ethnic minorities.”

Anyone interested in hearing more about CAGS is invited to phone David on 020 8686 1550 or Geoff on 020 8651 0292, or look at the CAGS web site, www.cags.org.uk.

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For more information on this press release, e-mail info@cags.org.uk.