We're Still Here!
We're Still Here! is a a groundbreaking Queer Heritage Project ran by Abingdon Studios, discovering and sharing the hidden heritage of LGBTQIA+ people in Blackpool, made possible through National Lottery Heritage Funding and working in partnership with Grundy Art Gallery and Showtown.
The project began as an oral histories archive and formed our first public realm exhibition of photographic works by Stuart Linden-Rhodes documenting LGBTQIA+ nightlife.
This phase of the project will see us hosting a vibrant programme of events, including our History Clubs, throughout 2026-27 to celebrate Blackpool’s LGBTQIA+ community and create an archive of Queer Blackpool Stories, with some of the shared items featuring in our major exhibitions taking place at Grundy Art Gallery and Showtown in Blackpool in 2027.
Abingdon Studios
Abingdon Studios (ABS) is a flagship contemporary visual arts studio and producing organisation based in the heart of Blackpool. Simply put, we believe in Artists Being Supported. Providing permanent artist studios and a public project space for testing and exhibiting new work, ABS develops and delivers ambitious independent and co-commissioned projects in partnership with galleries, museums, consortium networks and partners. We are proud to have supported 150+ artists to date.
Over 60% of our programme has prioritised LGBTQIA+ artists, creativity and development opportunities. Our projects include We’re Still Here!, a National Lottery Heritage Fund–supported initiative establishing Blackpool’s first permanent LGBTQIA+ arts and heritage archive; Work/Leisure, our artist residency and development programme; and tailored sector development support and bursaries enabling artists to present work locally, regionally and nationally. ABS champions high-quality, cross-artform contemporary practice, creating the conditions for artists to experiment, collaborate and reach new audiences in Blackpool and beyond.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.