We’re a peer support group for queer and/or neurodivergent people based in Kirkcaldy, Fife. We’re all about connection, wellbeing and creativity.
Our purpose is to build a strong, dynamic, accessible, intersectional, inclusive, outward-looking and welcoming grassroots community of peers, that centres the needs of LGBTQIA+ people, with a particular focus on neurodivergent, trans and queer members of the local LGBTQIA+ community.
We help build relationships so that we meaningfully improve the mental health, physical health, emotional wellbeing and quality of life of our members on a long-term basis.
We collaborate with local organisations to create a hyper-local network of places where people feel safe, valued and cared for, to nurture a sense of belonging and inclusion for LGBTQIA+ people.
We offer you:
- Regular opportunities to connect in-person in Kirkcaldy, other parts of Fife, and online
- Workshops, events, activities, signposting and resources
- Opportunities to get involved, volunteer and help run events
- A community of kind creative people and a warm welcome
What to expect at a Pen Pals meeting
- To be met exactly as you are
- No pressure to join in if you’re not ready to share
- Designed by and for neurodivergent people and disabled people
- We aim to be actively inclusive, anti-homophobic, anti-transphobic, anti-racist, anti-ableist, and committed to shared values & learning
- Connection, wellbeing and creativity is at the heart of every session
Our team
We are coordinated by a volunteer management committee, and supported by our members. Currently our committee are:
- Abi (chair)
- Amy (secretary)
- Yarrow (treasurer)
Our committee are elected by our members annually at our AGM. We would love to provide support and a gentle introduction to any member who would like to coordinate our work on a more ongoing basis by joining the committee.
Our structure
We are an unincorporated association, and membership is free and open to anyone who identifies as queer and/or neurodivergent, is based in Fife, and aged 16+.
From time to time we create subcommittees which members can join, to focus on specific parts of organising – for example, an events programming committee.
If you’d like to organise or coordinate something for our members without joining the management committee, please get in touch!
Our constitution
You can read our full constitution here.
An easy read version is coming soon!
Our funding
We do most of our work on a shoestring budget, and apply for small grants when we need them. To date, our work has been financially supported by:
- The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults through Fife Voluntary Action and Scottish Government.
- The Fife Communities Climate Action Network.
- Donations.
Our story
Pen Pals began in early 2023 as a group of strangers sitting around a table, making collages and finding common ground. We were all happy to be there with people who shared our experiences, a little nervous about not knowing anyone, and relieved to discover how easy it was to join in when there wasn’t any pressure to be a certain way.
Over the months, we realised that this informal way of spending time together, getting to know people over time, being in spaces that were neurodivergent-friendly, led to really organic friendships and an authentic community that felt nourishing and supportive. It can be hard to build friendships, and Pen Pals offers space for that. We share books and music, give advice when it’s asked for, organise sea swims, help each other with applications, and support each other across different aspects of our diverse lives.
We’re a group with loads of ideas – over the past year we’ve listened to each other, learned and grown to meet the needs of our group. It’s our long-term aim to create a legacy project with Pen Pals so that others can benefit from peer support with people who just get it, for years to come.
What our members say
“As a late out queer I lacked any community and this group has given me that.”
I have felt really supported in my queerness, transness & neurodiversity. I feel that this is the first group of people I don’t have to explain myself to. I feel accepted and seen. Everyone is incredibly generous with their time & knowledge. And if I felt I needed help or support I know I would receive it here. This group is really what community is.”
As a person who’s been active in the queer community for years, my perception was that there was little to none of that in Fife. I was always running back to Edinburgh for it despite having lived in Fife for 16 years. But finding this group has helped me to feel like I’m part of Fife.
I feel that there’s so much value in being able to find a community in the place where you are. And this community is particularly valuable because it’s not just about one thing; it’s intersectional. So many other groups I’ve attended and places I’ve been active have sort of partitioned people into minority statistics: queer people here, disabled people there, immigrants to the left, people of colour to the right. Well, I’m more than one of those things, and it’s nonsense to divide me up into pieces of myself; I want a community where I can be who I am, all that I am, and that’s how I feel here.”