To celebrate TDOV, Sparkle are doing another Trans Family Fun Day at The Proud Place. (Sunday the 29th of March, a couple of days prior to TDOV)

At the fun day, I'm going to be running an Electronics Workshop. We're going to make games of Simon using Arduinos. And I'm aiming at an age range of 10+.

If anyone knows of any Manchester local, or UK groups that might like to sponsor the workshop (in the form of a donation to Sparkle), I'd love to hear about them/you and I'm sure we can work something out.

#TDOV2026 #sparklesanctuary #manchester

My weekend's side project is going to be Sparkle Sanctuary. I've arranged to get into the proud place a day early this time to give the kitchen a thorough scrub down, which should save us a /lot/ of time on Sunday.
Dinner service might actually be on time for once! (touch wood). We'll see!

#sparkleSanctuary

One perk of volunteering in the kitchen at #SparkleSanctuary, I get to have the leftovers for lunch for the next week!

We thought the veggie option would be a lot more popular than it was, jokes on you all! the veggie stew is delicious and its all MINE!

Sparkle Sanctuary is very different from Sparkle Weekend. It's much smaller, quieter, and aims to provide a "third space" for people in the trans community which isn't focused on alcohol. We have optional activities like quizzes and knitting and sometimes we have guest speakers, expects in their fields, to come and talk about wellness or to do a guided meditation. We're using The Proud Place, which gives us access to an industrial kitchen and lets us prepare hot food for our community. All while keeping in-mind our community's diverse dietary requirements.

The next Sparkle Sanctuary will occur on the 27th of July, from 11am to 5pm, at The Proud Place in Manchester UK. The event is completely free to attend, and I'm hoping in the next year, it gets even more popular. If you're in the area, and you fall under the trans umbrella, Sanctuary is a space for you!

Here's a fundraiser to help keep it free to attend: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/sparkle-sanctuary-fundraiser

#sparkle #SparkleSanctuary

Last Sunday at Sparkle Weekend, I was honoured to be awarded Sparkle Sanctuary Volunteer of the Year Award. I don't volunteer for recognition: In fact, most of what I do, I do anonymously, so it was a little jarring standing up on a stage with some of that work being recognised.

It's less famous than the Weekend, but I think Sparkle Sanctuary is really special, and one of the best things the Sparkle Charity has chosen to do. It's a real team effort though, and I feel like it's not fair to accept the award without acknowledging the hard work my contemporaries put into the event. Without me, the food would probably be pre-packaged and store bought, but without them, the whole event might not happen! The whole team works so hard to make it a success. I'd especially like to shout out our Key Volunteer Arin, who managed the Sanctuary Popup at Velvet during the Sparkle Weekend, while most of us Sanctuary regulars were busy with Sparkle Weekend related tasks.

#sparkle #SparkleSanctuary

These cupcakes were an absolute success!

#SparkleSanctuary

Ahead of this weekend's Sparkle Sanctuary. I've been working on a vegan, gluten free sponge cake recipe that is light and moist. I think I found something that works! I'm excited to share it with everyone this Sunday!

The sanctuary is free to attend, and open to anyone who would use the "trans" label.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sparkle-sanctuary-january-tickets-1125537726639

#SparkleSanctuary