April 2024
UK Government awards contract to Fighting With Pride to deliver the LGBT+ Armed Forces Community Memorial as recommended in the Etherton Independent Review into the treatment of LGBT Veterans
August 2024
The Memorial Project team is stood up comprising Roly Woods, Memorial Officer and Kevin Bazeley, Deputy Memorial Officer. A steering group also set up including representatives from FWP, The National Memorial Arboretum, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Royal British Legion, the Armed Forces and other interested parties
September 2024
Consultation sessions held in person in Portsmouth, Blackpool, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Virtual sessions for veterans and serving community to explain the project to the entire Armed Forces LGBTQ+ community and to gather their input into what they would like to see in the memorial
October 2024
Online survey opened for all of the LGBTQ+ armed force’s community to enter their thoughts and considerations for the memorial design
November 2024
Assisted by the Royal Society of Sculptors, a UK-wide competition is opened for artists to submit designs. Thirty eight, high-quality submissions are received. A multi-disciplinary panel of judges whittled these down to 15 contenders
December 2024
The 15 contenders decided by the judging panel are reviewed at a shortlisting session held at the offices of the Royal Society of Sculptors in London where the 15 are reduced to 5 shortlisted artists who are commissioned to create maquettes of their idea for presentation during a judging day
January 2025
On the weekend of the 25th anniversary of the lifting of the ‘Gay Ban’, the five artists present their ideas in person to the judging panel. The artists show their maquettes and discuss their motivations and concept. The Winner is announced, the Abraxas Academy and “An Opened Letter”
February to July 2025
The memorial construction takes place at the studios of Abraxas Academy in Norfolk, where the bronze letter is folded, welded and polished and the stone base dedications and crests are carved
August 2025
“An Opened Letter” is installed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire
October 2025
“An Opened Letter” is dedicated in front of a audience of nearly 300 LGBTQ+ veterans impacted by the ‘Gay Ban’, LGBTQ+ serving members of all our Armed Forces, and official guests
