A campaign to mark LGBT History Month in Cambridgeshire has been hailed the most successful yet by Cambridgeshire County Council.

This year, the council flew the Rainbow Flag for the whole of February as well as putting on and supporting a range of events, which included the #BeTheRainbow celebration.

80 people came together to form a human rainbow flag at Shire Hall in Cambridge and even more join in across the county through social media.

The council is now looking to add to its LGBT History Month programme next year by asking for sponsorship to take part in the e-Luminate Festival next year.

The festival will use the historic Shire Hall site as a canvas for an artist to use light to promote equality and the LGBT community, and also to encourage people from the LGBT community to come forward to adopt or foster children.

Around 60,000 people were reached or engaged through social media in the council’s first ever use of the hashtag #BeTheRainbow.

The event is one of several that the council will be backing as part of its commitment to supporting equality and diversity as highlighted in the Equality Pledge it signed in November.

This year’s events have been planned by the council’s Diversity Group which includes both councillors and officers, with the countywide campaign being led by the Encompass Network. The Diversity Group will also be looking at ways to mark and celebrate other significant events.

For more information, contact Cambridgeshire County Council by emailing Daniel.Thorp@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.