A FESTIVAL to celebrate Kirklees' lesbian, gay and bisexual community will be held next month.

The Out and About Festival will include theatre, film and arts events, plus reading days, complementary therapy sessions and information events.

The theatre events will be at the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield.

There will also be an exhibition of work by gay, lesbian or bisexual artists.

The event follows August's gay festival, the Pink Picnic.

The successful event was held at Castle Hill and organised by the Halifax- based Brunswick Centre, a sexual health service provider for Calderdale and Kirklees people.

Dominic McClean, chairman of the Kirklees Lesbian Gay and Bisexual Equality Network, said: "Out and About aims to raise the profile and expectations of our lesbian, gay and bisexual communities.

"It also aims to demonstrate commitment to equality for them and to celebrate the contribution they make to society."

The LGB Equality Network is just one organisation involved in arranging Out and About.

The others are the Brunswick Centre, the LesBiGay Youth Group, the police, Kirklees Community Safety Strategy Unit, Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing and Kirklees Culture and Leisure Services.

The event has been paid for by Arts in the Neighbourhood, the Community Safety Strategy Unit, West Yorkshire Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgendered Policing Initiative.

For further information, phone Andrew Millea at Kirklees Council on 01484 221775.

October 9: The play A: Gender will be performed at 8pm at the LBT.

October 16: A drama workshop called Identity will be held at the LBT from 1pm to 6pm.

It will explore issues through drama and dance.

Film events will take place at the Picturedrome Cinema in Holmfirth. They are:

October 22: The Event, 8.30pm.

October 23: Gallant Girls, 8.30pm

October 24: Caravaggio, 8.30pm.

A reading event, Standing Out In The Crowd, will also be held at the Picturedrome at 7.30pm on October 24.

Huddersfield University will hold a market fair from 11am to 3pm on October 23.

It will feature information stalls covering everything from health to housing to gay literature.