Lord Chris Smith, Baron of Finsbury and former Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, is urging residents to “do what we can to help” to stop Central Station public house in King’s Cross from going bust.
He said: “LGBT+ life in Islington has been through a lot these last 30 years or so. The times have been exciting, turbulent, inspiring, campaigning and above all fun.
“There have been ground-breaking moments, events and people.
“And through it all Central Station has been there, welcoming, hosting and helping all of us to do the campaigning and have the fun.”
He added: “It would be a tragedy if it couldn’t keep going through this terrible pandemic.”
Central Station is Islington’s oldest surviving LGBT+ bar and has served as a safe space for LGBT+ communities for three decades.
But like many businesses devastated by the coronavirus crisis, Central Station has struggled to keep afloat.
Last month, the owners Duncan Irvine and Martin Mason created a GoFundMe fundraising page. It is currently £60,000 short of its £70,000 target and Irvine and Mason say the venue is in “desperate need of financial support”.
Lord Smith is a regular Central Station customer. In the 1990s, he moderated the first public debate between OutRage! and Stonewall – headed by Peter Tatchell and Angela Mason – which raised awareness about HIV/AIDS.
In 1984, Smith made history by becoming the country’s first openly gay Member of Parliament.
He served in Tony Blair’s cabinet – most notably as secretary of state for culture, media and sport – and in 2005 was appointed a peer in the House of Lords.
LETTER: CENTRAL STATION WILL SURVIVE
By Christopher Sherwood, publicity officer of Graces Cricket
Central Station is the last bastion of LGBTQ+ society in Islington and must be saved. As a resident of Islington, I suffered the loss of the King Edward VI and The Green, both of which played a part in shaping my life as a gay man. They were sanctuaries of acceptance and community at a time when I was not yet out. I made lifelong friends there.
Indeed, I remember falling off my bike on Chapel Market one evening thanks to slippery fat deposits left over from the market. Limping and pouring with blood, I hobbled to the King Ed and was taken in by the staff and a couple of regulars who tended to my injuries and patched me up.
I could not imagine getting that same treatment in a regular pub.
With the King Ed and The Green now long gone, it has fallen on the shoulders of Central Station to survive and provide that sanctuary for us that no app or website can come close to replicating.
Central Station is integral to the tapestry of gay life in London. It is where my beloved Graces Cricket Club was formed and has played host to our committee meetings and various social events for years.
We have had Christmas dinners there. I met friends there. I go on my own and make friends there. It also has one of the best karaoke nights in London.
We will survive.
