Colchester: Dragonfly Lounge LGBTQ+ venue starts GoFundMe

Dragonfly Lounge, a drag show venue and bar, hopes to open in Long Wyre Street, Colchester, a planning application revealed last month.

If the application is approved by Colchester Council, it will be situated in Foundation House.

Foundation House is owned by the East of England Co-op and in 2020, the site was transformed into a restaurant and retail units site in a £5.5 million redevelopment plan.

The Dragonfly Lounge hopes to create a vibrant drag and LGBTQ+ venue.

It will host activities such as drag afternoon teas, cabaret shows, artist residencies, club nights, bingo, quizzes, parties, and a space for groups to host events in the daytime.

Jo Palmer-Tweed, 55, has lived in Colchester for 28 years, and is the co-founder of the Dragonfly Lounge with Dan Deller-Thompson, the current chairman of Colchester Pride.

Co-founder - Jo Palmer-Tweed (Image: Public) Jo said: “It’s a lot of work but it is such an important project, there isn’t a permanent LGBTQ+ space in the city.

“I think it is important for the community.

“It is lovely that other venues do gay nights, but the community has been saying they want a space of their own.

“We have a phenomenal drag community in Colchester as well.

“This will be absolutely one of the first dedicated drag spaces in the city.

Co-founder - Dan Deller-Thompson as drag queen Tracey Paper (Image: Public) “There are lots of LGBTQ businesses in Colchester, like Patch, Pastel Palace tattoo, and more places starting to appear - there is a very big community.”

Jo and Dan have launched a GoFundMe Page with a £5,000 target.

They are hoping to create a special room inside the venue where neurodiverse customers can watch the shows from.

People have already donated, and the total has reached £800.

The money will be used to help create the room and for extra additions for the venue.

Jo and Dan say they are grateful for the donations.

The Dragonfly Lounge has a stall at the RuPaul’s Drag Race UK TV parties every Thursday at Firstsite at 8pm.

If the planning application is approved, building work could start almost immediately and the venue could open in March next year.

To find out more, visit facebook.com/dragonflyloungedrag.