Bolton Museum will be the only venue in the north of England to host a special exhibition celebrating diversity and cultural expression.

‘Desire, love, identity: exploring LGBTQ histories in Bolton’ will open from Friday, March 15, until Sunday, May 26.

The exhibition, hosted in partnership with the British Museum, was put together to mark 50 years since homosexuality was partially decriminalised in England by the Sexual Offences Act.

Displays will offer insights into LGBTQ experiences by examining objects from around the world, covering ancient civilisations to the modern day.

The exhibition will feature items from both the British Museum and Bolton Museum collections.

Coins, prints and small sculptures will represent past, recent, and ongoing expressions of same-sex desire, love and identity.

Bolton Central Library and Museum will also hold a series of events to complement and expand on the themes of the exhibition.

The Outing the Past Festival on Saturday, March 16, will feature a variety of speakers discussing LGBTQ issues.

Other events will include a lecture on same sex desire in ancient Egypt, performances of ‘The Adhesion of Love’ by playwright Stephen M Hornby and a family fun day.

For more information about the exhibition and the conference, visit the Bolton libraries website and follow the team on Facebook and Twitter.