Pride in Plymouth is a not for profit Community Interest Company (CIC) that brings people and groups together to celebrate, promote and increase the visibility around the diversity and talent that exist within the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT+) communities in Plymouth.
We work towards eliminating the discrimination and social isolation many gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in Plymouth and the surrounding area have faced in the past and so build confidence in people so they can be themselves everyday,
As part of that process though, we facilitate one big celebration on Plymouth Hoe each August.
In 2012, Pride in Plymouth presented the city's first outdoor Pride festival held at Devonport Park. The event cost under £1,000 and attracted just over 1,000 people.
Since then the event has grown exponentially year on year. In 2014 we moved the event to Plymouth Hoe and introduced the city's first Pride Parade which has gone from strength to strength since.
Both the event and parade have continued to grow and the 2016 event won the 'Best Event' under 5,000 people in the prestigious City & Waterfront Awards.
This year the event begins at 11am on 10th August with a huge parade from the Jigsaw Garden, through the city centre and up to the event space on the Hoe. The event then begins at 1pm with a packed program of singers, bands, speakers, performance, arts, crafts, food and drink until it ends at 6pm.
Most importantly, the day provides a window onto the work that Pride in Plymouth does throughout the year and allows the LGBT+ community to take centre stage for a day and also invite the wider Plymouth community to come and learn more about their LGBT+ friends, family, neighbours and colleagues.
Did you know that Pride in Plymouth provide outreach and training in schools, business and statutory services?
We support LGBT+ Asylum Seekers and Refugees in the city who have come to escape persecution and danger.
We provide workplace training for firms keen to fully support their LGBT+ staff in terms creating a space learning space for all staff to explore and consider the question of how it feels to LGBT+ in the city of Plymouth.
For all this to work, the event needs to remain a real community pride. Unticketed and free for anyone to come and be part of. While we have been lucky enough to receive some pockets of support from various organisations in the past the event has always been unfunded and after last year's downpour of rain the event is now running at a loss and it's more important than ever that people show their support for Pride and help us make it happen.