What is Pride?

In Peterborough, the LGBTQIA+ community want to organise a week-long celebration which will encompass a number of different events aimed at all Peterborough residents. Peterborough Pride is an opportunity for everyone to come together and demonstrate support and solidarity.

Your financial support, big or small, will help in a number of ways to create an accessible and inclusive festival for all:

• Venue hire and ticket subsidy

• Marketing through posters, flyers and brochures

• Professional fees for performers

• Education and training events

Why now?

It’s perhaps a little odd that there isn't an event in the city already and whilst a significant motivation for organising a Peterborough Pride is to celebrate our city’s diversity, there is also a very urgent and more far-reaching agenda.

Much has changed for the better in terms of equality and gay rights, and many peoples’ experiences are wholly positive and that's great. Unfortunately, however, all too often we hear accounts of bullying, harassment and abuse on the streets purely because of someone’s sexuality or gender identity. In 2016, social intelligence company Brand-watch and anti-bullying charity Ditch the Label published research gathered over four years that analysed 19 million tweets from the UK and the US. The researchers looked at speech across topics including racial intolerance, misogyny, masculinity and homophobia. Peterborough was identified as a city hotspot of homophobic hate speech in England.

Coming out for many people also remains a deeply painful experience and the particular challenges faced by our transgender brothers and sisters feels as significant as ever. We don't have to accept this as a given and as a city we can stand together in solidarity and say 'no more'.

Who are we?

We are not an established campaigning organisation, but a small group of local people who have come together in an attempt to help make a situation better. We are not a business, nor are we grant funded, and although this gives us great flexibility and freedom to develop something unique to Peterborough, clearly there are limitations if we can't raise some finance. Therefore we need your help!

Please note: all donations can be accounted as charitable donations and will be received and held by the registered charity arts organisation Metal. All money will be put towards Peterborough Pride, there will be no deductions for managements costs and or no salary costs. Everything will be used to make Peterborough Pride Great.

Thank you to everyone who has been so generous with their support and encouragement to-date. On behalf of those who are helping to organise Peterborough Pride.

Best Wishes,

Simon Green (Community Pride Organiser)

•LGBTQIA+ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual