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PRIDE POSTPONEMENT’S WIDE RAMIFICATIONS Brighton & Hove Pride and the Brighton Rainbow Fund organisers have spoken out about how the postponement of this year’s event will have ramifications that “will be felt throughout the LGBTQ+ community as well as across the whole of the city”. Rainbow Fund, Pride Social Impact Fund and Pride Cultural Development Fund, which “has made a fundamental difference to the lives of thousands of people in our communities”. Kemp added: “Clearly there’s going to be an impact on this year’s Pride fundraising, but we are exploring ideas with our community partners on how we might do something in August to help raise additional much needed community funds.”
PAUL KEMP
) Paul Kemp, Pride managing director, said: “For many LGBTQ+ people, Pride is the only time they come together and feel part of a community. It is a time to connect with other marginalised groups to give as well as receive support.”
Pride is the biggest fundraiser for the Brighton Rainbow Fund, which is a central distribution point for grants to 23 local LGBTQ+ and HIV projects.
“Our priority right now is to ensure we are in a fit state going forward to deliver an event next year while continuing to support the Brighton Rainbow Fund and our community organisations. There are real challenges ahead, but with support from our partner agencies, council and the community, we are confident we’ll get through this crisis. “We know Pride will be even more important in bringing people back together again to celebrate our communities.”
CHRIS GULL
Chris Gull, chair of the Brighton Rainbow Fund, said: “It is these projects, and the people they support, that will notice the effects of reduced fundraising this year, It was announced last month that the 30th anniversary not just from the cancellation of Fabuloso Pride would not be going ahead this year Pride, but also other fundraisers such as Brighton in light of the coronavirus pandemic, with the event joining other major local and UK casualties, including Bear Weekend, and the closure of venues that have the Brighton and Edinburgh Festivals. The celebration been important to our fundraising, both by organising events and by hosting our collection tins. We also rely will now be held over the weekend of August 7-8, on individual donors, who may be affected by the 2021, subject to landlord’s consent. upcoming ‘downturn’. “Organising Pride is a year-round “Like everybody else we have no idea how much we endeavour and we have already will have to distribute in October, but we do know that paid out on things like artists’ we’ll have to make some tough decisions. deposits, contractors’ deposits and fees, press and marketing, “Pride is our biggest fundraiser and looking beyond staff costs and infrastructure,” the short term it’s important that it survives to said Kemp. “The pandemic is devastating for the continue raising funds for our community whole leisure and events industry and the jobs of organisations for many years to come. To that end suppliers and contractors where the majority of we’re asking everybody who would have attended income comes during the summer months. It's Pride this year, and helped to raise funds through becoming inevitable that insurance and suppliers’ their attendance, to consider donating some of the costs for all major events will increase. money they’d have spent that weekend directly to the Brighton Rainbow Fund using the donate button on the website www.rainbow-fund.org” Both Pride and the Brighton Rainbow Fund are calling on those who had already bought tickets to consider the option of ‘donating’ the ticket price by not claiming a refund. Pride will give anyone who does this priority in purchasing pre-release tickets for next year. Paul Kemp said: “We are still processing refund applications but are heartened that the majority of existing customers have chosen to retain their tickets for next year thus supporting Pride going forward and our community fundraising.”
In the past six years, Brighton & Hove Pride has raised more than £920,000 for community good causes, thanks to the support of businesses, sponsors and the many thousands who buy tickets for For more info, visit: www.brighton-pride.org the Festival in Preston Park and Pride Village For more info about the Brighton Rainbow Fund, visit: Party. It has supported hundreds of community www.rainbow-fund.org organisations with grants through the Brighton
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BRIGHTON & HOVE PRIDE #ALLINTHISTOGETHER ) Since the announcement that this year’s Brighton & Hove Pride 30th anniversary celebration has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the organisers have been in discussion with artists about the rescheduled dates and will relaunch the 2021 festival and tickets later in the year. Existing ticket holders do not need to do anything – their tickets will be honoured and rolled over to the rescheduled event on August 7-8, 2021, subject to landlord’s consent. In a statement the organisers said: “As a Pride with purpose whose sole aim is to provide benefit to the community or to trade with a ‘social purpose’, we’re overwhelmed that so many ticket holders have chosen to retain their tickets for next year’s events or donated them back to support Pride going forward and our essential fundraising for local community organisations.” Many local charities and community organisations rely on Pride for fundraising to get them through the year. If you are able to donate your ticket from this year’s event to support Pride going forward and its essential community fundraising, visit: www.brighton-pride.org/donate-your-ticket-tohelp-prides-community-fundraising/ As a thank you, those who donate their tickets from this year's Pride will receive priority purchasing options in next year’s pre-release ticket sale. If you would like to support the essential work of local community organisations, you can donate to the Brighton Rainbow Fund, which gives grants to local LGBTQ+/HIV groups who deliver effective frontline services to people in the city. To donate, visit: www.rainbowfund.org/donations/ Brighton Rainbow Fund said: “Under the current stewardship, since 2013, the annual event has raised just under a million pounds for good causes in Brighton & Hove, the vast majority of it distributed through the Brighton Rainbow Fund to local LGBTQ+ specific projects, which make a fundamental difference to the lives of hundreds of people in our communities. On behalf of the projects we support, and the people they support, we’re asking ticket holders to consider the option of not claiming a refund… in effect making a donation to allow them to continue their valuable work for another year.” In a statement, the Pride Social Impact Fund said: “Thanks to the generosity of Pride and its supporters, the Social Impact Fund has donated tens of thousands of pounds of crucial funding to dozens of community groups and good causes over the years. While it is undoubtedly disappointing that Pride 2020 has been cancelled, we hope that those who can continue to support it as much as possible so that the positive messages of Pride continue to be heard across Brighton & Hove all year round.”
