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Gscene Magazine - June 2020 TURN BACK THE PAGES
Gscene has been published every month for over 27 years, and is a rich chronicle of the history of our LGBTQ+ communities, in and around Brighton & Hove. Chris Gull raids the archives…
Cover of June 2010 issue of Gscene magazine
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June 2010
This month we are turning the pages back to the June 2010 issue, and there’s one huge story dominating this issue, and it’s all about Pride... but not as we know it. Ten years ago it was still a free event, not fenced in, organised by a charity, at that time under the chairmanship of Robert Clothier. Paul Kemp’s company Aeon Events, behind Wild Fruit, had the concession for alcohol sales on Preston Park, and had asked to see the charity’s accounts before handing over the £71,000 it was asking for the concession. It refused, and essentially kicked Aeon Events off the Park. Here is James Ledward’s editorial in reaction to those events….
The Wild Fruit Tent on Preston Park
JAMES LEDWARD’S EDITORIAL, JUNE 2010
James Ledward
Pride’s row with Aeon Events PR Ltd, the owners of the Wild Fruit brand, the company contracted to supply alcohol at Pride on Preston Park on August 7, comes as no surprise to many within the LGBTQ+ community.
The delivery of a successful Pride depends on the statutory authorities, the LGBTQ+ business sector and LGBTQ+ voluntary sector organisations working together. The role of Pride, the organisation, should be to facilitate and build trust and confidence within these three sectors to make the event happen. They are painfully failing to do this. There is little trust and confidence from the LGBTQ+
business and voluntary sector in the present board to deliver the Pride that people seem to want. Pride simply do not listen!
This is the reason that Aeon Events PR Ltd asked to see evidence that Pride could stage and pay for this year’s event before handing over any money to the organisation. It was good business practice and any sensible businessman would ask the same questions before investing money in this type of event, especially after the cancellation of BeachDown `festival last year.
The City Council has confirmed that they were shown financial information by Pride in January this year to secure a £20,000 loan. So, just five months later, why did the same board feel they could not offer the same courtesy to the main local gay-owned business still supporting Pride, Aeon Events PR Ltd, who were investing £71,000 and have been Pride’s biggest fundraiser and supporter for the last 15 years?
After Pride’s disastrous efforts to try and railroad through changes to the event at the end of 2009, two forums were set up to liaise with the local LGBTQ+ business community and voluntary sector. Five months after these forums were set up, both forums are complaining of a lack of information about Pride.
Many local LGBTQ+ businesses and some voluntary sector organisations tell me they have lost confidence in the Pride Board to deliver the Pride that they want.
Just two years ago we had a successful event serviced by loyal and trusted suppliers, local LGBTQ+ businesses and the LGBTQ+ voluntary sector. Two years on and the event is in chaos. The Board need to take responsibility for this.
The present fiasco has been deeply damaging to cohesion within the LGBTQ+ community and in order to reassure the community at large that we’re going to get an event in August, Pride should open their books right away to an independent auditor and indicate that they can indeed pay for the event that they’ve been promising everyone that they’re going to deliver in August.
Budgets on the park have been slashed and promises broken by Pride to organisations such as the Women’s Tent organisers. A major LGBTQ+ organisation have told me they will not be on the park this year.
Pride continues to limp on, firefighting daily. People are so desperate to have a Pride they will put up with anything.
The bottom line is that we get the Pride that we deserve. If you’re not happy with the event, it is because you have not taken care of it and allowed the organisation to fall into the hands of people who in my view just don’t understand the sensitivities of the LGBTQ+ voluntary sector and LGBTQ+ business community. Pride has misread the vocal opposition that has been stacking up against them now for the last seven months. The signing of a new Bars Contract does not solve Pride’s problems, it only eases them. It is all very, very sad.
MORE INFO
We’ll be following the saga in the pages of Gscene, month by month.
