Proudly supporting Pride. Respecting and valuing everyone joinourfamily@thameswater.co.uk #joinourfamily
EDITOR & CHAIR PAUL BRITT
paul.britt@readingpride.co.uk
With Thanks To Our Main Sponsors
TRUSTEES
ANDREW ADAMS KIRSTEN BAYES MICHAEL RUSSELL
COMMITTEE
BRADLEY COOPER MARTIN COOPER CHRISTINA DEARLOVE JESS GOULDTHORPE DANIEL HAYMAN DAVID HORRILL AJ JAIN KERRY KLEIS LEE KRAFFT NIGEL LAMB KATIE PHIPPS RICHARD POWELL SOPHIE SHEEHAN LUKE SHERWOOD KIRSTY WIGGINS
Crossfire is our Official After Party sponsor, and Unite the Union is our Main Stage Sponsor Thank you for your support!
We would also like to thank our sponsors
PHOTOGRAPHY
BIIZ, ROBBY DEE, CACTUS CREATIONS, STOCK and CREATIVE COMMONS
And also our supporters
COPYRIGHT
©2017 Reading Pride Ltd, All Rights Reserved. All other copyrights belong to their respective owners.
CONTACT
Reading Pride, 21 South Street, Reading RG1 4QU 0844 357 0124 Reading Pride is a trading name of Reading Pride Limited, a company registered in England and Wales (Registered Number: 05041291) and a registered charity (Registered Number: 1119891).
Thank You for making our event possible.
Hello and welcome to Reading Pride 2017. It’s my absolute delight to welcome you to our Pride Festival this year celebrating diversity and promoting equality of the LGBT+ community in Reading and the Thames Valley. I include a picture to attract your attention, so now that I have it, you might as well carry on reading now that you’re here, eh? This year marks the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales. Since then, we have made great advances, with same-sex marriage, and adoption by same-sex parents. However, homophobic abuse is still happening with an alarming regularity, and there are places within our society where it is still not accepted. Football is a good example, where there are still no out players in the premiership. Our theme this year is Love Unites, and we truly believe this. Imagine how much better the world would be if we replaced all the hate in the world with love? Men would be not flogged in Indonesia for loving each other in their own homes. Men would not be thrown off buildings in Iraq on suspicion of being gay, and gay men in Chechnya would not be rounded up, tortured and killed in concentration camps. So as we celebrate love in all its forms and reflect on how far we have come, and how far other parts of the world have to go, just remember that it starts with individuals like you coming together, and giving each other the gift of love, and remember - Love Unites.
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Paul Britt - Chair of Reading Pride
unite the union - MAIN STAGE The main stage starts at around 12:30 pm, and will run through until the event finishes at approximately 6:30pm. The times are approximate and the line-up is subject to change without notice.
Meet the hosts
Sandra
Joe Cooper Wilma Fingadoo
Sandra has been performing around the country and beyond for more years than she can remember. Some of her routines have become synonymous with Sandra, such as Brown Girl in the Ring, sung in the only way Sandra knows how. A regular host at Reading Pride, we are proud to welcome her back to bring her unique style to our stage. Joe Cooper is an actor, presenter and Youtuber from Reading. Known by the media as “Its Joe Cooper”, Joe started his career at a young age whilst training full time at the Sylvia Young Theatre School. Whilst there he landed himself roles in four West End musicals including Les Miserables which then led him to secure a job for the Disney Channel. Wilma has been hosting reading pride for nearly as long as pride has been going in Reading. She’s incredibly surprised each year when she is invited back considering her sharp tongue and naughty behaviour! She’s rude and crude and a firm favourite on the circuit where she has performed both in the U.K. and internationally! If you’re easily shocked... you’ll LOVE her! Stand at the front, you WON’T regret it.
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Meet the line-up
Sum Ting Wong 12:30
Sum Ting Wong the oriental songbird, a vocal powerhouse taking the UK drag circuit by storm! Don’t miss out on the Asian wonder herself; through comedy and song - let her take you on a journey through the Orient.
Jess Conn is a singer and topliner from North West London. From girl bands to duos she is finally taking the stage as a solo artist. Her undeniable passion for pop music shines through in her riffs and infectious melodies. You can give Jess a follow on Instagram and Twitter @ JessConnMusic Jess Conn 13:00
Rachael Sage
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13:30
A soulful vocalist and innovative multi-instrumentalist, award-winning singer/songwriter and producer Rachael Sage is one of the busiest touring artists in independent music, performing 100+ dates a year throughout the US, UK, & Europe. She has earned a loyal following for her dynamic piano playing, delicate guitar work, soulful vocals. and improvisational audience interaction. Her latest fulllength album on MPress Records is “Choreographic”; she has also just released an EP of songs inspired by the current sociopolitical landscape called “The Tide”, proceeds from which benefit American Refugee Committee.
Asifa Lahore is Britain’s first out Muslim drag queen, pushing the boundaries of what it means to be Gay and Muslim. In 2011, Lahore made her debut and won the bronze medal of the annual Drag Idol UK competition to find the newest cabaret talent in the UK.
Asifa Lahore 14:00
DORYAN 14:30
Eleni C 15:00
Asifa featured in Channel 4’s documentary Muslim Drag Queens which aired in August 2015, drawing an audience of 1.1 million viewers. Alongside Muslim Drag Queens, 2015 saw Asifa become established as a leading figure within in the Gaysian community receiving the prestigious LGBT award at the Attitude Magazine Pride Awards. “Pop Renegade blurring the lines between the mainstream and subculture.” Originally from Geneva, Switzerland, DORYAN (formerly known as Dorian Reland) decided to move to London in 2014 to pursue his music. The very same year, he won London Pride’s Got Talent with a performance of his original song “Oversexual” and performed on Trafalgar Square alongside headliner Conchita Wurst. Since then, DORYAN has released a few singles such as LGBT rock anthem “Sinsation” and the pop grunge Fetish jam “ Life Is Hard”. He released his debut EP “The Line” in April 2016. Eleni C. is a pop/rock singer/songwriter from North London. More noticeably she was a supporting act for Little Mix and Olly Murs among others at the Free Radio Live event in November 2016. She has been part of Westfield Presents and was one of the winners of the Westfield Music Cube competition where she had the opportunity to perform as an opening act for Little Boots, Professor Green, Katy B., Foxes and Jess Glyne. 7
Son of a Tutu is a multi-award winning Drag Artist and equality activist: winner of Drag Idol 2011 and organiser of the 2016 Orlando vigil, Miss Tutu takes her hilarious and politically edgy show to venues and festival all over the United Kingdom and beyond. Last seen at Reading Pride in 2015, she is back by popular demand and ready to rock the stage. Son of a Tutu 15:30
Natalie Gray 16:00
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The Fleurettes 16:30
Natalie Gray is a singer/songwriter from Reading. Natalie toured with David Hasselhoff in 2016 and then went on to support Mic Lowry at Lytham festival after supporting Alesha Dixon at London Pride Trafalgar Square. Natalie is currently working with producers and songwriting team Alive By Night after a successful release of “Live in Love” there is more releases coming over the summer. For updates and news follow Natalie on twitter and instagram: @nataliemusic24. Natalie is very excited to be playing at Pride in her hometown and cannot wait to share some brand new music with you all! The Fleurettes are a Drag Trio who formed in Cambridge over 10 years ago and are still going strong today. They are also the original winners of the national competition ‘Drag Idol’ by taking the crown in 2005. Since then they have travelled the UK and abroad performing their high energy and high kicking show which consists of live singing, comedy and full out dance routines. You won’t believe it until you see it.
Kit Rice 17:00
Nicolette Street 17:30 17:30
Kit Rice has recently had huge global success on the D&B scene with his BRIT School Alumni Dj FREEK. Their 2016 hit songs ONCE AGAIN & Phat Cat have been played repeatedly on Radio 1, 1xtra & KISS. Kit has sold out venue Floripa, London and has already toured as supporting act with big musicians like Ed Sheeran and Tom Jones. Recently he has spent time in the studio writing his new album, after the success of his latest EP Living Life. Kit made his TV debut on London Live and has had his work championed in HELLO! Magazine. Nicolette Street might as well have been born on the stage. A powerhouse performer who has it all – incredible talent, sultry good looks, the larger than life presence, and a voice to dream of, she is the modern day, real life musical superhero – with the social conscience to boot. “I feel that music can cross all boundaries and that it can stir up emotions in people in a way that, even they can relate to difficult topics that generally one would not discuss in conversation’.
Uniting Nations
18:00
Uniting Nations burst into the music scene in 2004 with their massive hit ‘Out Of Touch’. This spent an unprecedented 16 weeks in the UK top 20 including 7 weeks in the Top 10 and resulted in 3 appearances on the legendary show, Top Of The Pops. Their second single ‘You & Me’ also hit the UK top 20 and gave them a further appearance on TOTP. Two more hit singles came in the form of ‘Ai No Corrida’ and ‘Do It Yourself’, the latter being Radio 1 DJ Gregg James record of the week! Following on from their UK success, the songs went on to be hits around the world and resulted in the band providing hit remixes for acts such as The Feeling, Girls Aloud, Infernal and Sharam. They also worked for many huge international artists such as Sir Tom Jones. 9
The Pride ALive stage starts at around 12:30 pm, and will run through until 6:30pm, featuring local LGBT+ and Allies acoustic acts, readings and more. The times are approximate and the line-up is subject to change without notice. Dan Curtis is an established singer songwriter in and around Reading, playing venues and festivals for the last seven years. Mix of acoustic pop/rock/indie Dan Curtis originals and covers 12:30 with a unique voice.
Marisa 13:30 Marisa is an alternative rock singer-songwriter from Reading with Blues, Soul and Grunge Influences.
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Harry Jones is an evocative and expressive performer with an eclectic range of influences, encompassing progressive/classic rock/psych/grunge/ ambient/blues/funk, Harry Jones 13:00 and unique use of dynamics. Tara Deane’s debut single ‘Staying Young’ won the best original song award in the FabChart music awards. Following that she won best female artist and the overall radio award. Staying Young was also featured in an online advert for a diving Tara Deane company in Australia. 14:00 Her inspiration is Lucy Spraggan.
Ameli with her atmospheric sound and haunting vocal tells real life stories of the different characters she has met.
Ameli 14:30
Ray Wills 15:00
Mythhs 15:30
Ray Wills is beginning to chase his ambitions of becoming a successful artist Following in the musical footsteps of his mother who was a Jazz singer and bassist, Wills has incorporated a number of different styles into his own writing, such as expressive Indie alt rock and alt soul Inspired by the likes of Radiohead and Jeff Buckley he continues to work tirelessly and strives to one day impact the music industry on a global scale.
Emotive acoustic Indie folk band. Singer songwriter Sophie Sheehan and bassist Rich Wright (vanity projekt) performing songs that will make you listen and sounds which will make you think. Only playing live since October 2016, Sophie has recently performed at Readipop and is the host of our Pride aLive stage. You can find her on Facebook and SoundCloud through her bandpage “Colours and Fires” @coloursandfires.
Mythhs are a 2 piece. There is a melancholy undertone to their gossamer ambient alt pop/rock anthems. With lead vocalist Martha Roper’s dewy-eyed trills providing a lush counterpoint to keys player, James Kell’s funky yet lethargic melodies all played together with a touch of feral streak.
Support Reading Pride Text LGBT00 followed by your donation amount £1, £2, £3, £4, £5, £10 to 70070 Colours & Fires to donate Thank You! 16:00 11
Cray & Kurb 16:30 Cray is a UK based MC and Producer inspired by the likes of The Streets, Plan B, Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West. Hard hitting lyricism backed by self made sample based production are what defines him as an artist. Cray and his collaborator ‘Kurb’, have been working on new material over the past 6 months, with an ambition to find a truly unique and definitive sound. Hailing from the sunny paradise of Wokingham, Gary Millard is a soulful take on folk. With a list of influences longer than his (admittedly rather short) legs he prides himself on truth, passion and saying the Gary Millard things about the 17:30 world that many dare not say.
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Valeras are a five piece indie/rock band from Reading. They have built a name for themselves in their hometown and have even taken on the famous Reading & Leeds festivals. Their debut EP “Knives & Flowers” has been shown love by BBC Introducing and other radio stations. This year they will join us to do an acoustic session. Valeras 17:00
Nicole Allan is a fun and cheerful country style singer songwriter from Spain that moved to Reading to push her original music and her band Stereosnakes. Nicole Allan 18:00
Pride Survival Guide Wear comfortable shoes Once you’ve been on the parade and walking around the site, your feet will soon get tired, so wear shoes you can do a lot of walking in.
Sunscreen Not to sound like your mother, but make sure you’ve got sunscreen. This is especially true at Pride, when you’re outside in the sun for hours without shade. So put it on at home and bring extra to reapply throughout day. Don’t forget your eyes, so bring some shades as well.
Low Battery Between the texts, the Instagramming and Facebook Live (and probably Grindr too), your phone’s going to be working overtime. The last thing you want is is a low battery. Buy a portable battery pack and bring your own cable and keep up with all the fun.
Hydrate
Drink a lot of water. You can buy bottles of water, or bring a water bottle with you. If you’re drinking alcohol, make sure you keep yourself well hydrated.
Take Monday Off If you can take Monday off it’s highly recommended. All day at the festival, followed by a late night with the Freemasons at the After Party you’ll need more than Sunday to recover!
Cash
Support Reading Pride Text LGBT00* followed by By far the quickest way to pay for things on site will be your donation amount with cash. Don’t worry about carrying change, you can £1, £2, £3, £4, £5, £10 put that in our donation buckets which you will find to 70070 to donate around the site. Thank You! * zero zero
Love Unites
We acknowledge the 50 year anniversary since homosexuality was partially decriminalised in England and Wales in 1967. Since that time we have achieved many equalities such as the right to marry, and for same-sex couples to adopt children. While the legal changes have made good pace over the years, the same can not be said for social attitudes which are still taking time to catch up. I am referring to recent incidents of homophobia which demonstrate that the LGBT+ people are not safe and that much work is still needed to achieve social equality. Serious homophobic attacks are reported on a regular basis, and continue to occur across the country. I am sure there are many arguments that could be given for the high number of homophobic attacks that are still taking place. Whatever those reasons are, the fact remains that it should not still be happening. There are minorities within our own LGBT+ community who not only face discrimination for their sexuality or gender, but face further discrimination
based on their ethnicity or religion as well. There is a widespread assumption by all racial groups in Britain, that being gay is a phenomenon purely of white people. Black and Asian LGBT+ communities are disproportionately affected by homophobic violence, abuse and harassment. They are more likely to experience physical abuse, more likely to experience harassment from a stranger and are equally likely to have experienced verbal abuse as their white British LGBT+ counterparts. Due to the pressures of discrimination and victimisation, they are more likely to have poorer mental health. There is no excuse for racism and it is crucial that we all stand together, whatever our background, ethnicity, religion, or identity. It is essential that we come together and present a united front. Pride is a time for us to stand up and be counted. It is a celebration of all that we are, and all that we stand for. So, the theme of our event this year is love unites. If we start changing attitudes within our community we can start changing attitudes within society as a whole. When we say love wins or love unites, let’s lead by example. This year, let’s celebrate love and show that Love Unites.
yUmbrella is a volunteer led support M group based in Reading, Berkshire founded by Christina Dearlove and Kerry Kleis for the lesser known LGBT+ identities with the aim to promote awareness of the ‘+’ in LGBT+. Other identities are often overlooked or misrepresented. We aim to correct this by spreading information. Since its launch at Reading Pride 2015, MyUmbrella has been networking with organisations such as Thames Valley Police, Samaritans, Asexual Visibility and Education Network, Pieces of Ace and many more to create a network of support services and offer a variety of social events. The monthly social meetings are proving to be extremely successful, why not join us? We have also been on tour around the UK visiting several Prides and sharing our knowledge and resources on over 90 gender identities and over 60 sexual orientations. If you would like more information about this topic, please visit our website or find our stall located by the Pride aLive Stage. Next Social: 03/09/17 Fancy Dress Picnic @ Forbury Gardens 2pm-6pm. Website: myumbrella.org.uk Email: info@myumbrella.org.uk Facebook: MyUmbrella.org Twitter: @MyUmbrellaUK
LGBT+ History
Mark Lawrence CEO & Founder - History Portal
Around the world, LGBT+ people face discrimination in almost all aspects of their lives. They are denied access to employment, education, and health care. They are targeted for attacks solely because of their gender expression or perceived sexual orientation. Perhaps most painful of all, and unlike most other minority groups, many face violence and rejection from their own families and religious communities. This is why our community normally becomes more than a room full of people with similar attractions, gender identification or preference, we become like a family, and like all families, we have a long and varied history. Many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have made huge contributions to science, maths and engineering – just look at Alan Turing and Oscar Wilde, for example - but this isn’t often celebrated in the classroom, society or even our own community. Pride events take place across the UK and around the world, their original purpose was to be a visible protest, a demonstration that over time has also become a celebration. LGBT+ History Month takes place annually, and like Pride it is a time to reflect upon our communities struggles, to remember the sacrifices and challenges LGBT+ people faced in the past, but also to look at our current situation, to identify areas that need to be addressed and to look towards the future, with a hope that any such issues become history themselves. It is a time to reflect upon LGBT+ history globally also. Our brothers and sisters in the past faced so many hardships and some even faced death for being who they were. One painful and fairly recent example being the Holocaust and the treatment LGBT+ faced at the hands of the Nazi state. Whilst exact numbers aren’t known, it is believed at least 15,000 Gay men were murdered by the regime. Trans and Lesbian numbers are unclear, thankfully those in power within the regime did not fully believe lesbianism to be factual, with many women arrested for such acts, were simply given short sentences to be carried out in normal prisons. Only repeat offenders were sent to concentration camps. Upon arriving they were given black triangle patches to wear. Unlike their gay sisters, many gay men lost their lives being sent to the gas chambers in notorious death camps like Auschwitz, while many others died from disease and malnourishment in labour camps.
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Forced to wear pink triangles, a symbol that our community later reclaimed for the gay rights movement, these men often received some of the worst treatment in such camps from other inmates, some forced by guards and others simply because of the sheer hatred of gay men at the time. In a place where hate lived and breathed, even those that were being persecuted, found the time to persecute themselves. But one of the saddest aspects to this truly disturbing period of history for the LGBT+ community, is that upon liberation by the Allies, many pink triangle inmates were rearrested and placed within Allied prisoner of war camps for the crime of being homosexual. Not a single Nazi SS doctor, who experimented on LGBT+ inmates faced justice after the war. It is important that such events and the people connected to them are remembered by us all today. I’m glad to say that a special exhibition, organised by Reading LBGT+ History Month is at Reading Pride this year and is a showcase of some of our exciting plans for 2018. So do please come along, share your own stories and together we can proudly reflect upon our past and the amazing people that have helped make our society, through sacrifice, struggle and decades of dedicated hard work, what it is today.
PLAY RUGBY... IT'S THE KIND OF GETTING DIRTY WITH A GROUP OF MEN YOU CAN TELL YOUR PARENTS ABOUT. THE READING RENEGADES RFC YOUR LOCAL LGBT INCLUSIVE TEAM ARE LOOKING FOR PLAYERS OF ANY SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AGE, RACE OR EXPERIENCE TO JOIN THE TEAM. SEARCH READING RENEGADES RFC ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE INFORMATION OR SEE US AT OUR STALL AT READING PRIDE AND GIVE IT A TRY FOR YOURSELF. #GIVEITATRY #RUGBYUNITES #PLAYWITHPRIDE
Strength in Unity
Nada Al-Sanjari Reading Trades Union Council
When I was asked to be ambassador for Reading Pride, I was so honoured. It was a beautiful culmination of over two decades of being involved in activism and campaigning on human rights issues. I felt so much pride in the movement that has fought for equality. Pride in the Trade Union movement, that has fought for the rights of LGBT+ people to have dignity at work and access to opportunities, where sexual orientation is not accepted as a barrier to success or achievement. Where LGBT+ people are expected to live with financial independence and security in employment, with the freedom to be visible and vocal about how they define themselves. Being part of Reading Trades Union Council has been an empowering way to promote equality especially for the LGBT+ community. I accepted to be Pride ambassador in solidarity with the LGBT+ struggle but also in recognition of how this struggle for equality and acceptance has benefited me as a (minority) person. Equality is for everyone. We cannot have equality whilst one group is discriminated against. We cannot have selective equality. Equality unites. As a self-conscious 17 year-old, I didn’t support gay people adopting children. It wasn’t because I had any prejudices against LGBT+ people. It was because I was at school and was aware of how much bullying a child could face. This opinion was not a comfortable one to have. A few months later, I realised that the liberties I enjoyed have been won through struggle and through courage. These victories didn’t come about from accepting cruelty and injustice and resigning to the fact that this is how it is and how it will always be and we can’t change things. I couldn’t accept the bullies dictating the agenda. Their time was up. I was galvanised. I became determined to expect change and to expect more from my community. I was determined to play my part in making my community more supportive of those who want to live an authentic life, to enjoy the richness of what life has to offer and participate in society in the most meaningful ways. I wanted to help, in whatever ways I could, to have a society where a child of parent(s) who identify as LGBT+ would not be victimised. The more I got involved with campaigning, the more I was moved by the terrible treatment people faced. I used to feel sorry for LGBT+ people who had to choose between living a lie to appease society or living in truth and fearing for their safety and dignity.
However, the more I encountered the LGBT+ community, the more I realised that through rejection by some (families/friends/peers) they had created their own protective, supportive and nurturing family. Without prejudice. Without judgement. With humanity, integrity and love. For 20 years, I always felt that this was the best family and I stopped feeling sorry for those who’ve been rejected by some and celebrated the fact that out of terrible injustices, such a strong family could emerge. This family makes a stand, for the benefit of the rest of us. This is what defines a family and is one every child deserves to grow up in. A family that is pioneering and proud. I am thrilled to join this family and I can’t wait to contribute to the successes of the LGBT+ movement. There is a lot to celebrate but this must come with an awareness of how much further we have to go. There is still widespread discrimination at work and in public services. In the spirit of international solidarity, we must never forget the struggles of our extended family across the world. As we march through the town, we will make sure that this year we campaign harder than last year and commit to not stop until every person feels safe to be who they are. We will make sure that when it comes to equality and resilience, our town has plenty to be proud of.
familiar faces, familiar spaces Could you foster... and help keep Reading children in Reading? We need local foster carers for Reading children of all ages. You don’t always need a spare room or to commit full time but if you could offer a safe, caring and loving environment for a child/young person, we would like to hear from you... Call 0118 937 3740 or text FOSTER to 81722
www.reading.gov.uk/fostering
With Love
by Sarah Hacker Patron of Reading Pride
I watched the film Pride the other day. It’s about how a group of gay and lesbian people from London decided to fundraise to support the miners striking in Wales and it’s based on a true story. What struck me about the story was how love and friendship were at the heart of the relationship that formed between the two groups of people. Love is a powerful force. It creates a family, it builds friendships and it makes the world a better place. The world needs a lot of love at the moment. While we are making important steps for equality in the UK our friends around the world face persecution for being gay, lesbian and not fitting the two genders we have imposed upon ourselves. Sometimes it feels easier to retreat, stick with those we know and feel safe with but that won’t change the world for the better. Be proud of who you are whether you are LGBT+ or ally, use the strength you can take from the love around you and fight to make the world a better place for everyone. After all, love unites.
www.victimsupport.org.uk
Not ready to go to the police? Our services are free and available to everyone, whether or not the crime has been reported and regardless of when it happened. If you’ve been a victim of any crime or have been affected by a crime committed against someone you know, we can give emotional and practical support to help you find the strength to deal with what you’ve been through. For more information contact us on 0808 168 9274 or email varc.sstv@victimsupport.org.uk
TAKE PRIDE IN BEING DIFFERENT. www.pentahotels.com
BECAUSE THE BLACK SHEEP COME IN ALL THE COLOURS OF THE RAINBOW. Reading I Birmingham I Warrington I Ipswich I Derby I Inverness
Redlands WI
The ladies of Redlands Women’s Insitute are back at Pride 2017, with more knit & crochet delights! Once again, we are raising money on our stall for the local women’s refuge, and we have a range of items to choose from this year including the famous rainbow owls, disco hedgehogs and also brand new bunnies, love birds, specially created tea cosies and more! All women, including trans members are welcome at any WI. If someone is living full time as a woman then they are entitled to join. You would be very welcome at Redlands, who meet at 8pm on the third Monday of every month at St Luke’s Church Hall near the Royal Berkshire hospital. The WI is non-partisan and nonreligious. Redlands WI enjoy a lively variety of activities with the cocktail group, book groups, knitting groups, walking, crafts, cards and many more. Our monthly meetings feature anything and everything from Blood Bikers to belly dancing, and our members are in their 20’s through to their 80’s. Do come over to the stand to have a chat with us, check out our creations - they all come with a name, or you can come & name one yourself! We’re looking forward to seeing you soon!
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Perfect Venue for Special Events or Celebrations for up to ��� guests - Weddings, Birthdays, Private Parties & Christenings. We provide a stylish LGBT+ Wedding Venue Superb Banqueting Facilities � AA �osette Caprice �estaurant offering exceptional British & Authentic Indian Cuisine Extensive Esprit Spa & Wellness Facilities Complimentary Secure Car Parking Wharfedale �oad� Winnersh Triangle� Wokingham� �G�� �TS T� ���� ��� ���� � events��hireadinghotel.com www.hireadinghotel.com
CREATING AN INCLUSIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR EVERYONE The University of Reading has a proud history of diversity and inclusion. We were the first British university to appoint a female professor (Edith Morley, 1908) and one of our former Vice-Chancellors (Lord Wolfenden) played a key role in decriminalising homosexuality in England and Wales. We strongly believe that no one should experience inequality for who they are and where they come from. By recruiting, supporting and developing staff and students from a broader range of backgrounds, we want to create a world-class University where everyone can achieve their full potential.
Our ambition is to be among the Top 50 organisations in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index, by 2020. We have a very active LGBT+ Staff Network, and a strong and visible network of LGBT+ Allies on our campuses. For more information on our commitment to diversity, visit: www.reading.ac.uk/diversity
Parade Route
The Parade brings the spirit of Pride to the centre of Reading and provides an opportunity for groups, organisations and individuals to show their support. This year we are asking you to help us create a spectacle of noise and colour that cannot be missed. The parade will be starting at 11:30am on Station Hill. The parade will pass along Broad Street via Greyfriars Road and West Street before turning into Market Place and on into Forbury Gardens. We leave Forbury Gardens and cross Forbury Road. We will head under the railway line and turn right into Napier Road, left in King’s Meadow Road and then head down the tow path into King’s Meadow where we will then enter this year’s festival site at approx 12 noon. Anyone can join our parade – if you are a group or organisation, planning on bringing a banner or would like to discuss promoting your business in the parade please use the booking form on our website. Kings Meadow
Assembly Point Parade Route
Napier Road
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After stopping for photos by the maiwand lion, the parade will split into two, to cross the A329 before joining back up on the other side of the road before continuing under the railway bridge.
YOUR NEW MITSUBISHI DEALERSHIP HAS ARRIVED IN WOKINGHAM
Shelly Motors Reading Mitsubishi is proud to support Reading Pride 2017
T
he new Mitsubushi Dealership, which opened on Reading Road in Winnersh on 1st September, is delighted to sponsor the VIP Area at this year’s Reading Pride. This is the third dealership to join Shelly Motors, which includes Mitsubishi and Kia franchises in Epsom, Surrey and strengthens the Group’s relationship with Mitsubishi even further, as well as providing the local community with a welcoming Mitsubishi showroom and AfterCare department.
Aaron Jameson, Managing Director at Shelly Motors, said: “As a proud member of the LGBT community, I’m delighted that Shelly Motors Reading Mitsubishi has had the opportunity to support Reading Pride. This is a fantastic event and we’re sure that this will be the start of a great relationship with the team at Reading Pride. We look forward to extending a warm welcome to everyone in the local community”. We hope to see you at Reading Pride and at our launch event at our new showroom on Saturday 23rd September.
0118 321 4149
Site Map
Entrance
Toilets
Marketplace
Funfair
First Aid
Bar
Stage
Control
Food
VIP
Information
Meet & Greet
Please note that access to the festival site, is via King’s Meadow Road, following the tow path as shown by the arrow in the picture above. Site layout is subject to change without notice.
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