Thousands flock to Stoke-on-Trent for annual pride festival
Stoke-on-Trent yesterday hosted 9 celebrity guest appearances from Kim Woodburn, Angie Brown and X Factor finalist, Diva Fever, among others, for its annual pride festival.
How Clean is Your House star Kim Woodburn opened the event with appearances from other celebrities as well as local talent. This year’s event was supported by local businesses and charities in the region.
Despite a raft of funding cuts which earlier this year threatened the continuation of pride and the addition of a small entry fee for the first time, this year’s Stoke Pride was well attended with over 3500 attendees with a team of 35 volunteers working to ensure the smooth running of the day.
Kim Woodburn of How Clean is Your House, and Stage Manager Paul Deakin
The closure of LGBT Network Staffordshire earlier this year had caused waves for the organisers of Stoke Pride.
Speaking to PinkNews, pride organiser Owen Richards described this year’s pride as “essential to a city like a Stoke and equally as important as the big city pride events since it is vital to create a sense of community.”
Events manager Peter Rigby thanked the community for its support and emphasised that the continuing community support is what was important to keep events such as Stoke Pride running.
