Manchester Pride vows to increase charitable donations following criticism
Manchester Pride says it’s confident it will be able to increase donations made to LGBT charities following criticism by community figures that it’s simply not giving enough.
Pride’s donations have fallen continuously year on year from £135,000 in 2009 to just £52,000 in 2012, according to fundraising data on the Manchester Pride website.
Facts About Manchester Pride (FAMP), a Facebook campaign group, said it held a small demonstration outside the offices of Manchester Pride on the corner of Portland Street and Sackville Street yesterday lunchtime.
Geoff Stafford, co-founder of FAMP, said: “We’ve been campaigning for two-and-a-half years, but now Pride has upset a lot of the LGBT community right across the board. From low-paid people who feel excluded by high ticket prices, to gay business owners and charity workers. In the current climate smaller charities in particular depend on this funding.”
Tony Cooper, a former deputy chair of the Village Business Association (VBA) and the manager of gay bar VIA on Canal Street, said: “I have had dialogue with Manchester Pride for several weeks and I have not seen any change in the way they deal with issues and I find myself believing that they do not want to engage with the community at large”.
FAMP claims this year’s donations are below “£29,000” – but Manchester Pride told PinkNews.co.uk that it wouldn’t be able to reveal its figure until it had finalised its accounts.
The organisation said donations have reduced and ticket sales have declined as a result of the recession. Manchester Pride said it was moving to reduce costs and organising new fundraising activities with the aim of increasing donations for 2014.
