Brighton & Hove Pride raised a magnificent £147,263.74 for good causes at Pride 2017.
This record amount will be distributed as grants by the Rainbow Fund, the Pride Social Impact Fund and a new Pride Community Fund.
Headlined by Pet Shop Boys and Year & Years, Pride 2017 has been universally hailed as the biggest and best Brighton Pride to date, with Sussex Police and Brighton & Hove City Council estimating there were 400,000 people celebrating Pride in the city over Pride weekend.
The FREE Pride Community Parade attracted approximately 300,000 participants and spectators to the city centre, with almost 100,000 people attending Pride ticketed events and Southern Railways reporting over 100,000 people passing through Brighton train station.
This year Brighton & Hove Pride cost organisers over £1.8million to deliver, bringing in approximately £18million to the local economy with visitors spending money on accommodation, retail, food and drink across the Pride weekend.
All money raised by Pride from ticket sales goes directly to the operational and running costs of producing the Pride Festival, Pride Community Parade, Pride Village Party and the Pride Fundraising programme through the Rainbow Fund, a Brighton and Hove based grant-giving fund for local LGBT/HIV organisations, the Pride Social Impact Fund (SIF) and the new Pride Community Fund.
SIF was created in 2015 so that businesses that benefit from Pride could contribute to community groups and local good causes across the City. It is independently run and chaired by journalist, Tim Ridgway with representatives from the The Argus, Brighton & Hove Independent, Latest 7, G Scene and BBC Sussex on the grants panel.
Paul Kemp, Director of Brighton and Hove Pride, said: “We are immensely grateful for the support of everyone who purchased tickets for the official Pride events as well as our sponsors and local supporting businesses all who have helped us raise this record amount of Pride community fundraising. One of the biggest elements of Pride is the Free Pride Community Parade which attracted almost 300,000 participants and spectators, many of who spend money with local businesses across the City.
“We really want local businesses across the City to benefit from the Pride weekend but, apart from contributions from venues within the Village Party zone, there has been a disappointing amount of support locally. Prior to Pride we sent over 2,000 letters by post to local businesses who benefit from the bumper Pride weekend inviting them to support Pride’s fundraising for the Social impact Fund but, to date, no support has been forthcoming.
“Pride is a great event promoting the whole city to a national and international audience, but it’s also about community and responsibility and surely this should be shared by everyone who benefits from the weekend and Pride hope more businesses will help with the fundraising effort in the future.”
Chris Gull, Chair of Rainbow Fund, said: “Once again Paul Kemp, Dulcie Weaver and the team organising Pride have proved that it is truly A Pride With Purpose.
Tim Ridgway, chairman of the Brighton Pride Social Impact Fund, added: “In the last two years the fund has made a visible and very real difference to dozens of organisations across the city, who have all put a little bit of pride back into our city.
This year’s Pride community fund consists of £107,508.74 donated to the Rainbow Fund. The Social impact fund will have a total of £19,755.00 available to distribute in grants for 2017 including £5,140.00 rolled over from 2016 and the new Pride Community Fund has £20,000 allocated for Special Pride Grants.
Rainbow Fund Grants for local LGBT+ community groups will be announced at the Rainbow Fund Grants Awards 2017 at the Brighton Hilton Metropole on October 16.
Applications for Pride SIF Grants open on October 1, 2017 with successful applicants being announced in December.
For information on applications and how to apply for a SIF grant, click here:
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