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Sunderland Team Wins Tyneside Festival Catering Contract

Sunderland Football Club has netted a major festival contract on Tyneside through its outdoor events management division, 1879 Events.

1879 Events, which uses the club’s expertise in major event management to run and operate off-site events, saw off competition from a number of firms to secure the tender to provide both the bars and the catering facilities at this year’s Newcastle Pride Festival.

And the awarding of the contract marks the first time a top flight football club has been a supporter of a Pride event.

The free event, on Saturday July 21 at Newcastle’s Leazes Park, will be the largest ever gathering of the region’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities and is expected to attract more than 20,000 people with live music, stalls, workshops and entertainment.

The 1879 Events team will provide food and drink outlets which will be positioned throughout the park and offer festival-goers a wide choice of catering options at a range of prices.

Gary Hutchinson, Commercial Director at Sunderland AFC, said: “We’re delighted to have won this contract, which we see as a great opportunity to really showcase our outside catering experience and to work with the Pride team.

“This is a great boost for our 1879 Events division and shows our ability to provide services at every kind of event and it’s also fantastic for us to work in the LGBT community in the region.”

Peter Darrant, chair of Northern Pride, which has organised the Festival, said: “Although we received some excellent proposals from a number of catering companies, we were particularly impressed with the creativity and value for money promised by 1879 Events.

“Food is a huge part of any outdoor event and we are confident that this year the catering, like the Festival itself, will be better than ever.”

The celebration will begin at midday when a parade will leave from Newcastle City Hall, arriving at the city’s LeazesParkat around 1pm. There a main stage will be the focus for performances from acts including Sonia, The Cheeky Girls and former Eurovision contestants Scooch.

Local artistes will also get the chance to perform and, along with the 1879 Events food and drink outlets, there will be around 40 stalls selling everything from crafts to cakes and representing a number of charities and local organisations.

The park will house a number of tents, or zones, offering advice on issues such as health and employment, there will be an area set aside for cabaret-style entertainment and a women’s tent featuring workshops and performances from female entertainers.

More information about the Newcastle Pride Festival 2012 and a free download of the events programme can be obtained at www.northern-pride.com.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sorted PR .