Member Article

North East businesses beaming with Pride

NORTH EAST businesses are offering their support to one of the largest, free LGBT festivals in the UK – and there’s still time for more to back the event.

Newcastle Pride has revealed that this year the festival will take place at the new location of Nuns Moor Park from 20 – 22 July and adopt the use of a big top tent for the very first time.

And thanks to businesses across the region and the North of England – the popular festival is set for one of its biggest years yet.

The free LGBT festival has confirmed that NE1, Newcastle’s business improvement district, are back on board as main sponsor for the fourth year running, with Manchester Airport flying the flag as sponsors of the Manchester Airport San Francisco Stage.

Joining NE1 and Manchester Airport are a number of businesses from across the region, including Northumbria Police, The Crowne Plaza, Nandos, Tesco Bank, EDF Energy and car dealership, Arnold Clark.

Stephen Willis, festival director of Newcastle Pride, is confident that this year’s festival will be the biggest yet.

“Newcastle Pride is now in its 11th year and we have managed to grow the festival each year to make sure we have a programme jam-packed with events for people to attend and get involved with,” said Stephen.

“We are one of only a few pride festivals of this scale that is still free to attend and this simply wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our sponsors.”

“It is their support that allows us to put on a free weekend of amazing entertainment and incredible performances and it is a fantastic way for businesses to pledge solidarity with the LGBT community and show a commitment to promoting equality within their organisations.”

Businesses who offer their support will each sponsor a specific element of the festival and a number of sponsorship opportunities are still available for those who want to get involved, as well as Pride Guide and screen advertising opportunities.

The popular festival – which brought more than 73,000 visitors to the region in 2017 and generated more than £9 million for the local economy – returns in July with a star-studded musical line-up featuring Alexandra Burke and S Club as festival headliners.

This year’s Newcastle Pride is celebrating 40 years of the rainbow flag, which was designed by LGBT activist and artist, Gilbert Baker, in 1978.

Baker hand-dyed and stitched together eight individual strips of fabric to create the iconic artwork which has since become a symbol of diversity that is synonymous with the LGBT community.

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