Northampton Pride committee needs your help to make the virtual event just as good

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, like many things, the Northampton Pride festival has been cancelled.

The event that has been popular in the town since it started two years ago and was meant to take place on July 18.

However the Pride committee in charge of the event is determined to make sure the occasion is still marked despite not being able to meet in big groups.

Councillor Anna King, Cabinet member for community engagement and safety, said: “It’s with a heavy heart that we’ve taken the decision that it would not be safe or appropriate to go ahead with the parade on the original date of 18 July 2020, but the health and safety of our communities is our top priority.

“Even though we won’t be marching together through the streets of Northampton in July we know that won’t stop us all coming together to support our communities and celebrate diversity from our homes.”

On the day, a virtual Pride festival will be hosted online and throughout the month of July a motivational campaign will be displayed across the town.

But to make these two things a success, the committee is asking for help from local people.

As part of the month long campaign they need LGBTQ people in Northampton to share their story about coming out, living and being part of Northampton, dealing with Covid-19 and lockdown, as well as what pride means to them.

The story will then be displayed alongside a photo, taken by a professional photographer, in one of the town centre shop windows for the month of July.

For the virtual festival on July 18, the committee needs videos to make a pre-recorded festival celebrating Northampton’s LGBTQ community, services and organisations.

These videos can include musical or dance performances, spoken word or poetry, time lapsed videos of art work and topical talks.

The Grosvenor Shopping Centre will also be awarding a prize of £250 in vouchers to the winning video submission,

To submit your story for the motivational campaign, email 200 words to [email protected] by June 21. A video explaining your story can also be added.

To get involved in the festival video, email your entry to [email protected] by June 28.

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