Wakefield Pride

Wakefield Pride originated from a request from the youth group Fruitbowl to organise a Pride event in Wakefield. An article placed in SHOUT asked for volunteers to meet at the MESMAC offices in January 2005 and the committee was formed and was developed in conjunction with Wakefield Council, the Primary Care Trusts, the West Yorkshire Police Authority, the owners of two local gay venues in the city, VOX, the Men’s Sexual Health Project (MESMAC) and members of the gay community.

A working group came together and organised a programme of activity and the first 'Pride not Prejudice' gay pride in Wakefield was held in 2005, which was a great success. Development of the group continued with a formal constitution and election of officers which took place with the aim of running a Pride event every year.

The group decided to organise a parade through the streets of Wakefield and to put on an afternoon of entertainment with free and open access to the public. The principal aim was to celebrate the diverse cultures and lifestyles of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in Wakefield to challenge the stereotypes, break down barriers and build bridges with the community at large.

The event was a great success, with approximately 2000 people attending and about 1000 people joining the march through the city centre.

The CCTV footfall figures for 2007 showed a maximum number of pedestrians in the precinct as 4100. Allowing for 600 who would be shopping there anyway, it shows that 3500 people attended the event and some stayed in the venues, which provided their own entertainment and did not venture out onto the precinct. There were people of all ages, many nationalities, all backgrounds and all sexualities. It would be hard to find a more diverse population working to create or celebrate a single event.

Attendance figures have risen from 1000 in 2005 to 2000 in 2006 to 3500 in 2007 The CCTV figures show a 77.4% increase in visitors to the event over last year,

The committee have had several requests to intercede on people’s behalf in reporting hate crime incidents to the Police and asked to advise on various legal issues relating to employment and housing. The group also received a request to participate in an awareness-raising workshop for Wakefield and District Housing.

Wakefield Pride (Pride not Prejudice) was nominated for and has won the prestigious Duke of York Award. This award encourages the enhancement of community spirit throughout Yorkshire. It recognises excellence and acknowledges outstanding local community schemes that are doing excellent work by bringing together people within communities.

Following the collapse of the Pride not Prejudice organising committee, there was no community event in 2009 and the New Union Eatery and Bar in Southgate stepped in and funded a gay pride event of their own. This was also followed by another event in 2011.

The 18 month hiatus the organising committee took from 2009-2010, culminating in as successful return of 'Wakefield Pride' to the heart of Wakefield in 2011 as a true diversity pride. This resulted in two stages; the Diversity Stage in the precinct in front of the iconic cathedral and the LGBT Stage at the New Union.