Wolverhampton Pride is back! Rainbows galore as event returns after four years
Wolverhampton Pride has returned after a four-year gap bought on by Covid, welcoming 6,000 people to the city on Saturday.
Thousands attended the event to encourage LGBT+ inclusivity, taking the occasion to show their colours in a stand for equal rights.
Councillors and Pride representatives opened the event at 11am, with Mayor Michael Hardachre giving a speech of togetherness and pride in Wolverhampton as well as hope for the future.
The event started with a poignant reading by Bethany Coey-Archer, chair of the internal Rainbow Staff Equality forum, who read out the names of those members of the LGBT community who have died.
Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, Wolverhampton's cabinet member for visitor city, said: "This is hugely important, this isn't just important for the LGBT community, this is important for Wolverhampton as a place, the city of dreams.
"This is the first Pride we are holding because of Covid and other things, but here we are in 2023, we are expecting thousands today and long may it continue.
"For me, it is important as a city, as an authority, we respect everyone's gender, sexuality and religion. This is a day to celebrate Pride, with all of our friends from different communities and all different backgrounds."
The councillor ended by saying that the event is "a start of things to come", promising that Wolverhampton will only get "bigger and better" in the future.
Page Brooks, aged 23, from Wolverhampton, said: "This is the first Pride that I have been to, it's a fantastic experience and the vibe is absolutely brilliant.
"It's so important to be represented locally. I am from Wolverhampton, the closest Pride event for me is Birmingham, we definitely needed something locally."
The event saw over 6,000 visitors from all over the UK visit Wolverhampton, with a couple driving from Bangor, Wales, to be a part of the celebrations.
Zara Lloyd, 28, said: "We always try to attend Pride events no matter where they are, we are big supporters of inclusivity but don't need a reason to have a good time.
"We heard about the event in Wolverhampton through a community page and we knew we needed to go. It's amazing, it's such a good experience. Definitely, on par with Birmingham, I'd say."
Dozens of different inclusivity organisations turned up for the event, with groups focusing on different aspects of the LGBT community flying their flags to represent their group.
Daren McCormac, 46, from Stamford, said: "We are a part of the Heart of England Leather, which is a group that celebrates those in the LGBT leather community.
"We think it's a fantastic event to show representation, and the fact that there was a four-year gap only makes this more important."
The event promises more inclusivity for the Wolverhampton area, with more events planned in the future to show solidarity for those in the Pride community.
Isabelle Watkins, 32, of Wolverhampton, said: "You can see how much love is around here at the moment, and I feel that council are being genuine with wanting this sort of thing to carry on.
"I love everything that has been done to show that the real Wolverhampton is a proud Wolverhampton and an inclusive Wolverhampton."