By Paul Kemp

Managing Director, Brighton Pride

 

A new community interest company (CIC) has taken over the reins of Brighton Pride this year. Brighton Pride CIC has picked up the reins of Pride after a successful event in the city last year.

I will take up the role of managing director. David Harvey from the E3 group is the chair whilst DJ and promoter Dulcie Danger from Sauce FM is the programming and product director. Trevor Edwards has been retained as operations director.

Together we have formed a dynamic new team to head the CIC group that is small but passionate. Once again, £1 from every ticket sold for 2013 will be ring fenced and through the Rainbow fund distributed to local LGBT good causes. The council’s investment in this event is small and represents excellent value for money.

To ensure complete transparency of the business model, Tony Chapman, the owner of Legends, and David Calderhead, the owner of the Amsterdam Hotel, along with David Hill of E3 Group have agreed to sit on a scrutiny board to ensure that all decisions are open.

Brighton Pride is recognised as hugely important in the financial year of the city to all businesses and trades not just LGBT businesses. 2013’s Pride is set to expand its appeal with additions to the impressive line up of events and entertainment including LGBT arts and film.

After listening carefully to the feedback for last year’s successful event we felt that it was important to be as inclusive as possible. There will be something for everybody during this year’s events. We are working for the return of the campsite that makes such a difference to those on limited incomes. Pride is about participation, visibility, inclusion and yes, a little politics.

The community parade is an obvious highlight for the LGBT community and the city at large and our vision for this importantly visible part of Pride is to ensure that our community and voluntary groups are fully supported when they take part. We want them to shine and flourish as part of this important event.

The community parade is rightly one of the city’s most popular attractions. In its heyday Brighton Pride attracted more than 100,000 visitors to the city on Pride weekend. Last year, following the fencing of Preston Park, 31,000 people paid to be on the site.

This year Pride is looking to increase that number, which brings extra revenue to the city’s hotels, restaurants, bars and nightclubs and so generates increased funds for our local LGBT organisations and groups.