THE former organiser of the Brighton Pride gay festival has quit the race to run this year's event after a feud with a rival group.

Director Sue Nichols, whose Brighton Pride Ltd has run the event for the past three years, has withdrawn an application to stage the

festival.

The decision leaves the field open for rival bidder Pride 2000 to run the event in Preston Park on July 29.

Ms Nichols said: "We have no wish to indulge in any behaviour which brings public ridicule to our lesbian and gay community, nor to jeopardise the continuation of the event.

"With this in mind, we are withdrawing our application to organise a festival this year."

Attempts to get the groups to submit a joint bid failed and there were fears the event, which attracted 35,000 people last year, would be cancelled.

Nimrod Ping, joint chairman of Pride 2000, said: "I hope we can now all work together and make this summer's festival the best we have seen."

Ian Duncan, executive Brighton and Hove councillor for culture, said: "Of course this is only accepting Pride 2000 in principle and it's not the end of the story.

"They have to turn words into action and make the event work."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.