Gay equality charity Stonewall held a 10k fundraising walk in Brighton on Sunday which attracted support from TV stars.

The walk was opened by the Mayor of Brighton and hosted by Heather Peace, star of BBC3’s Lip Service, and Coronation Street actor Charlie Condou.

The day had a family fun atmosphere with a pre-walk picnic held in the Pavilion Gardens where a swing band, face painters and stilt walkers provided entertainment. There was also a post-walk party at the Honey Club and more fundraising entertainment into the night at Madame Geisha bar. First time walker Julia Howorth from London explained her reason for attending: “It’s important to keep the great work of Stonewall going and I’ll definitely come again next year”.

Charlie Condou, who plays gay parent Marcus Dent in Coronation Street, said: “I’m really pleased to be one of the hosts of this year’s Equality Walk as it’s raising money to support Stonewall’s work with primary schools”. This was Stonewall’s eighth annual walk in Brighton. The charity will be using the funds raised to distribute a teacher training pack to all primary schools in Britain with the aim of tackling homophobic bullying. According to James Lawrence, Stonewall Communications Officer, the project is vital as “a Stonewall study has shown that primary school teachers are crying out for support”.

Sarah Stirling, a teacher from London, explained why she was taking part: “I suffered a homophobic attack on a bus in London last week which prompted me to take part today. As a gay teacher, the issue of homophobia in schools is very close to my heart”. Around 500 people took part in the walk, and organisers hope to exceed the £63,000 raised last year.