Ryan Houston speaks to Darren Irvine, director of Northern Pride events, about why Northern Pride was first founded and the response received from the community.
SSG: When was Northern Pride first founded and why?
Darren Irvine: Northern Pride was set up in August 2007. Following the disbanding of Pride on Tyne, a steering group commissioned a research project to establish what the north east LGBT community would want a pride event to look like. This research was fed back to the community at an event held in May 2007.
Out of this event a group of volunteers came forward to form the first Northern Pride committee. They successfully held their inaugural Pride Festival in July 2008, which was attended by over 2,500 people and included the north east’s first pride parade through Newcastle City Centre and a party in Leazes Park. Since then the organisation has gone from strength to strength. It’s now a regional event with a large following, and we aim to build on this in future years.
Do you think there is still a need for pride events in the country?
Of course. We’ve come along way, but there’s still so much more to do before LGBT people can achieve full equality. Pride is about celebrating who we are and standing up for our rights, reminding people that our community is still heavily discriminated against – even in 2011.
What makes Northern Pride different from any of the other events taking place across the country?
We’re community-focused (not that I’m saying other prides are not). We want Northern Pride to be a place where people can come and have a good time but also go away feeling as though they’ve learned something. Northern Pride is run by a relatively small group of dedicated volunteers. No one’s paid to do it – we’re all passionate about change.
What support do you receive for the event?
We get support in different ways. Most of our money comes from sponsorship and fundraising throughout the year, some is to support the main event, but a large chunk of funding is to support satellite events like the LGBT Question Time and Paws with Pride events.
Last year Basshunter and lots of other artists were in the line-up. Who can we expect this year?
One of our main objectives this year is to increase the amount of LGBT performers at Northern Pride. We’re moving the Arts and Culture stage this year so there’s less interference from the main stage. We’re going for bigger, better and more variety, so watch this space!
You can join the countdown to Northern Pride by visiting the brand new website, or follow the event on Facebook.
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