Following a meeting to discuss the future of Pride in Brighton & Hove the trustees have announced a series of cuts on Preston Park for next years event.

Main attractions on the park, the Wild Fruit tent and Cabaret tent will be replaced by 3 entertainment tents consisting of a performance tent, music tent and arts/cultural tent.

The funfair is a further casualty of the Trustees cuts along with the Women's Tent and the Calabash, people of colour Tent.

The Trustees proposals for 2010 include:

That Pride will organise and support an annual Pride Parade, and seek to use existing resources and find additional resources to improve and strengthen the way that the Pride Parade conveys key messages that support Pride's charitable objectives and improve the artistic quality of the Parade.

Pride will organise an event in Preston Park that is open to everyone, but with a change of format and dynamics which will include Pride directly supporting and funding the following activities only:

The creation of a ‘community heart of the park’,  the provision and support of three entertainment tents consisting of a performance tent, music tent and arts/cultural tent. 

An LGBT community sports/activity area.

 

An LGBT market place.

 

Pride will encourage entry by donation at key entry points to the park.

 

Pride will co-ordinate and promote a Pride summer festival week with a diverse range of events organised by LGBT community groups and businesses:

 

Pride will provide expertise and in kind support to LGBT community groups to put on events during the summer festival week and to fundraise for their own cause:

 

Pride will seek to increase the number of people involved in volunteering with Pride and actively recruit Pride members who support the ethos and delivery of Pride’s charitable objectives.

 

Pride will continue to represent LGBT views, contribute to local working groups and to provide representatives or speaker’s for events and conferences where Pride has the appropriate knowledge or expertise to contribute to the issue or subject and it is relevant to Pride’s charitable objectives.

 

Pride will continue to support the Pride Companion Dog Show and focus their support on one key event per month, either as a fundraiser for Pride or in support of a local LGBT group, in association with partners.
 

In 2010 Pride will not:

 

Provide financial support (as opposed to in kind support) in the form of grants to LGBT community groups.

 

Put on a Winter Pride Festival week 2010.

 

Encourage, fund or support all of the infrastructure, entertainment and dance tents and activities previously provided at the main park event or be able to support every fundraising event that is put on for Pride.

 

The removal of financial grants and Winter Pride are seen as short term decisions for 2010 reflecting the current financial position of Pride. These will be reviewed and if appropriate reinstated once Pride is in a more secure financial position.

 

The theme for Pride in Brighton & Hove 2010 is Pride and (No) Prejudice and Pride will also be celebrating its 18th Birthday. 

Pride proposes to adopt the following key principles for the main park event for 2010 and beyond. These are that:

 

It helps Pride deliver and reinforce their charitable objectives and educational messages, including time for reflection.

 

Pride is an LGBT event where participants feel welcomed and safe.

 

Pride is an LGBT community focused event.

 

Pride brings together different elements of the LGBT community in a ‘mass participation’ event.

 

Pride Provides a diverse opportunity, whilst also recognising difference.

 

Pride is accessible.

 

Pride provides fun and entertainment.

 

Pride is something to be proud of.

 

Pride pays for itself.

 

Pride is manageable within the resources of Pride South East Ltd and its partners.

Commenting, Yvonne Barker, chair of Pride said:

“The proposals put forward will be consulted on over the next few weeks and the impact on everyone involved and the cost implications fully explored. Once all of the implications are understood and feedback has been received we will then make final decisions on Pride 2010 and beyond. We expect to confirm those decisions by the end of 2009. All aspects will still remain subject to us being able to raise sufficient funds through our fundraising appeal, sponsorship and income generation activities”.
 

Pride will continue to remain a charitable organisation that is community led and owned. They will also continue to use the Pride Parade, park event and summer festival week as the main vehicles to deliver their charitable objectives.

Wilde Ones the production company who have supported Pride and helped finance their cashflow for the last 10 years told Pride prior to the present proposals they were concerned at how the board of trustees have handled the present crisis and will not be tendering for the new three year "production contract".

Dean Parker of Wilde Ones who provide production on Preston Park said:
"As long term supporters of Brighton Pride, I found it very difficult to consider tendering for an event that the Trustees had said, in both the mainstream and gay media, might be dramatically scaled back or even abandoned. The tender document was 70 pages long and the time, resources and legal costs involved with tendering for an event that - on the day the tenders were due in - was essentially reduced to a picnic in the park, were unreasonable.”

In a joint statement issued by Wilde Ones Ltd. and Aeon Events Ltd (Prides largest business contributor and owners of Wild Fruit), who have the present three year drinks concession on Preston Park, Dean Parker and Paul Kemp said:
"The production costs of the event on Preston Park did not rise between 2008-9, so we must look elsewhere for reasons to explain the present financial mess. We think the trustees are tackling the wrong issues with their proposals and have serious concerns about their ability to deliver a funded event in 2010.

James Ledward editor of Gscene Magazine said:
"The reason Pride in Brighton and Hove has survived over the years is that successive organisers of Pride formed deep rooted and trusting business relationships with the people who actually make the event happen each year, the contract suppliers, who in my experience just love being involved in the event.

"It pains me deeply that those relationships have been put in jeopardy by the present crisis and to a man I am hearing that these 'long term supporters' of the event are disenchanted with the present proposals and feel they have been treated as 'adversaries' rather than 'partners' since Pride announced their potential deficit.

"Pride promised a root and branch review of its activities. I think what we have on the table is a solution of how to get through the present financial crisis rather than examining the fundamental problems created by the business model Pride the organisation is tied into.

"I have always seen Pride Trustees as "guardians" of the event for the LGBT community and feel uncomfortable that the only method of people feeding back their concerns is through a questionaire on the Pride website that people are complaining to me is biased in favour of the proposals on the table.

"This is not a satisfactory way to proceed as this event has a dramatic impact on the finances not only of the LGBT business community but the city at large."