Plans for this year’s Portsmouth Pride Parade and Festival will be revealed at a public meeting on Wednesday, March 2 at the Civic Offices.
“This is an opportunity for you to hear about our plans for 2016,” said Sarah, Chair of the organising committee, “and we’ll be looking for volunteers who’d like to get involved and help us put on a show that brings together people interested in celebrating diversity and inclusiveness in Portsmouth.”
Among the events to be announced are an LGBT Arts Festival from June 11-19, and a parade that will walk from Guildhall Square all the way to Southsea Common on Saturday, June 18 2016.
Manchester Pride Spring Benefit returns for a second year with a brand new venue and a line-up of class acts.
Rebecca Ferguson
This year’s fundraiser is on Thursday, May 19 and will once again bring together sponsors, business leaders, individual supporters, community champions and celebrities to raise money for The Manchester Pride Community Fund.
The event will be hosted at The Bays, Victoria Warehouse Hotel in Manchester with entertainment provided by Liverpool songstress Rebecca Ferguson and acoustic, folk singer and former X-Factor contestant Lucy Spraggan. Local performer Dean Mac has also added to the star-studded line-up.
Lucy Spraggan
In addition to the great entertainment lineup, guests will be invited to make their way down the red carpet to a sparkling drinks reception in the illustrious Bays Brick Bar.
The Manchester Pride Spring Benefit raises money for the Manchester Pride Community Fund which provides crucial support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and HIV charities and organisations in Greater Manchester.
Mark Fletcher
Mark Fletcher, Chief Executive at Manchester Pride, said:“We’re really pleased to be bringing back the Spring Benefit for a second year, following its huge success in 2015. Last year’s event made a significant contribution to our record annual fundraising total, earning its place as a firm must attend evening on the LGBT and supporters calendar. With an amazing new venue, this year attendees can expect another first class evening with stunning performances and a few surprises on the night, and we will of course be encouraging everybody to help us beat the total raised for LGBT causes at last year’s event.”
There are a limited number of tickets available for the event and individual tickets can be purchased for £85, which includes a drinks reception, a four-course dinner and entertainment.
There are two table packages available for group bookings:
♦ A premium table of ten costing £800
♦ A Platinum Package costing £1500 which includes a VIP drinks reception, chauffeur service to the event, and a professional red carpet photo opportunity.
Exeter City Football Club will take another stand against homophobia at its home game with Newport County on Saturday, February 20, kick off at 1pm.
The match is designated as the club’s annual Football v Homophobia fixture and a number of initiatives to mark the day have been organised by the Exeter City Supporters’ Trust and its One Game One Community (OGOC) Group and the Club’s Football in the Community charity.
Ollie Watkins
This is the seventh time that a Football v Homophobia match has been held by Exeter City and the initiative has been backed by first team player and OGOC Ambassador Ollie Watkins.
Ollie said:“Homophobia like all discrimination has no place in football”.
Players from both teams will warm up in Football v Homophobia T-shirts. These will be thrown to the crowd before the start of the game. The players will then walk out for the pre match line-up behind a Football v Homophobia banner.
The OGOC Group will be welcoming guests from Exeter Pride and the Devon Lions, the local gay friendly football club.
Football v Homophobia leaflets and information about the Lions will be distributed to the crowd and articles about the campaign will also be featured in the match programme.
Alan Quick, a member of the OGOC group, is also the South West Co-ordinator for Football v Homophobia and a founding trustee of Exeter Pride, said he is pleased that Exeter City has been a long-standing supporter of the Football v Homophobia campaign.
“Homophobia, prejudice and discrimination against Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people in football is unacceptable and I am really pleased that Exeter City is committed to creating safe and inclusive football environments for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Prejudice and discrimination in football affects us all, not just LGBT people” said Alan.
Exeter City’s One Game One Community Group works with the national Kick it Out campaign to address all types of discrimination in football including race, disability, gender, age and sexual orientation.
Brighton Women’s Centre and Brighton Dome will celebrate the 105th International Women’s Day (IWD)with an action-packed day of entertainment, films, workshops, exhibitions, discussions, history tours and children’s activities.
IWD celebrations will take place at the Brighton Dome, Church Street, Brighton on Saturday, March 5, from 10am to 4pm.
Host for the day, UK Slam! champion Rachel Nwokoro, will be introducing an impressive line up on the main stage including Brighton’s all women a capella choir We Bop, female ukulele band Qukulele and Beatbox Champion Bellatrix who will be belting out foot stomping tunes alongside other dance, music and poetry performances.
Caroline Lucas MP
Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, FGM campaigner Nimco Ali and community organiser Emily Wright will be joining a panel discussion to explore some of the key issues affecting women today.
You can join a women’s history walk around the Pavilion Estate, the stamping ground of headstrong princesses, era defining queens, writers, artists and businesswomen.
In the exhibition area, Brighton Dome’s flagship outreach project Miss Represented will have jewelry making and collage workshops alongside their retrospective work.
In Dead Reckoning, artist Bern O’Donoghue presents 3,771 miniature boats, each one bearing witness to the death in 2015 of a migrant or refugee who attempted to cross the Mediterranean in their efforts to reach Europe.
Free workshops that can be booked on the day will include Women’s Self Defence, Beatboxing with UK champion Bellatrix, Sing Your Heart Out, Creative Writing and Women’s History. There will also be a room showing all-day films. Browse the information stalls, enjoy the entertainment or learn some new skills.
The Early Childhood Project will keep the 0-12 year olds amused with their all-day children’s activities. Or, pamper yourself with low-cost holistic therapies and retreat to the café bar to relax over tea and cake.
Prepared to be entertained, inspired and empowered!
International stars line up to raise money for refugee projects in Brighton and Hove.
Alison Moyet
A huge list of celebrities have stepped forward to support two Brighton-based refugee projects.
80s music superstar Alison Moyet will be hosting the BIG Sussex Refugee Solidarity 2016 Music Quiz at the Synergy Centre, West Street on March 24 at 7pm.
Questions are being written by a range of award-winning journalists and musicians, including Bond/Sherlock/Independence Day composer David Arnold; BAFTA winning writer David Quantick; The Guardian’s Beauty Editor, Sali Hughes; long time Charlie Brooker collaborator and TV Burp writer Dan Maier and Steve Hillier from Dubstar.
Alongside some very special guests performing live on the night, there will also be a cash prize for the winning team as well as spot prizes throughout the night.
A companion online celebrity auction will also offering unique and collectable items to the highest bidders in the weeks leading up to the quiz.
The unique auction prizes, include:
♦ Satirist Ian Hislop’s tie, as worn on Have I Got News For You
♦ An invite to be Sara Pascoe’s backstage guest for a panel show filming
♦ A private cookery lesson from comic, broadcaster and food-lover Hardeep Singh-Kohli
♦ A chance to be ‘M’ for the day- with a chauffeur-driven drive in the Jaguar XJL as used in James Bond movie Skyfall
♦ A Sherlock score sheet, signed by composer David Arnold
♦ A bottle of House of Commons wine signed by Hove MP, Peter Kyle
♦ Signed CDs and tour passes from The Fratellis
♦ A goodie bag from legendary Brighton indie label, Tru Thoughts
♦ Signed book and beauty goodie bag from Sali Hughes, The Guardian’s Beauty Editor
With more donations from Billy Bragg, Caitlin Moran, Rebecca Front, Kevin Eldon, Milton Jones, Caroline Lucas MP, Quentin Blake and original art from Martin Rowson, Simone Lia, Dave Shelton .. the list goes on!
Sussex businesses The Brighton Wheel, Charleston House, Butlers Wine Cellar, Chilli Chicks and Escape Yoga Clinic are just some of those donating items to the highest bidders.
Award-winning novelist Linda Newbery, who is donating three signed books, said: “How could anyone not support this? This is so important.”
All money raised will be split between two Sussex refugee support projects, The Calais School Bus Project and Sussex Refugee Solidarity.
The event is being organised by one of the founders of Sussex Refugee Solidarity, Brighton entrepreneur Richard Freeman.
Richard said:“The number of pro-active groups in Sussex rallying to lobby government, send aid and support refugee families relocating here is incredible. We can’t listen to policy-makers squabble about statistics and politics, we need to step-up and offer human-to-human support wherever it is needed. The auction generated over £1,000 within a few days of going live, so I’m optimistic about what we can do in two months.”
To buy tickets to the quiz or bid on the auction, click here:
Celebrate the day of LURVE with a festival of darkness in the company of a bear!
In cahoots with the naughty men at Subline, Brighton Bear Weekend are holding a Black Valentine Party on February 14 at Subline on St James Street to raise money for local good causes.
Dress in black (leather and rubber are encouraged…) and join the men for a steamy afternoon ‘tea dance’ soundtracked by DJ Screwpulous.
Event: Black Valentine
Where: Subline, 129 St James’s St, Brighton BN2 1TH
When: Sunday, February 14
Time: 3pm – 7pm
Tickets: Door charge £3 in black, otherwise £5. All donated to The Rainbow Fund!
“This is an opportunity for you to hear about our plans for 2016,” said Sarah, Chair of the organising committee, “and we’ll be looking for volunteers who’d like to get involved and help us put on a show that brings together people interested in celebrating diversity and inclusiveness in Portsmouth.”
Brighton Women’s Centre and Brighton Dome will celebrate the 105th International Women’s Day (IWD)with an action-packed day of entertainment, films, workshops, exhibitions, discussions, history tours and children’s activities.
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