St George saves the day

Liverpool Pride organisers are delighted to announce that there will be a FREE events programme on Saturday 1 August and will be held in the prestigious backdrop of the St George’s Quarter and within St John’s Gardens.

The programme will include the Pride Muster and March; The Pink Picnic; An Education and Community Zone; A Market Area; Food and Drink Stalls; Picturehouse Travelling Cinema; Acoustic Music; Workshops; Family Zone and Speakers Corner with special guest in attendance. St Johns Gardens and St Georges Quarter will remain an alcohol free zone.

Liverpool Pride will commence with an extended muster time on St George’s Plateau from 10.30am with a programme of entertainment and speakers on St Georges Plateau including popular Liverpool Poet Gerry Potter. This will lead up to the increasingly popular and poignant Liverpool Pride March starting from St George’s Hall, which remains a highlight of the day. This year the March route will loop around the city beginning and ending at St George’s Plateau and for the first time ever will pass through Liverpool’s Stanley Street Quarter.

When the March has returned, bring your picnic baskets and pitch a spot in St John’s Gardens to enjoy pink lemonade and afternoon tea with The Pride Pink Picnic and enjoy a family fun day, packed with an array of activities on offer. Food and soft drinks will also be available for purchase.

The Education Zone will offer LGBT talks, workshops and activities for all ages, and attendees already confirmed include: After Adoption; Association of Teachers and Lecturers; Broken Rainbow; Brook; CARE Fertility; Chalice Media Group; Diversity Role Models; DWF LLP Law Firm; Educate and Celebrate; Homotopia; LGSM; Liverpool Bi Group; Liverpool Trans; Mermaids; Michael Causer Foundation; New Beginnings; Purple Tie Promotions; Sahir House and The Whitechapel Centre.

Highlights of events taking place in the education zone include: a video from the Michael Causer Foundation which outlines why the Foundation was set up, DWF present facts and advice for same-sex couples wanting to start a family, Diversity Role Models present workshops which give an insight in to life in the school classroom, Kreative Kaos will present an exciting performance of children’s story The Pirate Princess and there will be various Q+A sessions including Liverpool Trans and LGSM.

Children and parents alike will be able to take advantage of Story Time Corner with books available to enjoy which focus on gender identity and different family set-ups, as well as a host of Celebrity Guest readers throughout the day including professional comedian Bethany Black who recently featured in the hugely successful and popular multi-channel shows Banana, Cucumber and Tofu where she was the first trans actress to play a lead role, plus rising soulful R&B artist Jes Stretton who returns after performing on Liverpool Pride’s main stage in 2014.

Music will be provided in the education zone with a host of local artists performing throughout the day, including Out on Stage contestants Eleanor Nelly and Joseph Lofthouse entertaining the crowds with a fantastic selection of acoustic tracks.

The Incredible Moving Picturehouse will also be driving into the city for a special programme of movies supported by Unison North West LGBT Group and Thinking Film. Screening four LGBT feature films – Hairspray, Pride, Soft Lad and Dressed as a Girl, running from 2pm to 10:30pm, tickets are £6 per screening and are now on sale.

There will also be a market which will include a wealth of stalls to stock up on souvenirs, gifts and mementos as well and food and drink stalls and information stalls including various LGBT services plus stalls which offer links to local and national groups for teens to get information and resources for teachers and education providers to use in their classrooms.

After previously announcing a downsize in scale to this year’s festival, organisers have been working tirelessly to put together as full a programme as possible and are delighted to have secured the remarkable setting of St John’s Garden to hold this year’s day time events.

Joan Burnett, Trustee of Liverpool Pride Charity said: “We want to thank Liverpool City Council and Homes4Everyone and our other supporters for their unwavering belief in Liverpool Pride – they have made our day possible!

“St John’s Gardens is a beautiful setting for the day, so near the Stanley Street Quarter and having been the site of a Pansy Project intervention before now. We hope to both entertain and educate in equal measure and our emphasis will be on young people and their experiences. We’ll have great speakers on stage, a vibrant market area and plenty for everyone to do and see! Whilst we do remind everyone that this is an alcohol free zone, we encourage you to join us for the perfect summer picnic and enjoy Liverpool Pride to the max.”

Alan Smith, Manager of St George’s Hall added: “St George’s Hall is delighted to support PRIDE for their March and celebrations in St John’s Gardens. The family friendly event in St John’s gardens brings further celebration and light into the heart of the city and reaffirms the halls commitments to be truly multicultural, inclusive, and embracing all of the community.”

Liverpool Pride 2015 is being supported by main sponsors Homes For Everyone and Liverpool City Council. Supporters also include After Adoption, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service, Hugh Baird College, Unison North West LGBT, and Barefoot Wine.

Keep up to date with Pride Liverpool announcements by visiting www.liverpoolpride.co.uk where people can also register to volunteer or find out about sponsorship opportunities.

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