Swindon and Wiltshire Pride is inviting everyone to still celebrate Pride month, after this year’s town festival had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Joshua Anderson, Social Media Manager for the organisation said: “We are encouraging people to celebrate their Pride month in whatever way they can, given the circumstances.”

Today is the start of LGBT+ Pride Month which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riots in America.

Pride events are normally held throughout June to recognize and celebrate the impact LGBT+ people have had on the struggle for equal rights.

“The history of Pride is very important, so it needs to carry on through the years,” said Joshua.

“Pride month is celebrated by all the community and is a reminder of how far we have come as a society in the last fifty years.

“We need to remember the struggle in order to achieve equality,” said Joshua.

“It gives us an opportunity to take stock of where we are at now and where we have come from, and an opportunity to reflect on the hopes and desires for the future,” he added.

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The coronavirus pandemic has caused Pride festivities to be cancelled all over the country due to social distancing rules. The committee for Swindon & Wiltshire Pride announced at the beginning of April that our town’s annual August LGBT+ festival has been postponed until next year.

“We are obviously devastated about the cancellation of Pride celebrations up and down the country,” said added Joshua.

“But the safety and health of everyone is far more important to us. The community are very much proud of their Pride and we knew how much it would impact on them.

“We haven’t stopped working behind the scenes though, to ensure that next year’s event will be bigger and better than 2019.”

The festival saw record numbers last year, with more than 10,000 people attending throughout the day.

Adapting their plans for Pride month to the current circumstances, the organisation are instead hosting a series of online events with local bands and artists every Friday and Sunday throughout June, which also raise funds for Swindon Food Collective.

In addition Pride merchandise is available for home delivery to buy via their website throughout the month.

Joshua said: “This year for us Pride month means bringing people together in whatever way we can.

“We have been very active on our social media with our live streams, which the community have really rallied around.

"This has helped us to feel a sense of belonging and togetherness which has otherwise been missing.

He added: “Pride month can bring a focus on joy and celebration, as well as a history lesson - even though we cannot celebrate with physical events, there are still creative ways we can celebrate it at home, or with people online.”

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