Ulverston celebrates first successful Pride festival

Ulverston Pride added a splash of colour to the streets of town on Saturday to celebrate local members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The event was organised by members of Ulverston Pride Community Group, which provides an online community, weekly meetings, and a safe place to find partnerships, companionship, and advice.

Crowds attended the event at the town centre (Image: Filipa Gaspar, Newsquest) Flags were being flown at the town hall and local businesses prepared the front of their shops to show their support of the event.

Some ‘wonderful’ performers and stage guests took the stage to provide entertainment with the local drag queen Miss Patty Dale hosting the event.

The MP for Barrow and Furness Michelle Scrogham and the Town Mayor Graham Scrogham made the opening remarks by highlighting the importance of inclusivity.

Mrs and Mr Scrogham at Ulverston Pride (Image: Filipa Gaspar, Newsquest) Speaking at the event, Mrs Scrogham said: "It gives me a massive amount of pride. We are a festival town. We put on so many incredible events and seeing something like the pride coming to Ulverston makes me realise that all of those years campaigning for it do make a difference.

"It is so nice to see so many people in the town centre just being able to be themselves.

Mr Scrogham added: "The town is looking so colourful. It is all about celebrating everybody - it is not about a particular person or group it is everybody and I think that is a really key message to get across because we are all our own person and to be able to celebrate that I think it is wonderful."

Cath Dickinson and her wife Alison Siday at Ulverston Pride (Image: Newsquest) Cath Dickinson, from Ulverston, said: "The event is really important. It is really inclusive.

"It is the first one and it needed to happen."

Sarah Wilkinson Marsh, from Ulverston, added: "It is a way of making everybody realise that the gay community has always been here - they are your friends, your neighbours, your work colleagues and we are all just people.

Sarah Wilkinson Marsh with her daughter at Ulverston Pride (Image: Filipa Gaspar, Newsquest) "This is about loving and celebrating and we need to remember there is a time when good people were persecuted for loving who they love and we need to celebrate that that is over."

Alasdair Wilkinson Marsh, one of the organisers of the event, thanked the community for the help he received to make this festival happen.

He said: "Ulverston made this event, not us. What this festival is about is the community itself and they are the ones that are up on that stage being loud, being proud showing themselves for what they are, living their lives the way they want to and everyone can see our community just having a really good day."