Furness Pride adds splash of colour to streets of Barrow

Drop Zone Youth Projects' Furness Pride returned for its third in-person event on Saturday, May 25.

This is the fifth edition of the event but only the third time it has taken to the streets of the town as in 2020 and 2021 the event took place online due to the pandemic.

The sun was shining on event-goers who turned up to show their support for the LGBTQIA+ community.

The event began with a parade through the town centre and market at 11am led by Boom Dang.

Boom Dang Band leading the parade (Image: Christopher Warner)Education was the theme of this year's Pride which was hosted by the local Drag Queen Nova.

Cath Corkill, one of the organisers of the event, explained that the choice of education as this year's theme is to educate people about where pride has come from.

As part of the celebrations, more than 10 performances took the stage including local artists and RuPaul's Drag Race star Divina de Campo. 

There were workshops, competitions, a film premiere, stalls, a flag exhibition, a Pride picnic and a church service. 

Cath Corkhill, organiser with Drag Queen, Nova (Image: Christopher Warner)There were stalls spread throughout the town from organisations and charities including Women's Community Matters, Cumbria Pride, Autus Cumbria and St Mary's Hospice.

A spokesperson for St Mary's Hospice said: "Our hospice proudly celebrated Pride! It was a joyous day filled with love, unity, and support for our LGBTQ+ community. Together, we stand for inclusion and acceptance."

A spokesperson for Autus Cumbria said: "A big thank you to everyone who visited us at Furness Pride yesterday - what a lovely time we had!

"It was great to speak to everyone who visited us about autism and the support services we offer locally. A big thank you again to Cath from Drop Zone Youth Crew for inviting us to attend.

"We are also thrilled to share that our Pride Bracelet sale with Moonxmagicshop raised a whopping £75.00 with 50% going towards our services and 50% supporting a local LGBTQ+ ran business."

Crows waving their flags (Image: Christopher Warner)

This year instead of giving out flags to shops, local businesses and organisations had window stickers which were distributed in the run-up to the event.

Businesses that displayed one were included on an inclusivity map showing that they welcome everyone.

Furness Pride was the first of three Pride festivals scheduled across south Cumbria. Kendal Pride is set to take place from 14 to 16 of June, followed by the inaugural Ulverston Pride on July 20.