Our Impact
As well as staging an annual LGBTQIA+ event, our purpose is to promote equality and diversity for the public benefit and in particular the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. Including in particular but not exclusively by raising awareness, engaging with the community, celebrating the diversity of LGBTQIA+ communities and advancing education.
75,000+
People have attended Pride since 2008
85k
Raised over the years to help keep Pride a FREE event
6,500+
People
attended Swindon & Wiltshire Pride throughout the day
in 2023!
LARGEST LGBTQIA+ event in Wiltshire
September 2023-2024
Stride for Pride
Our Pride Stride for Pride fundraiser took place at Coate Water on September 22nd and despite the weather, it was a resounding success! The event brought together a vibrant community of supporters who walked two laps around the lake, showcasing their solidarity and support for the LGBTQIA+ community. Thanks to the enthusiastic participation and generous sponsorships, we raised valuable funds that will significantly contribute to our ongoing efforts to promote inclusivity and support within our community. This event not only highlighted the strength and unity of our community but also demonstrated the positive impact we can achieve together. Thank you to everyone who participated and supported this wonderful cause!
Pride in Gloucestershire
We attended Pride in Gloucestershires annual Pride event. Attending local Prides is important for us to promote our charity to communities outside of Swindon. We brought along our Pride merchandise which helps us raise much-needed funds for our charity. We also brought our LGBTQIA+ support guides and gave out over 125.
BBC Wiltshire Make a Difference Awards
In September we attended the BBC Wiltshire make a difference awards. We were nominated as part of the Community category and we were up against some amazing community groups and extremely proud to be nominated.
The well deserved Owens World Foundation won in this category which helps tackle knife crime. Did you know there were over 50k knife-crime offences in 2023! For more information please visit 👇https://www.owensworldfoundation.co.uk/
We were lucky to receive a Finalist Trophy which we proudly display in the Pride Hub 🏳️🌈 Thank you to everyone who nominated us and supports the work we do.
Old Town Food Festival
Paul, Sam and Phoenix attending the Swindon Old town food festival. Really pleased to get some interest around volunteer and committee roles as well as Raising funds towards our charity, giving out support guides and connecting with the local community.
Goddard's Primary School
Phoenix and Hannah attended Goddard's primary school as part of their school curriculum on LGBT+ awareness. The children prepared lots of questions to ask around subjects including Swindon & Wiltshire Pride, LGBT+ history and on how to come out.
Phoenix said "It is so inspiring to see the work the school have done to create a place where the students can openly talk about LGBT+ topics. From the visibility from the Pride flag outside the school, to the Pride bunting throughout. The work they are doing is helping the next generation be more open and accepting of the LGBT+ community, will support their mental health for those who aren't out yet and help foster a safe space to talk about different issues."
Over 80 students were involved in asking a variety of different questions linked to Pride, LGBT history and shared all the amazing things they have been up to on the run up to Pride month.
Simon the deputy head teacher From Godard's primary school said.
"On behalf of both the staff and the children, thank you for today. It was a huge success and your support has been vital in ensuring the success of the project."
Pride day at Polaris house
Committee members Lee and Paul attending as part of their pride event. Lee gave a talk to the attendees regarding his role at the charity, the work we do and why pronouns are important. Paul helped promote our Pride event as well as selling our Pride merchandise to help raise funds towards our charity.
Bradon Forest School
The team at Swindon & Wiltshire Pride visited Bradon forest school where they joined the schools LGBT group as part of their pride month celebrations. Students have been working hard to make items to sell to raise money for Swindon & Wiltshire Pride.
Committee members Leo and Phoenix took part in a Q&A session where they answered lots of different questions around coming out, how to deal with homophobia and our roles within the charity.
Charlotte from Brandon Forest school said "Thank you both so much for your support today - our students will remember your words of wisdom and encouragement for years to come. Apologies that we were so short of time and numbers were quite small; word will spread and I'm sure they will all be desperate for you to visit again. You're both so amazing at what you do!"
PGL Liddington
Lee, our Sponsorship Manager and Phoenix our community engagement manager attended a color fun run at PGL Liddington - we had so much fun helping to promote LGBTQIA+ awareness and education this Pride Month and help us raise funds for Swindon & Wiltshire Pride 2024!
We gave out over 40 support guides.
Finalist at the British LGBT Awards!
We are thrilled and honoured to announce that Swindon & Wiltshire Pride were celebrated as a finalist at the prestigious British LGBT Awards 2024! This recognition reflects the incredible work of our community, volunteers, and supporters. We made Top 12!!! Out of the whole UK!
We extend heartfelt thanks to our dedicated chairperson, Paul, for his unwavering leadership. Former chairperson Jo for the years of hard work. To our committed committee members, trustees, and sponsors, your contributions have been invaluable. Thank you to everyone who nominated us, we really couldn’t do what we do without the community we support!
This achievement is a testament to the resilience, love, and unity of our LGBTQ+ community. Congratulations to Proud 2B Parents who won the award in our category, a very worthwhile and needed charity! What an amazing night!
Berts books
We were excited to be invited to two of their events during Pride month. Museum Bums, a look at LGBTQ history in Art and an in conversation event with Matt Cain and Justin Myers (aka the Guyliner) two gay authors. We'd like to thank Bert's books for inviting us to engage with those attending and by donating a % of ticket sales to our charity.
Oxford pride & Cirencester Pride
We attended both events simultaneously with the Amazing support of our Pride committee. Between both events they managed to hand out over 140 FREE support guides, promote our event as well as helping fundraiser for Swindon & Wiltshire Pride.
Raising the flag for LGBTQIA+ History month
We are pleased to work with the council once again to raise the flag for Pride month, after successfully raising the pride flag on a council building for the first time last year. We a pleased to have updated our Pride flags so they incorporate the updated design including people who are intersex as well as celebrating the rest of the community.
Old Town Laundry LGBTQIA+ Event
We worked with Old town laundry bar to host a LGBTQIA+ event, which was sold out. Members of the community loved having a place to come together to connect, be themselves and socialise with a selection of themed drinks (non alcoholic and alcoholic) and fantastic music.
Thank you to Old town laundry bar for giving the community a safe space to connect.
Pride in Cheltenham
We attended Pride in Cheltenham on the 18th May. This is the first of a series of pride events organised by our friends as Pride in Gloucestershire.
We brought along our merchandise and also the new edition of our free support guide.
We were able to speak to lots of people about the plans for this year’s pride event.
We will be back across the border again on the 8th June at Pride in Cirencester and the 7th September at Pride in Gloucestershire.
Nominee of the National Diversity Awards 2024
We're excited to share that we have been selected as a nominee for the National Diversity Awards 2024!
This is a huge honor and recognition of Swindon & Wiltshire Pride's efforts and contributions towards promoting diversity, equality, and inclusion. Such recognition not only validates the importance of the work being done but also helps raise the message of acceptance and support for the LGBTQ+ community. Being nominated signifies that Swindon & Wiltshire Pride's impact is being acknowledged at a national level, which can only inspire further positive change and encourage others to join in the movement towards a more inclusive society.
Winner of a National Lottery Community Award
We are delighted to share that we have received a National Lottery Award from The National Lottery Community Fund to help support Swindon & Wiltshire Pride 2024.
Thank you to all the National Lottery players - this funding helps keep Swindon & Wiltshire Pride free for all.
Winner of the Community Group of the Year at the Wiltshire Life Awards
Last night Swindon & Wiltshire Pride were named joint winners for the ‘Community Group of the Year’ at the Wiltshire Life Awards, aimed at championing “tales of creative endeavour, bravery and community spirit.”
One of our Trustees Denise accepted the award, and in her speech thanked the sponsors, allies and the volunteers. “We’re grateful for Wiltshire for embracing diversity and enabling us to continue our mission to support equality within the community. We would be nothing without our community. It’s not just a charity, it’s a family.”
The ethos of the charity includes to “promote equality and diversity” and “eliminate discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity”. The volunteer-led group regularly attend events throughout the year promoting diversity, and work includes the production of a free LGBTQIA+ support guide seen in schools, libraries and within the local community and the running of a weekly community Pride Hub in Regent Circus.
We could not have gotten this award without all of you! From everyone who attends pride, visits the hub, volunteers their time, even simply liking and sharing our content, this award is for YOU! Thank you so much Wiltshire Life Magazine, we can’t wait to display this with PRIDE!
Hungerford Community Youth Club
We were invited to attend Hungerford Community Youth Club as apart of their focus on Pride during LGBTQIA+ history month. We were there to spread awareness, educate on the different pride flags and identities - and provide support guides as well as free badges and stickers!! The children were so knowledgeable of Pride, the flags and open to ask questions as well.
Out of the Can Film Premier
We were invited to attend the Out of the Can Film Premier. The film is about Lex, a young adult in the early stages of exploring their identity as an LGBTQ+ person.
Out of the Can is a place where young people can connect, and learn, and be themselves, and no one exemplifies this attitude better than Clarke, a confident older member who takes Lex under his wing.
As Lex gets to know Clarke and the youth group, they start to grow and flourish. But when Clarke is faced with an uncertain future, Lex must reciprocate the courage and wisdom Clarke has taught them, and step up to support their friend in his time of need.
Drag Queen Story Hour
Swindon & Wiltshire Pride hosted its second Drag Queen Story Hour with Aida H Dee. These events are organised to create a fun and engaging story hour, featuring children's stories that promote acceptance and kindness.
Unfortunately, for the second year in a row, a far-right group of anti-drag queen protestors gathered outside the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon, where the Drag Queen Story Hour was taking place.
However, we're proud to report that they were massively outnumbered by a group of 50+ counter-protesters who brought along music to drown out the hate. Their presence helped create a safe environment for families attending the event. Despite the challenges, the sold-out event went exceptionally well, and as organisers are eagerly looking forward to hosting another Drag Queen Story Hour.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported the event.
Swindon Wildcats Ice Hockey Game
Swindon and Wiltshire Pride attended the Swindon Wildcats game as part of the English Ice Hockey Association Pride Week celebrations! We held a stall with lots of rainbow attire and guides where visitors of the match came to buy flags and fans, talk about pronouns and gender through the many gender badges on display. We also got to talk to the public about our upcoming pride, the hub and also gave away a few of our LGBTQIA+ Guides. Our logo was displayed brightly on the screen as the chosen charity and we got a snap with the winning Wildcats as they won 3-0!
We're excited to share that we have been selected as a finalist for the 2024 Wiltshire Life awards!!
Swindon & Wiltshire Pride have been shortlisted in the COMMUNITY GROUP OF THE YEAR category for the Wiltshire Life Awards.
Paul Stewart (Chairperson) said:
"This is a tremendous achievement against extremely tough competition. We are humbled to be recognised for the hard work Swindon & Wiltshire Pride do, so being shortlisted is an incredible feat."
Festival of Trees
As well as putting on the pantomime this festive season, the Wyvern Theatre has found itself hosting a veritable forest of Christmas trees for a good cause. An army of NSPCC fundraisers has transformed Swindon’s Wyvern Theatre into a winter wonderland for the town’s first-ever Festival of Trees event. Friends, businesses and other organisations have come together to decorate sponsored trees, all in aid of the children’s charity, whose South West Hub is located in Old Town.
Swindon & Wiltshire Pride had its tree decorated by one of our Committee members.
Stall in Swindon Town Centre
Mark and James braved the cold to bring the Pride stall to Swindon Town Centre. Viability like this is extremely important. We brought along items to sell to fundraise for our charity, given out FREE support guides and also available to sign post and chat to those that needed it x
Swindon Old Town Lights Switch On
You can’t have a Christmas Light Switch on without the added sparkle! We were at the Old Town Light Switch on. Thank you to all those who came by to say hi and take home a rainbow or three!!! Over 30 guides were given out!
Defence Academy
Committee member Paul spent the afternoon at the Defence Academy, representing Swindon & Wiltshire Pride at their wellbeing day for students, staff and families! Lots of support guides and conversations were shared to promote what we do. Thank you for having us!
Rainbow fest
Our committee attended Rainbow Fest at The Olive Tree Cafe in Cheney Manor. We had the opportunity to speak to members of the community that may not have actively sought us out at our other events. We spoke to visititors including a local councillor, we sold pride items and gave away our support guides.
Pride in Gloucestershire
We attended Pride in Gloucestershires annual Pride event. Attending local Prides is important for us to promote our charity to communities outside of Swindon. We brought along our Pride merchandise which helps us raise much-needed funds for our charity. We also brought our LGBTQIA+ support guides and gave out over 60.
September 2022-2023
Pride 2023
Swindon and Wiltshire Pride 2023 was a HUGE success! We returned bigger & better than ever to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community. We had over 750 people in our Pride March and over 6,500 people at Queen's Park on the day!
This year at Pride, we had incredible food, live entertainment, an LGBTQIA+ info stall and our merch stall. We are receiving so much amazing feedback and we are excited for what the next year has for Swindon and Wiltshire Pride!
None of this would have been possible without our volunteers, or our Sponsors. Thank you to all the brilliant volunteers who helped out and gave over their time to help support the event and to our Sponsors for their support.
We were supported by Boom Battle bar who held the afterparty. More to follow!
News coverage:
Pride Week 2023
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We hosted a lineup of events during Pride Week 2023:
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Pride Pottery at Bare Glazed Studio
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Quiz Night at Rudis Bar
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Film Night at the Arts Center
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Emily's Pole Fitness
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Pre-Pride Party at the Waiting Room
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The Pride March and Main Pride Event, followed by the Pride After Party
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Theatre Night at Town Gardens
We hope that you enjoyed all these events as much as we did, and we've been overwhelmed with the incredible positive feedback!
Refreshing the Rainbow Walk
In 2018, the Rainbow Walk came into existence as a collaborative effort between the Swindon and Wiltshire Pride committee and local businesses.
The weather hasn't been kind this summer and just 6 days before Pride the weather finally held out and some of our committee members revitalised the Rainbow Walk.
Our gratitude goes out to GKF Installations for their invaluable contribution in repairing the steps.
These lively and multicolored steps promote Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community in Swindon & Wiltshire.
We would be absolutely thrilled if you could spare a moment to share your positive feedback on Tripadvisor. Your imaginative (and often delightfully humorous) comments and snapshots are always a joy to read!
Pimm's in the Park
The Pride committee attended the local 2 day event Pimm's in the park.
We were on hand to answer any questions, give our our support guides as well as selling our pride items to help raise money for our charity.
We also brought along our giant rainbow deckchair which was enjoyed by those visiting the event.
This was a great opportunity to promote our pride event as well as recruiting volunteers.
Mums on a Mission Swindon
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Anna from Mums on a Mission Swindon, a group of moms with disabled children, expressed their appreciation for the inclusive accessibility measures at Swindon and Wiltshire Pride such as fully accessible toilets which they haven't seen at other festivals.
Anna particularly loved the idea of a quieter hour and the newly introduced quiet zone. She also shared pictures of MOAMs enjoying Pride from two years ago. Anna thanked the Pride team for their dedication to inclusivity!
Tesco Express
Thank you to Michelle and Joe and the whole team at
Tesco Extra Swindon for raising £350 for Swindon & Wiltshire Pride throughout Pride month as well as donating snacks for our volunteers on the day .
This generous donation will go towards our Swindon & Wiltshire Pride 2023 and help us continue the work we do.
Lainesmead Primary School
We were invited to attend Lainesmead Primary School for their summer fete this summer.
This was our second time attending the primary school and it was an absolute pleasure, the school and families were so welcoming.
We gave out 50 support guides, had some great conversations about pronouns and raised money for our charity as well as raising awareness.
The pupils and parents were very knowledgeable of identities and pronouns. Well done to the school and parents for creating such an inclusive environment.
Free Period Products available at the Pride Hub
We are pleased to share that the Pride Hub now offers free period products. Our kindly donated products are stored on our white bookcases, you are welcome to help yourself. The Pride Hub is open 11am-4pm on Saturdays at Regent Circus.
News Coverage:
Melksham Pride
We attended Proud in Melksham, an annual Pride event. Attending local Prides is important for us to promote our charity to communities outside of Swindon. We brought along our "Pop up shop" which helps us raise much-needed funds for our charity. We also brought all of our LGBTQIA+ support leaflets and are extremely pleased to have given out over 30 support guides.
PGL Liddington
Sarah, our Vice Chair, and Lee, our Sponsorship Manager, attended a mini pride festival at PGL Liddington - we had so much fun helping to promote LGBTQIA+ awareness and education this Pride Month and help us raise funds for Swindon & Wiltshire Pride 2023!
They said "Thank you to everyone at PGL Liddington for inviting us to your mini pride festival yesterday!
Drag Queen Story Hour
We were so lucky to be joined by the extraordinary Aida-H-Dee as she whisked us away on a breathtaking adventure during the mesmerizing Drag Queen Story Hour. The event was an absolute triumph, and was fully sold out.
The atmosphere was electric as Aida-H-Dee wove her storytelling magic, captivating the audience. Wide-eyed children and adults alike were spellbound, hanging onto her every word, transported to a world where dreams come alive. It was an experience like no other, filled with animation, inclusivity, interactivity, and sheer engagement.
But amidst the joy and celebration, there were detractors. Protestors emerged, their voices filled with intolerance and hate. Yet, the overwhelming response from our resilient community proved that love conquers all. Messages of support poured in from both near and far, a resounding chorus drowning out the negativity. We stand united, a passionate LGBTQIA+ family and allies, against those who seek to divide.
Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to Drag Queen Story Hour UK for their fabulous presence, the Wyvern Theatre for their unwavering support, and the dedicated officers of Wiltshire Police who ensured peace and harmony. To all those who cane and your unwavering support continues to fuel our mission to spread love and acceptance. Love always wins.
Please continue to support the work we do, and don't forget to get your tickets for Pride 2023!
News coverage:
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Swindon Advertiser
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'Love always wins': Pride group reacts after Drag Story Hour protest
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Pictures as Drag Queen Story Hour sparks protest in Swindon
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Swindon Link
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This is Wiltshire
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Daily Mail
History in the making for Pride month
History was made shortly after noon on June 2nd 2023 when the flag of Swindon & Wiltshire Pride was hoisted over the Civic Offices Swindon. For the last couple of years we've been quietly fighting away in the background to get the flag on a Swindon council building. After raising the issue once again this year, we created a video online with a plea and an ask to raise the flag. We tagged in Cllr Jim Robbins who within 12 hours managed to get it agreed that we could display the Pride flag on Council buildings going forward. This is the first time ever that the flag has flown on a council building in Swindon. This is history in the making. It might just seem like a small gesture but it's huge for the community and for Swindon.
News coverage:
Brianna Ghey Vigil
We paid tribute in the touching heartfelt vigil in Swindon for Brianna Ghey. Many from the Swindon community gathered at the rainbow bench to light candles, lay flowers and honour a member of the LGBTQIA+ community who was taken too soon.
Thank you so much to everyone who attended the vigil for Brianna Ghey.
Brianna’s family have requested that, if people are able, please donate to the charity Mermaids in her memory.
https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/donate/
Sara Black who organised the vigil said
"I feel honoured to have stood with you all in solidarity this evening. Rest in power Brianna Ghey"
Pride Hub
Swindon's LGBTQIA+ social group run a monthly meet-up with the community.
We were excited to welcome them into the hub this month as their usual location was unavailable. The hub is a place to pick up support information, and purchase pride items to help raise funds for our charity. More importantly, a place to bring the community together to make new connections, share experiences and feel safe.
Wildcats Pride Week
Swindon and Wiltshire Pride attended the Swindon Wildcats game as part of the English Ice Hockey Association Pride week celebrations
We were there with our GIANT deckchair, Pride merch, support guides and collection buckets. Thank you to Swindon Wildcats for inviting us and giving us an amazing PRIDE jersey.
Free Support Guides at Fresher's Event
We partnered with the local LGBTQIA+ youth group, Out of the can+ who were invited to attend the Fresher's Festival at New College, Swindon to talk to new and existing students about their Queer Youth Group.
It was a fab event where they got to engage with lots of young people. They talked about their group and shared info about LGBTQ+ identities as well as the Swindon & Wiltshire Pride LGBTQIA+ Support guides.
Mark Deller from Out of the Can LGBTQ+ Youth Group said
"It was really helpful to have copies of the Swindon & Wiltshire Pride Guide to give away to students and teachers. The guides include many more flags than we had, so everyone could find one they related to and learn more about it."
Donating water to Swindon Food Collective
Those who attended our Pride Picnic know what a scorcher of a day it was, luckily our friends at Tesco, Asda, and Aldi decided to gift us with bottles of water so our awesome volunteers could stay hydrated. We had some leftovers so we donated the water to the Swindon Food Collective. The bottles will be distributed into lunch boxes and given out to Swindon homeless.
Ask for Clive
We have been working hard with local bars and clubs in Swindon to adopt "Ask for Clive". Ask for Clive is a charity that partners with venues to promote inclusion and to create welcoming environments for the LGBT+ community.
Venues put the Ask for Clive sticker on their door to let people know that ‘Everyone is Welcome Here’ and that discrimination will not be tolerated. Briefing packs are made available for venues to train staff in case any form of discrimination or hate crime is observed or reported. We have been in contact with 20 pubs and bars and 4 have signed up already. We will continue to drive sign ups through a social media campaign.
For more information, or to sign up as a venue please visit https://askforclive.com/
Pride in Gloucestershire
We attended Pride in Gloucestershire annual Pride event. Attending local Prides is important for us to promote our charity to communities outside of Swindon. We brought along our "Pop up shop" which helps us raise much-needed funds for our charity. We also brought all of our LGBTQIA+ support leaflets and are extremally pleased to have given out over 30 support guides.
Pride Hub Opening
We have launched the Swindon & Wiltshire Pride Hub! In the Pride Hub we are selling Pride items will all of the profits going back in to our charity. There is also a LGBTQIA+ info zone with national and local support leaflets as well as our Support guide all free to take away. We also have a seating area that we hope will encourage people to make new friends, provide a safe place to come and chat and hang out.
You can find us in Regent Circus Swindon next to Cineworld (right-hand side, top of the stairs). We'd love for you to come and join us!
The space is run entirely by volunteers, if you are available on weekends to volunteer regularly please get in touch.
Rainbow Fest
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Our committee attended Rainbow Fest at The Olive Tree Cafe in Cheney Manor. The new location and craft market saw many new faces and we had the opportunity to speak to members of the community that may not have actively sought us out at our other events. Gender identity was a widely discussed topic with people at our stand, with people looking for more information to broaden their knowledge. We are thankful for Rainbow Fest choosing us as one of their two beneficiary charities for the day. It was a great day and can't wait to book again for next year.
September 2021-2022
Swindon & Wiltshire Pride 2022
Swindon and Wiltshire Pride 2022 was a HUGE success! We returned better than ever to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in Swindon and Wiltshire. We were unable to hold the main pride event at Old Town Gardens, but we celebrated with a family-friendly pride picnic. We had over 500 people in our first pride march since the pandemic and over 3,000 people in the park on the day.
This year at the Pride Picnic, we had incredible food, the youth zone, live entertainment, an LGBTQIA+ info stall and our merch stall. We had so much amazing feedback and we are excited for what the next year has for Swindon and Wiltshire Pride.
None of this would have been possible without our volunteers. Thank you to all the brilliant volunteers who helped out and gave over their time to help support the event.
We were supported by Boom Battle bar who held the afterparty and received more than 800 attendees.
Local Grants
South Swindon Parish Council has kindly awarded Swindon & Wiltshire Pride a grant of £1000. This donation will help to run the 2022 Pride Picnic.
Stroud Pride
Our committee members, Denise (She/Her) and Sam (She/They) were volunteering today at Stroud Pride.
Big thank you to them for handing out support guides, providing a presence in Stroud and selling our Pride merchandise to raise much-needed funds for our charity.
Pride Picnic Launch Party
We hosted our Pride picnic launch party at The Waiting Room Swindon to raise money ahead of our Pride Picnic. Thank you to
Sarah Fusco - Solo Diva and Pulse "Mother & Son" Duo for keeping everyone entertained throughout the evening and last but not least thank you to the community for your support.
GWR
The Pride committee headed to Swindon train station and greeted travellers, promoting our Pride picnic and raising funds for our charity.
Lainesmead Primary School
We attended Lainesmead Primary School for their summer fete in July.
This was the first time Swindon and Wiltshire pride have attended a primary school and it was an absolute pleasure, the school and families were so welcoming.
We gave out 20 support guides, lots of pinic leaflets and raised money for our charity. 🏳️🌈
The pupils were very knowledgeable of identities and acceptance of one another.. Well done to the school for creating such an inclusive environment.
Support Guide
We have produced an LGBTQIA+ support guide full of useful information.
We have been distributing our support guide's across Swindon & Wiltshire and want to highlight where you can get a copy.
All libraries in Swindon
EE
LUSH
Swindon hub
Card factory
Out of the can+
Cheltenham library
Wootton Bassett library
Virgin money Swindon
Boom battle bar Swindon
Jigsaw Swindon
Wiltshire police occupational health
Horizons College Swindon
Lainesmead Primary School
Emily pole fitness
Dorcan Academy
Attending local prides
It's essential to support our local pride events, promote our charity, and do fundraising. We use these events to promote Pride, educate on LGBTQ+ services, and engage with all of the community.
So far in 2022, we attended Oxford Pride and Melksham Pride's first Pride.
Paint me a rainbow
We wanted to share this amazing project by Beechcroft Infants School.
We are so proud that a piece of art such as the Rainbow walk can be used to get across such an important message of acceptance.
"Our Art Week theme is 'Paint me a rainbow' - children have researched artists and local artworks, including Rainbow Walk. Several children chose the Rainbow Walk as their favourite piece of artwork in the town. "It's bright and colourful, like a real rainbow!" "It's just so super colourful."
We discussed the message behind Rainbow Walk, and the children understood this. Year Two children could tell me that "It's been painted to make sure everyone knows you belong, it doesn't matter if you feel different to your friends because you're special too." "It's a message to show we are all welcome and important"
The photos are the resulting ‘rainbow wall’ the class chose to complete as their rainbow art project.
Tesco Supporting Swindon and Wilshire Pride
The team at Tesco Extra Swindon raised £100 for Swindon & Wiltshire Pride throughout Pride month.
This generous donation will go towards our Pride picnic and help keep it free to attend.
Pride Month 2022
For Pride Month, we worked with InSwindon to Raise our updated progress flag in Swindon Town centre.
We also released our new and improved LGBTQIA+ support guide online. We have increased the guide from 20 pages to 44 pages! We have added a new section on pride flags, gender identity and pronouns, history of pride, awareness days, Identities and a useful links section. This is available to download for free, and we will be printing 1000 copies to distribute across Swindon & Wiltshire.
We also brought back our Pride pop-up shop for three weekends throughout Pride month, providing LGBTQIA support info, a safe place to talk and selling pride items to raise funds for our charity.
Refreshing Rainbow Walk
The Rainbow Walk was created in 2018 and was a project collaboration between the Swindon and Wiltshire Pride committee and local businesses, who kindly donated the painting supplies.
Our committee members and some incredible volunteers helped to clean up Rainbow Walk back in April. They spent time sweeping and cleaning the steps and repainting the rainbow to bring back the brightness.
Thames water drain cover
A specially designed drain cover has been unveiled by Thames Water in Swindon to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.
The cover, located on Wood Street, has been painted in the rainbow colours which are symbolic of the LGBTQ+ movement along with black and brown to represent LGBTQ+ people from black and Asian backgrounds. The location of the drain cover was chosen as it's along the route of the Swindon & Wiltshire Pride parade.
The unique design also includes LGBTQ+ symbols along with the logos of Thames Water and the cover manufacturers, Wrekin Products, and the slogan “Every rainbow needs a little water to shine”. The words, chosen by Thames Water employees, link to the company’s core purpose of water management and express how communities shine and thrive because of the diversity within them.
Swindon Wildcats Pride Week
GOOOOOO Swindon Wildcats!!!!
We were invited to attend the Swindon Wildcats game as part of their in-house charity.
This was their first pride week and we were so pleased to be a part of it.
September 2020-2021
Swindon & Wiltshire pride 2021
Swindon and Wiltshire Pride 2021 was a smash! We came back better than ever to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in Swindon and Wiltshire. We couldn't have a pride parade, but we celebrate regardless. We had 10,000 people visit the event throughout the day and gave out over 8,000 of our pride guides on the day.
We are excited to help make pride more accessible with our Mobiloo toilet and the BSL interpreters on both of our stages. We hope to continue this in future pride events and make pride inclusive for all.
This year we introduced the family zone, the wellbeing zone and the youth zone to pride. These new additions were a big hit! We hope to expand these zones and have more local charities at pride next year.
None of this would have been possible without our volunteers. Thank you to all the brilliant volunteers who helped out and gave over 350 hours to help support the event.
Press: ITV, Swindon Advertiser
Attending Local Prides
In 2021, we have attended local Pride events including, Reading Pride, Salisbury Pride and Pride in Gloucestershire.
It's important to us that we support local Pride events. Here, we educate on LGBTQ+ services available and engage with the community as well as fundraise for Swindon & Wiltshire Pride.
Across all 3 events, over 300 people visited our stalls, purchased pride items, and picked up LGBTQ+ information.
We also bring along our giant rainbow deck chair. It's a great way for visitors to capture their pride moments and share memories.
TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award
The Rainbow Walk is a TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award Winner!! The Rainbow Walk is now in the top 10% of attractions worldwide!
Back in 2018, we put together a proposal to the Swindon Borough Council to install The Rainbow Walk and the proposal was accepted. Many hours went into preparing the stairs, sourcing the materials for free and installing the piece. The scheme was completed with donations from local branches of B&Q, Wickes, Homebase and Valspar paint who all donated materials for the project as well as a local business, Newjax, who pressure washed the steps.
The stairs represent Swindon's continuing commitment to equality, diversity and inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community.
Thank you to all of those who donated materials and their time to install the piece as well as the volunteers who have helped maintain Rainbow walk over the years.
The Rainbow Bench project
In May 2021, we launched a vibrant new campaign, with the help of inSwindon BID Company, aimed at combatting loneliness and encouraging the people of Wiltshire to open up.
The Rainbow Bench Project comes with the addition of a plaque that reads, "Sit here if you don't mind someone stopping to say hello".
“The Rainbow Bench Project is a place to catch up with a friend, start a conversation and help prevent loneliness. We don't talk to each other enough, so let's make time to stop and say hello, have a chat and make a new friend.”
Read the InSwindon article here and the Swindon Link article here.
Pride pop-up shop tour
For Pride Month, we took our Pride pop-up shop on tour. We teamed up for the first time with our two local Wiltshire prides, Salisbury Pride and Trowbridge pride.
The tour visited 3 different places across 3 weekends. We started off in Swindon, made our way to Salisbury and then finished the tour in Trowbridge.
Over 1,500 people visited us. They shared stories, chatted with us and picked up pride gifts, as well as taking away LGBTQ+ information. All of this while celebrating Pride Month with us.
It was a pleasure to work alongside other volunteers from Salisbury Pride & Trowbridge Pride. We loved teaming up with them and can't wait to do it again!
Pride 365
LGBTQ+ support is all year-round
On the 1st of July, we led the Pride 365 campaign.
We changed our logo to black and white along with the other pride organisations to raise awareness of year-round LGBTQIA+ support, not just for pride month.
We all released a statement asking companies to think about what else they could do in the other 11 months of the year to support the LGBTQIA+ community. (LGBTQIA+ support is all year round). Check out the Our original post here.
Over 30 Pride organisations took part, including the UK Pride organisers network, London Pride and Pride Cymru to name a few. What started as a solo campaign quickly spread.
News coverage
Pink news
BBC Radio Wiltshire
Pop-up Space
On October 31st 2020, we launched our LGBTQ+ pop-up space once again. The space aimed to support the LGBTQ+ community and provide a pride hub to bring the community together.
The Pop-up shop isn't just a shop, but a place that provided so much more:
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Provides a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community
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A chance to meet the Pride committee
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An opportunity to purchase Pride gifts that also raise much-needed funds for Swindon & Wiltshire Pride.
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Pick up LGBTQ+ information in our improved LGBTQ+ Info Zone
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Free Sanitary products
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Free Condoms
Supporting Charities
Since the start of 2021, we have been raising funds for Prospect Hospice.
We recently lost one of our dear friends from within the community and we wanted to show our appreciation for the loving care that was provided by Prospect Hospice.
Your donations to Prospect Hospice mean that they can make a difference to thousands of people who need their services, even during a global pandemic.
We have been hosting online shows with a range of singers and bands to entertain the community. Through the online shows, we have raised a fantastic £300 for Prospect Hospice.
Family Engagement
Over Easter weekend we organised a fun and free easter trail. We encouraged families to take part, enjoy the outside as well a chance of winning a prize as well.
We scattered posters throughout Swindon's central park (GWR park), each with a letter on. Families were encouraged to find all 11 letters to work out the Easter phrase and enter the competition to win an Easter prize.
GWR park is visited by 1000s of people a year.
September 2019-2020
Covid19 Lockdown
During lockdown, we tried to keep supporting our community.
We raised £345 for Swindon Food Collective, as well as raising awareness of donating food at the drop off points. We did this by hosting online shows on our Facebook page.
We made and gave out 500 facemasks for free to support the community.
We opened an LGBTQ+ pop-up shop for seven days. Providing support, information and a place to buy Pride merchandise.
361 people visited us over that week, with many of them leaving their houses for the first time since lockdown.
Fundraisers
Over the last 12 months, we have raised over £5,000 through our fundraisers, helping us put on our annual Pride event and help keep Pride free.
With the loss of Swindon's permanent LGBTQ+
venues, it's been more important than ever to hold our monthly fundraisers. These are an important opportunity for us to bring the community together and provide them with a safe space to be themselves.
LGBT History Month
On 1st February 2020, we raised a Pride flag to celebrate LGBT History Month. We work closely with InSwindon who manage Swindon Town Centre. They raised our Pride flag for the entire month of February in celebration of LGBT history month.
We also hosted our second Pride Pop Up Shop to celebrate the month. We celebrated the story of Swindon & Wiltshire Pride with our local newspaper. We lit up a roundabout in rainbow colours and used our social media channels to educate and celebrate LGBT History Month.
September 2018-2019
Local Events
It's important to promote Pride at local LGBTQ+ events and be visible and educate at non LGBTQ+ events.
In 2019 we attended Swindon's Festival of Christmas, Pride in Gloucestershire, Swindon Old Town Festival, Great Western Hospital, and Armed Forces Day.
We use these events to promote Pride, educate on LGBTQ+ services, and engage with all of the community.
Education
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The UK now has 45 million social media users, equating to 67% of the population.
That's why we are active across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with a total of over 15k followers.
We use our channels to engage, educate, celebrate and promote events and services.
Pride Pop Up Space
In December 2019 we set up our first Pride Pop Up Shop, to provide a space for LGBTQ+ members of the community that was easily accessible and visible.
The Swindon & Wiltshire Pride committee has volunteered over 120 hours in setting up and running 2 weekends of the Pride Pop Up Shop.
This space has been used for raising money for Pride, Drag Queen Story Hour, LGBTQ+ information, Out Of The Can youth group and a Police surgery to report hate crime.
Volunteers
Volunteers are an extremely important part of helping make Pride happen.
In 2019 over 90 Volunteers helped make Pride happen. Helping us set up the event, litter pick, stewarding and marshaling vehicles safely into the park.
After Pride 2019 we held a BBQ for our volunteers as a big THANK YOU for all their hard work.
Supporting Charities
On December 1st 2019 we hosted a fundraiser in aid of World Aids Day.
We managed to raise £355 in one evening with all proceeds going to The Terrance Higgins Trust.
Rainbow Walk
In 2018 we unveiled our secret project,
Rainbow Walk.
Rainbow Walk was installed by the committee of 2018 and friends. It represents Swindon's continuing commitment to equality, diversity and inclusivity for the LGBTQ+ community.
The scheme was completed with donations from local branches of B&Q, Wicks and Homebase who all donated materials for the project as well as local business, Newjax, who pressure washed the steps.