There is just one day to go before Nottingham hosts the first full Pride celebrations since the pandemic began in 2020. The event welcomes thousands of LGBT+ community members along with family, friends and allies to attend the march through the city streets.
The event is one of the highlights of the year for the vibrant community and this year will see a welcome return for the post-parade stalls and stage on Broad Street. Nottingham's LGBT community have highlighted that they feel safe visiting Pride and celebrating thanks to the hard work of organisers and the emergency services.
Nottingham Pride Chair Leigh Ellis explains the hard work over the months that go into creating a safe and inclusive event. This year in particular is centred around highlighting some of the more hidden community members and celebrating 50 years of Pride in the UK.
Leigh said; "A lot of the organisation of Pride is centred around keeping people safe during the event. We work very closely with the safety advisory element of the city council, the police, the fire and ambulance service too. We plan our route very carefully to keep people safe and put in place certain road closures and measures to ensure that people who march can do so freely and maintain their safety."
Read more: A look back at Nottingham Pride celebrations over the years
"We have 50 volunteer stewards who come along to help marshall and 40 accredited security guards who help us to keep it safe. We are aware that on occasion, there are people who come and shout things that are offensive but we ask people to make us aware."
This year, buses and trams will also be stopping at certain points to avoid interacting with the march. There are also road closures on both Broad street and Heathcoate street where the majority of the events will take place.
Nottingham Police have marched and also maintain a respectful distance at the event through community engagement officers. Community members who work in the police are invited to march as part of the parade.
Leigh said: "We work with the police and take on board their comments in terms of safety. We have to provide them with risk assessments and work with them on planning the march. There will always be a presence to keep people safe but we do ask that it is kept to a minimum and it tends to be community engagement officers that are there on the day"
When it comes to feeling safe as a person attending the march, the community highlight that Nottingham Pride feels incredibly safe. This year, the march aims to highlight some of the more marginalised members of the LGBT+ rainbow including the transgender community.
Anna Preston of the Nottingham Against Transphobia (NAT) said: "Pride is the safest place that anyone could be. It's a specifically safe place for the LGBTQ+ community and anyone who chooses to celebrate our diversity with us."
She added: "The community has a history of sticking together and not allowing Transphobic elements to take hold and we hope that it continues that way. Pride is an event that brings the community together rather than divides it and that's what we hope to see again this year."
Anna highlighted that the community is great at dealing with any occasional issues. There has never been any serious safety issues at Nottingham Pride.
"There will be a police presence as there is every year and the Nottingham LGBTQA+ community is more than capable of dealing with threats itself. I believe the organised safety is more than sufficient and attendees should focus on having an amazing day."
They added: "We are making sure to have a clear, visible presence with flags and other promotional materials at this year's pride and will ensure that the community is aware that Nottingham Against Transphobia is here to represent the majority of people in the city."
Community member Nic Chuter who identifies as genderfluid said: "I feel safe in a group - I'm regularly out as a queer person in Nottingham, day and night, and feel safe. Obviously, there are certain pubs I'd avoid, but for the most part, I'd feel fine. I think maybe some of the more shy and less confident folk would feel like there is strength and safety and numbers."
Chief Inspector Amy English, city centre commander for Nottinghamshire Police, said: "PRIDE is a really important event that we look forward to supporting every year. As ever, we'll have plenty of officers there tomorrow - both in a professional and personal capacity - and are really looking forward to the day."
"Like any major public event, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes to ensure things run smoothly and safely, and I would like to thank all the officers who have worked hard to put in place the necessary arrangements. As police officers, our number one priority at this event is to ensure the safety of the public, but PRIDE also provides us with a great opportunity to engage with and build trust with members of the LGTBQ+ community."
This year, the theme of Nottingham Pride is We See You which aims to evaluate the parts of the community that may not be as visible as others.
Leigh said: "We wanted to engage with the parts of the community that tend to be more marginalised and reach out to include them. We want to hear voices from the transgender community, people of colour, and those living with HIV and AIDS too. We are looking at people who are older too who may not have access to digital technology as everything goes online. We want to see you, in all your fabulousness."
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