This year the Suffolk LGB&T (lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender) network will be hosting the region’s celebration of LGB&T communities on Saturday 16th June 2012 from 13:00 to 19:00 in Christchurch Park.

Last year, due to complications with funding and support for the event, “Pride” didn’t take place. For many LGB&T identifying people and non-LGB&T individuals, this came as a both a shock and a disappointment; a missed opportunity for reinforcing existing bonds within Suffolk’s communities and establishing new ones.

This year I’m happy to say, we have received funding from many charitable organisations and businesses within the area and due to the hard work and dedication of those volunteering for the network and for Pride, we are are running at full steam!

Our aim is to make this year’s Pride event a truly memorable occasion. We want local businesses to take advantage of increased footfall to the area, and residents and visitors to enjoy musical performances, street-theatre shows and other entertainment. More importantly, we want to celebrate Suffolk’s commitment to LGB&T equality.

Celebrating the unique talents of LGB&T individuals and organisations forms the crux of this year’s festivities. Our theme for the event is showing regional and national pride in the talent of LGB&T people, emphasizing the message that the abilities of LGB&T individuals can be an untapped well of resources and reminding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities of what they can achieve.

We are also hosting two benefit concerts in the run-up to Pride at the Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich Unitarian meeting houses on the 1st June (Bury) and 14 June (Ipswich) at 7:30pm. Bury’s event will involve a classical repertoire from Bach to the present day whilst contemporary showtunes in Ipswich will have everybody on their feet! Tickets for both events are now on sale and are available on the Suffolk LGB&T Network website.

This pack is intended to give you and your colleagues/network members a range of communication tools to support and publicise your involvement with Pride, both leading up to, and on the day of the event itself. Please use the press release or other details enclosed to get the message out about Suffolk Pride; at its heart, Pride shouldn’t just be about promoting the interests of a local neighbourhood but about making a commitment to diversity and equality at a regional and national level.

As well as Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex regions, towns such as Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Oxford, Sheffield and Birmingham will be hosting their own Pride events this year, with some areas like Milton Keynes holding celebrations for the first time ever! London itself will be the centre of global attention this year due to the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee but also for its WorldPride event, which will last for two weeks and increase the capital’s footfall by one million visitors.

Please do get involved in the festivities taking place in and around Ipswich this Summer and give your support to the LGB&T community: together we can show the rest of the UK just how proud Suffolk is of its LGB&T individuals.

We look forward to hearing from you.

David Williams
Chair, Suffolk LGB&T Network

Rod Flory
Chair, Suffolk Pride Volunteer Committee