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One of Newcastle’s favourite bars is giving its support to the region’s leading LGBTQIA+ festival. Work is now underway for Northern Pride, which is planned for the weekend of July 22 -23 2023. We have revealed how those who choose to buy a Platinum Pass will get an amazing experience, thanks to the support of Bobby’s Newcastle at Scotswood Road, which is sponsoring the Platinum Bar and Garden. Next year’s event will see the Town Moor site reconfigured, giving those with the Platinum Passes their own festival entrance, private marquee, large private scale bar a garden area with seating, and more luxurious toilets than in previous years. The area will be far bigger, to deal with the increased demand and ensuring that it is a comfortable space for everyone. “We were overwhelmed by the number of people who wanted Platinum Passes during our UK Pride 2022 event,” said Ste Dunn, director of Northern Pride. “So we have factored that in this year and have allocated more space including giving everyone with tickets access to the Platinum Pass Circle at the front of the main stage. “We are extremely grateful to have had Bobby’s come on board once again, as without their support and the support of our sponsors, we could not create an event on this scale.” Kirk Spencer of Bobby’s said the sponsorship was part of an on-going commitment to support the community. “We are involved in a whole host of different activities to support the local LGBTQIA+ community, including holding regular open mike nights, fundraising events, and we even support teams like Panthers FC and The Ravens rugby team,” he said. “We are delighted to be able to sponsor the Platinum Bar and Garden again and look forward to working with Northern Pride on the run up to the festival weekend.” Platinum Passes are now on sale for the event, although all the Early Bird passes are sold out. Prices start from £14 (plus fees) for a day pass and £20 (plus fees) for a weekend pass. Further information and booking is available at www.northern-pride.com A number of other sponsorship opportunities are available for the festival, which can be viewed at the website.

A new look to the festival site, a unique training opportunity and the delivery of the postponed Ouseburn Family Pride are among the plans for Northern Pride 2023. At a sponsors and supporters breakfast held today (Tuesday 29 November) Northern Pride director, Ste Dunn, outlined the exciting and ambitious plans for the year ahead. And although a new festival logo, designed by queer artist Russell Atkinson, will be introduced for 2023, the mission statement remains the same – Remember Resist Rise Up. Speaking at an event at Newcastle’s Crowne Plaza Hotel this morning, Ste revealed the main changes that will take place next year and highlighted the success of Northern Pride 2022 which was also UK Pride. This included around 25,000 people taking part in the Pride march and more than 70,000 people visiting the festival over the three-day weekend. Those unable to attend were able to watch Live at Pride via social media, which attracted more than 20,000 views. Ste thanked the volunteers and supporters who helped make the event a huge success – and then unveiled the proposals for 2023. The biggest change will be a “flip” of the Town Moor site with visitors having to pass through the Community Village, with its various zones and market stalls, before reaching the Festival Arena which will include the main stage. Wanting to stay true to the grass roots reasons for Pride, the aim will be to grow main stage activism and the number of speakers and will also require all performers to provide information so that BSL will be enabled throughout the weekend. The market stalls and health zone will now run over both days of Northern Pride rather than just the Saturday and, after seeing more than 30,000 website hits over the course of the festival weekend, the plan is to introduce a mobile app to provide festival attendees instant access to information. The Platinum Bar and Garden, sponsored by Bobby’s Newcastle, will be larger than previously to cater for the bigger demand and the aim will also be to bring back the LGBT Northern Social Group and Sports Zone. “We have a huge number of exciting plans some of which will be subject to us raising the necessary funding, and to help keep the festival free to attend” said Ste. “So it’s crucial for us to continue to get as many supporters on board to help us achieve this ambitious programme.” Plans already in place include a Proud Allies training programme in conjunction with Curious Arts, which will support businesses gain a greater understanding of the LGBTQIA+ community and their needs. Guests also heard from Izaak Gledhill from Curious Arts regarding the partnership with Queer Youth Music and how the young people will be helping with the programming of the event and performing on the main stage. Nimerta Virdee, Family and Youth Manager at Northern Pride also revealed that Ouseburn Family Pride, sponsored by Opencast– which had to be postponed because of the Queen’s death – will now take place on 28 May 2023. “All of these exciting plans will take place in the run-up and during Northern Pride 2023,” said Ste. “We have some really exciting and ambitious ideas and we are hoping that we will continue to get the support we need to turn these ideas into a reality.”

The Amazon fulfilment centre in Gateshead has donated £1,000 to an LGBTQIA+ charity in Newcastle. The donation from Amazon in Gateshead will go towards the operational costs needed to ensure that the Northern Pride Festival remains a free to enter event, and the largest free pride festival of its kind. The festival welcomes around 70,000 people over the course of the three day weekend, and this year saw over 25,000 people march through the city as the organisers held the title of UK Pride. To celebrate the donation, the team from Northern Pride visited the fulfilment centre in Gateshead for a tour of the building. Richard Thompson, General Manager at Amazon in Gateshead, said: “We are pleased to make this donation to the team at Northern Pride and everyone at Amazon in Gateshead enjoyed welcoming the charity to our site for a tour. We’re passionate supporters of the work done by Northern Pride across the North East in championing an inclusive and accepting community.” Jacob Clark, an employee from the team at Amazon in Gateshead, said: “Resources like the ones Northern Pride promotes are incredibly helpful for the LGBTQIA+ community. I appreciate the work the charity does promoting LGBTQIA+ culture and dispelling misinformation to help end discrimination.” Ste Dunn, Director at Northern Pride, said: “It was great to visit the fulfilment centre and meet some of the Amazon team members and thank them personally for the donation. With each donation from local businesses and the community, we are encouraged to continue spreading information and guidance to help build a more respectful environment for everyone.” The donation to Northern Pride was made as part of Amazon’s programme to support the communities in and around its operating locations across the UK. Amazon is providing disadvantaged students with online STEM courses as well as teaming up with charity partner Magic Breakfast and delivering more than six million healthy breakfasts to families in England.

The opportunity for North East-based performers to be part of Northern Pride 2023 has been unveiled by the event organisers. And now the hope is those involved in all types of the performing arts will sign up. This year’s event attracted around 70,000 people, with Northern Pride also hosting UK Pride, a title it won to deliver in 2020 but which was postponed because of the pandemic. Speaking at the North East Exchange, at Sunderland’s Fire Station today (Nov 14), Northern Pride director, Ste Dunn, revealed how there would be paid opportunities for the region’s creative community. North East Exchange is an initiative designed to help connect artists, creative, venue and festival programmers working in performance, and was a great opportunity to share how the festival was a departure from previous years, where the emphasis was more on celebrating the talent within the region’s LGBTQIA+ community and giving them a platform, rather than a programme of big name celebrities. And the success of that direction has led the team behind Northern Pride to start the search for individuals and groups to be involved in 2023. With Ste wanting to get people to sign up as early as possible. “We won the title of UK Pride in 2018 and were finally able to deliver it this year,” he said. “Our promise was to use that status to elevate and celebrate the North East’ LGBTQIA+ community and one of the ways we did that was to ensure our event programme was focussed on the regional community. “In fact, 90 percent of all the performers, creatives, artists, and activists, who appeared on the main stage were from the community and from the region as a whole.” Ste revealed that this move had been well received – giving organisers the confidence to continue in the same vein this time round. “We received some incredible feedback from those individuals and the attendees of the event,” he added. “Ensuring a wide range of styles of music and genres, dance performances, and multi-cultural experiences meant that everyone across the weekend was exposed to something new, an act or artist they’d never seen before.” Ste asked the attendees at the event to give their support to the festival and is now promoting the paid opportunities that are available. “We are hoping that people will get involved and apply to take part in what is one of the biggest events on the LGBTQIA+ calendar,” he said. “Once again, we will be delivering a festival over a massive 14-acre site on Newcastle Town Moor as well as our Pride March which gets bigger and bigger every year. “We can’t wait for people to sign up.” Northern Pride Festival 2023 will run over the weekend of 22-23 July. Watch the UK PRIDE 2022 highlights and be inspired to join us for Pride 2023

A Much Loved musical which opens in Newcastle tomorrow (Nov 15) will be taking to the stage with Pride, as it supports the city’s largest free festival. The multi-award winning Kinky Boots, opens for a short run at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House this week, bringing back to the region the smash hit show about a shoe factory which is saved from bankruptcy by a drag queen. And anyone who attends will also be able to support next year’s Northern Pride festival, after show producer, Starlight Theatre Productions, has partnered with the organisation. Throughout the run of the show, which was written by 80s pop icon, Cindy Lauper, attendees will be able to support Northern Pride, allowing the organisation to continue to carry out work throughout the year which culminates in the annual Pride weekend. Ste Dunn, Director of Northern Pride, expressed his gratitude to the company. “We are delighted to be supported by the team at Starlight Theatre Productions who are fundraising during their run of Kinky Boots,” he said. “Funds raised will be used to support our ongoing campaigns, outreach work and to help keep the Northern Pride festival free to attend. “We hope as many people as possible will go to see this incredible show which has been wowing audiences for almost a decade but as well as having the feel-good factor it also has an important message about being true to yourself."

Trans_Formation: Power in Community - an intentional, dedicated space for Trans and Non-Binary music makers led by I. JORDAN Leading music organisations Brighter Sound and Generator have teamed up with DJ and producer I. JORDAN to facilitate a creative space for Trans and Non-Binary music makers from across the North of England. Applications are now open for the project, which will take place over 6 days at the end of January 2023. The selected group will work with I. JORDAN, known for their palette of raw and emotive club music, alongside guest artists Ifeoluwa and TAAHLIAH. Throughout the week the chosen artists will collaborate to produce and perform brand new music at Star & Shadow, an inclusive venue in Newcastle. On day six, they’ll travel to Manchester for a final performance at TRANUARY - a new day to night festival by trans for trans, platforming the best in trans talent from across the UK. Priority will be given to people from or based in the North of England (North East, North West and Yorkshire regions) and the organisations are particularly keen to hear from marginalised intersectional communities including Black, South Asian and ethnically diverse people and people with lived experience of disability. This project is part of Brighter Sound’s mission to make music more accessible, equal and diverse, and follows the launch of All Things Equal - their Manifesto for Gender Equality in Music which was released on International Women’s Day in March 2022. I. JORDAN said, “This will be an opportunity to support, nurture and grow our creativity and create something unique in a space that is ours. Trans and queer spaces are powerful and transformative, but there are not enough dedicated spaces that specifically allow artists to just create. We will be using the power of community to harness our creativity. I can’t wait to see what we make together.” Brighter Sound’s Head of Programmes Kate Lowes said, “Throughout our 22-year history we’ve been pushing the boundaries of music projects, working in alternative spaces to support people who are underrepresented in music. Following 7 years of work at the forefront of gender equality this feels like an exciting and important next step in breaking down barriers and creating more space for people of marginalised genders. Our residencies create a space where artists can feel free to create work that might have previously been considered ‘unsafe’ or outside of social convention. We’re delighted to be collaborating with Generator and I. JORDAN to open up new conversations, and support personal growth and creative exploration.” Generator’s Head of Creative Development Helen Walkinshaw said, “Generator are thrilled to be partnering with I. JORDAN and Brighter Sound to deliver this much needed and eagerly anticipated programme. As a team, personal experience and passion has been poured into the planning and preparation of ‘Trans_Formation: Power in Community’ to shape a programme that is valuable, nurturing and relevant. It has been a joy working with I.JORDAN, their insight and knowledge is invaluable, and their enthusiasm is infectious. Having them steer the collaboration and lead the cohort will undoubtedly produce unparalleled results.” The deadline for interested artists to apply is 11pm on Monday 12 December, with more information available on Brighter Sound’s website. More Information Trans_Formation: Power in Community is presented by Brighter Sound and Generator, in partnership with TRANUARY. Supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and PRS Foundation as a Talent Development Partner, supported by PPL. Brighter Sound Brighter Sound is a music development organisation based in Manchester. Working across the North and internationally, they produce pioneering residencies, commissions, training programmes and events to support, inspire and platform artists and music professionals at all career levels. Equalising opportunity is part of their DNA, and with every step they work towards a fairer and more sustainable music world. Brighter Sound are specialists in gender equality in music, and have been providing dedicated support to women and people of marginalised genders in the classroom, the boardroom, onstage and backstage since 2013. Generator Formed in 1991 and based in Byker, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Generator is the leading creative talent development agency and an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation. The organisation delivers a year-round programme of activity ranging from fully funded courses to one off workshops, seminars and networking events as well as a major music festival which over the years has provided a platform for chart-topping artists including Sam Fender, DuBlonde, Lanterns on the Lake and Nadine Shah. Headed by CEO Mick Ross, Generator’s core team are supported by its leadership board and youth advisory board as well as a number of freelancers and facilitators drawn from across the industry. Generator’s work is generously funded by North of Tyne Combined Authority, Arts Council England, PRS & PPL Foundation, Youth Music, Community Foundation and the European Union Regional Development Fund. Generator is signed up to the Keychange pledge ensuring access for all across its programmes and is a living wage employer. Tranuary CIC Tranuary is a North West based community events organisation, centred around a day-to-night festival in January, with a mission to celebrate and support the Trans and Nonbinary community of the UK. Run by and for the Trans community, TRANUARY creates radically inclusive spaces which actively promote the work of Trans artists, writers, DJs, activists and performance makers, while providing safe spaces for attendees to develop both creatively, personally, and as a community.

Aspiring young musicians from the LGBTQIA+ community can take part in free weekly sessions to learn more about working in the music industry. Queer Youth Music is a free, creative meet-up for musicians and aspiring producers aged between 12 and 18 led by LGBTQIA+ arts charity Curious Arts with support from Northern Pride and Youth Music. The group meets every Tuesday evening at Newcastle’s Dance City and singer, songwriter and producer Melanie Baker and theatre maker Izaak Gledhill, help attendees explore their passion for music. Sessions cover everything from songwriting skills, jamming, working directly with professional musicians or learning what it takes to produce exciting music events and festivals, in a safe space specifically for LGBTQIA+ young people. Izaak Gledhill, Community Projects Coordinator at Curious Arts, said: “Our Queer Youth Music workshops look into everything that goes in to create the music you listen to every day - while sitting on the bus performing a music video to the rain or singing in the shower to thousands of adoring shampoo bottles. “Hit play on your playlist and come along to learn how the artists behind the headphones create it.” Ste Dunn, director of Northern Pride, said the organisation was “delighted” to be supporting Queer Youth Music. “It’s just such an inspired initiative,” he said, “and they not only attract really talented young people but they nurture and encourage them to help them achieve their full potential.” Sessions, which are free but must be booked, take place every Tuesday evening, at Dance City, Newcastle, from 5.30pm – 7.30pm with an optional jam session until 8pm. Places can be booked via Queer Youth Music Eventbrite Link More Information Melanie Baker Melanie is a music artist, singer-songwriter, musician and producer who has featured on BBC Radio 1, 2, and BBC introducing, with over a million streams on Spotify from self-releasing their own music. They are a director of a queer non-project Arts Organisation and run 'Loud and Queer' open mic nights, gigs and workshops to celebrate queer musicians and artists of all genres. Give her a listen using the Spotify link below, or head to her website to find out more. Izaak Gledhill Izaak is a queer theatre maker based in Newcastle who's work seeks to find the extraordinary within the ordinary of our every day lives. His immersive shows have been performed all over the North East. He is a facilitator and Community Project Coordinator for Curious Arts, and leads on LGBTQIA+ Youth Groups for Newcastle and Middlesbrough. Curious Arts Curious Arts is a Newcastle Gateshead based charity championing and developing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual + arts, artists and audiences across the North East of England and beyond. Producers of award-winning Curious Festival – a celebration of LGBTQIA+ culture, Curious Arts co-ordinate queer arts network Queer Arts North and develop community-focused arts projects and events throughout the year, in partnership with cultural and community organisations from across the region. Curious Arts is committed to supporting LGBTQIA+ young people through a series of free, creative youth groups across Tyneside and Teesside. Facebook: @teamcuriousarts Instagram: @curious_arts Twitter: @CuriousArts

After the huge success of this year’s Northern Pride and UK Pride held in Newcastle, we are already starting to plan ahead for 2023. As well as being a huge celebration for the LGBTQ+ community, Pride is also an opportunity for us to recognise and vocalise the challenges that many people in our community face on a daily basis as well as making it an occasion to educate, promote understanding and give out valuable advice and support. With our existing headline sponsorship deal at an end, there is now a great opportunity for a company or organisation to become the sponsor for Pride 2023, not only showing your support for the LGBTQ+ community but also providing a fantastic platform for brand awareness and staff engagement. As our headline sponsor, you would be included on all of our digital and print collateral, and on all media releases. You would be part of our launch event and would also be presented with a range of other opportunities throughout the year to talk about the partnership. You would have a presence at the event and an opportunity to engage with our audience, with other promotional activities tailored to your requirements. Northern Pride is a huge platform and being our headline sponsor gives you an unprecedented opportunity to get in front of a highly engaged audience, as well as that of our allies and other supporters. We would welcome the opportunity to talk to you in more detail about this opportunity or to discuss how we could tailor other packages to your requirements.

North East, family-friendly event celebrating the LGBTQ+ community is planned to return to Newcastle’s Ouseburn Valley on Sunday 18 September. Ouseburn Family Pride was held for the first time in 2021 where more than 4000 attendees visited the one-day event. And now the event – sponsored by Byker-headquartered tech consultancy Opencast – will be running once again, on Sunday 18 September, with many of the Ouseburn Valley’s most popular attractions taking part. CHECK OUT THE HIGHLIGHTS OF 2021s EVENT Organisers Northern Pride – which hosted July’s highly successful UK Pride at the city’s Town Moor attended by thousands of people – is working with local venues, charities and pubs to create a range of activities, including arts, live music, drag performances and storytelling. Also taking part is Ouseburn Family Farm, a learning centre that supports adults with learning disabilities where visitors can take part in arts and crafts activities, alongside the opportunity to meet a range of animals. The Ouseburn Trust, a charity which focuses on sustainability in the Valley, is also running a range of craft workshops throughout the day which people can attend. As well as creative experiences, Ouseburn Family Pride is offering a variety of interactive performances, such as family drag shows hosted in The Cluny, an independent live music venue, which will have other performances throughout the day programmed by Generator. Elsewhere, Seven Stories, the national centre for children’s books, will be hosting book readings for a variety of ages, from children to teenagers, featuring LGBTQ+ authors from the North East. For those who want a moment to unwind, The Ship, an LGBTQ+ inclusive pub, is providing drinks, a vegan menu and a space to relax during the festival, including a dog friendly beer garden. Away from the bustle of the main festival venues, The Cumberland Arms at near-by James Place Street, is also supporting the event, where visitors can enjoy a drink from the pub’s selection of craft ales and more. There will also be plenty of activities for teenagers including voguing workshops which will be hosted by Curious Arts. Sheena Widdowfield, Opencast’s head of learning and culture, said the company was delighted to be supporting the 2022 event. “As a business, Opencast is committed to diversity and inclusion among its people, as well as in the community. Being headquartered locally in Byker, we are particularly happy to support Ouseburn Family Pride. “This is such a great family event where there’s something for people of all ages to get together in one of Newcastle’s most exciting and fast growing areas,” she added. “We’re encouraging our people to attend this brilliant family-focused celebration.” Northern Pride’s Family and Youth Engagement Officer, Nimerta Virdee who is organising the event added “The Ouseburn Valley has a real sense of community so it’s the perfect location for a family Pride event.” “After the success of our first event last year, we’re really excited to bring Northern Pride back to Ouseburn this September,” “There is so much to do this year at Ouseburn Family Pride and it is with thanks to our sponsor, Opencast that we are able to bring back the one-day event in 2022.” Ouseburn Family Pride takes place on Sunday 18 September from 12-6pm and more information on what's happening in each venue will be announced across the weeks leading up to the event on Northern Prides website and social media.

NORTHERN Pride is still celebrating, after its first in-person event in two years has been heralded a major success. The celebration, held at the weekend (22-24 July) at Newcastle Town Moor was also marking the fact that it was awarded UK Pride status, which brought in an audience not just from across the country but across the globe. Visitors from as far afield as the USA and Australia headed to the event, which included performances across the weekend from stars such as Melanie C, Louise and Joe McElderry. Saturday’s Pride March through the streets of Newcastle saw a record 25,000 people taking part, with thousands more lining the streets to cheer it on. Ste Dunn, director of Northern Pride said the response had been incredible. “We have had so much positive feedback about every aspect of the day, from the live performances which focused on local LGBTQ+ artists, to the community village zones including activities for families and health support and advice. “We’ve also received positive feedback on our accessibility efforts including our raised platform for wheelchair users and on new additions to the festival including the LGBT Northern Social Group zone. “We were delighted to also have representatives from the pride organisers community, including Kristine Garina, President of European Pride Organisers Association, Hadi Damien and Debbie Brixey, President and Vice President of Interpide, respectively. “The Pride Festival is such an important opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community to come together and celebrate, but it is also an opportunity to remember the history of Pride and the struggles that many people still face and that is why we need to continue to speak out against LGBTphobic hate crimes and violence against our community, whilst also demanding change especially for our Trans, non-binary and gender diverse community.” Ste also thanked the supporters and sponsors who have made the event possible. “Pride simply wouldn’t happen without the support of our key supporters, partners and sponsors who help us delvier the event, along with all those in the community and allies that donate, and fundraise all year round to help us keep the festival free” he said. Before the Town Moor was cleared of all the structures that made this years festival one of the biggest outdoor evenr Newcastle has seen, the Northern Pride team where already announcing plans for 2023 with the festival retuning on 22-23 July next year, with Platinum Passes on sale.

We are bringing back our community village for this year’s event with even more zones, thanks to support from Newcastle United. The event – the first in person festival since before the pandemic – will include a number of new initiatives this year, as well as all the familiar favourites. And that includes the creation of the United As One Community Village, which is being sponsored by the football club. The community village was originally created in 2019 in response to feedback from the LGBTQ+ community wanting to acknowledge some of the reasons the Pride movement began. Now, as Newcastle also celebrates being UK Pride 2022, it is set to return but bigger and better than ever before. Anyone attending Northern Pride – which runs from 22-24 July at Newcastle’s Town Moor – will also be able to get access to a range of information, services and, for the first time, a sports zone. The community village will see the health and well being zone available on Saturday 23 July, with family and youth sections returning on both days, along with a number of new and exciting offerings which will feature for the first time. Northern Pride has been working closely with Newcastle United in recent years and sponsoring the entire community village represents the club’s continued commitment. “We have been able to bring the village to another level thanks to the support from Newcastle United,” said Ste. “Inclusion in North East sport is something we have always wanted to build on and did so with events such as the 2019 finals of the Challenge Cup and the European Rugby Champions Cup, as well as supporting the LGBTQ football match that NUFC held pre-pandemic. “We have been working together more closely in recent years, culminating in the creation of the United As One Community Village this year, our first in person event since 2019. “We are massively grateful to the club for supporting us, not only in helping us make sport more inclusive for our community but also in enabling us to provide support and information on a range of important matters.” Pride has also been working with the LGBT Northern Social Group in recent times, leading to the creation within the community village of the Northern Social Group zone. This area is aimed at people who may be going to Pride on their own or are attending for the first time and those looking to escape the loud celebrations being held in the Festival Arena and on the main stage. “This will be the perfect space for those looking to start their Pride experience in a friendly, inclusive space,” said Ste Dunn, director of Northern Pride. “We’ve also been told that some people feel unsafe travelling to Pride wearing the clothes in the gender they have chosen so we have also introduced on site changing facilities which will be available all weekend for their use. “We want people to feel safe and be whoever they want to be and come to Pride and have a happy and positive experience.”

We are ensuring that this year’s event is available to everyone, after making accessibility one of our key priorities. From 22 – 24 July, Northern Pride will bring together thousands of people from the LGBTQ+ community and their allies, in a weekend of events. And as part of its pledge to ensure that everyone can attend the event at Newcastle’s Town Moor, organisers have put in place a range of measures to ensure it is a user friendly event. The charity is working closely with Nexus, operator of the Tyne and Wear Metro, – its travel and accessibility partner – to make certain that those who are coming to the event via public transport can easily do so. British Sign Language interpreters will also be in place at both stages so that anyone with hearing difficulty is able to fully enjoy the experience. Northern Pride will also be working with AccessoLoo, which provides toilet and changing facilities for disabled people, who will be bringing a high dependency unit including a hoist and special changing facilities. Noise cancelling headphones will also be available throughout the weekend for anyone who finds the sound levels troublesome or distressing, and the wheelchair-accessible raised platform will return, providing users with a prime viewing spot of the main stage. “Northern Pride is an event that should be accessible to everyone and we are taking every measure we can to make sure that’s the case,” said Ste Dunn, director of the charity. “We are very grateful to our travel and accessibility partners for their support and we are hoping that this will encourage more people than ever to come along to our first in person event since 2019.” Huw Lewis, Customer Services Director at Nexus, said: “We are proud to be the official travel and accessibility partner for this year’s UK Pride event as part of our ongoing support for the LGBTQ+ community. “Metro is a great way to get to and from Newcastle to take part in what promises to be a fantastic weekend of events, which the whole community can go along and enjoy – and don’t forget that you can now take the kids for free on Metro. “The nearest station for getting to Exhibition Park is Haymarket Metro station. All of our stations have step free access, and they all have tactile paving for people who are blind and partially sighted. “Metro is at the heart of the communities that it serves, and we are really excited to be supporting Pride, which is just one of the ways we strive to promote respect and inclusivity. “We are looking forward to welcoming every one to Metro when the festival is on, and when customers alight at Haymarket Metro station they will see our wonderfully colourful rainbow displays inside the station as you go up the escalators.” Headliners over the course of the weekend include former Spice Girl, Melanie C, Louise, Joe McElderry and Ibiza in Symphony. A large scale community village will also include a family and well being zone, sports zone and the Curious Arts stage. Alongside the full programme of entertainment, Northern Pride – which also doubles up as UK Pride 2022 this time round – will also be promoting the theme of Remember, Resist, Rise Up throughout the weekend. This year organisers have also ensured the event – which has Barclays as its headline sponsor – is also drawing heavily on the regional community and has engaged with musicians, artists and creatives.