Hi. We are raising money to help cover the costs involved in running the second Holmes Chapel Pride Event on Saturday 13th September from 3pm until 7pm.

Back in June 2024, we were asked the question "why Holmes Chapel didn't have an annual Pride event?" That had us scratching our heads and asking ourselves could we hold an event to raise awareness of the issues & difficulties affecting the lives of LGBTQIA+ people in Holmes Chapel & our surrounding rural areas?

Something to openly celebrate the diversity, identity, & strength of the LGBTQIA+ community, creating a welcoming, inclusive environment where every participant can feel safe, respected, & celebrated... so we organised one, in record time, and it was a huge success for everyone, so much so, it has now become an annual event in our community calendar. We even made it to the heady heights of the BBC North West News online!

We know, by working together with our community, this year's event will once again stand as a beacon of acceptance, understanding, & pride for all of us, irrespective of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, age, or religion. We will be proactively promoting local support groups for LGBTQ+ people, providing a visible sign of hope that this is a diverse community in which to live, work & visit - particularly pertinent given how our village is now very much on the global stage thanks to The Village Partnership and their work with the Harry Styles tours!

It's impossible to know just what the greater challenges for LGBTQIA+ people living in rural communities like Holmes Chapel are, but hopefully through raising awareness we can help to improve these & create increased acceptance & understanding. Pride should be a celebration of the diversity within the LGBTQ+ community, but also something that goes to show how far LGBTQIA+ rights have come, & how in some places there is still work to be done. Pride is about acceptance, equality, celebrating the work of LGBTQIA+ people, education in LGBTQIA+ history and raising awareness of issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community.

Holmes Chapel Pride will be a free event, with the road closed from the Fire Station to the roundabouts, and can only be made possible with your support. Support that will come from not just your time, but from your actions. We have started the fundraising process, & are hugely grateful for the support of local businesses so far, so let's make September 13th another hugely memorable and successful day & show everyone that Holmes Chapel is welcoming to everyone.