Reading Pride's future at risk due to a funding shortfall
Reading Pride is set to take place on 30 August at King's Meadow.
Every year, the event costs over £110,000 to run, with every penny coming from volunteers' fundraising.
However, support from local companies and organisations has halved, which has left organisers with a £30,000 blackhole.
The UK Pride Organisers Network says 75% of Pride events across the UK have seen a decline in sponsorship.
This year, Southampton's 'Pride in the Park' as well as Liverpool Pride and Plymouth Pride were cancelled, all due to 'significant financial and organisational challenges.'
It comes a year on from when Hastings Pride was rescued by a local taxi firm, after initially being cancelled.
Organisers at Reading Pride are calling on the public to help support them saying, although it is a free event, they want to ensure it not only happens this year but continues to thrive for years to come.
On Instagram, they said they're aren't just looking for donations but 'enthusiastic individuals' to volunteer.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Liberal city loses two more iconic restaurants for good as downtown spiral continues
Two beloved Denver spots — Cap City Tavern and Denver Sweet — served their last customers July 27. They closed within hours of each other amid mounting challenges in the Mile High City. Owners blamed inflation, rising food costs, higher minimum wages, and what they called a 'crushing' load of local taxes and fees. 'Sadly, we are not alone, as the community of independently owned restaurants in Denver is literally going extinct,' Cap City Tavern wrote on social media. Denver Sweet, a six‑year‑old LGBTQ+ bar that won the 2025 Colorado Drag & Variety Award for Best Queer Bar, cited similar pressures. 'Creating and running Denver Sweet has been a dream come true for us — and saying goodbye is heartbreaking,' co‑owners Randy Minten and Ken Maglasang wrote. 'We've done everything we could to push forward — including personally funding operations — but the current climate simply isn't viable for us anymore.' The twin closures come as Denver grapples with a wave of restaurant failures. Last year, 82 percent of Colorado's restaurant shutdowns were in Denver, with Colorado Springs also seeing a decline. Cap City Tavern had been a family‑run institution for 18 years, remembered by loyal customers as a 'home away from home.' The McTaggart family also own the Bannock Street Garage Bar. Heartbroken customers remembered meeting partners there or celebrating special events. 'What an incredible loss. A home away from home full of years of memories. Sending so much love,' an Instagrammer wrote. 'Such a Denver staple. I'm just so sorry to hear this. Sending your family so much love right now. That floor is sure going to miss those jump splits!,' another fan responded. Unlike the tavern, Denver Sweet had only been operating for about six years. 'I loved going in and getting my pickle shots, playing pool with family, getting sloshed of AMFs during Pride. I made so many memories and had the best times of my life at Sweet,' an Instagrammer revealed. 'Y'all have shown me since the literal day I turned 21 that even though (ACTUALLY ESPECIALLY) since I'm a trans man, I am loved, accepted, and hold a rightful place in the gay male community,' another person wrote. Owners of the Cap City Tavern and Denver Sweet expressed their sadness over the closures on social media Cap City Tavern fans looked back on memories like meeting friends and supporting the Minnesota Vikings Social media users insisted the LGBTQ+ friendly Denver Sweet was a loving and accepting place The Denver hotspots join a nationwide trend that has seen long‑standing eateries shutter. Hector's Café and Diner closed earlier this month after 76 years of business. The owner of the struggling diner once frequented by Law & Order crew members revealed a major reason behind the closure was to make room for an expansion of the Whitney museum. The closure happened a month after Moro's Dining closed after 45 years. It's unclear how much money Moro's was making annually as the primary reason behind the shutter was the owner's interest in retiring. Operators of the Las Cuatro Milpas restaurant in California are also looking to retire, which is why they've decided close their 92-year-old restaurant for good. However, unlike the others, Cole's French Dip is closing after 117 years of operation due to a business decline resulting from crime in Los Angeles.
The Herald Scotland
8 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Manager Danny Rohl leaves Sheffield Wednesday by mutual consent
Rohl, a former assistant of the German national team as well as Southampton and Bayern Munich, turned around a sinking ship and last season led the club to a respectable 12th place in the second tier. However, with less than a fortnight to go until the start of the new Championship campaign, the Owls, who travel to Leicester on August 10, have revealed the 36-year-old has left his position. 'Sheffield Wednesday can confirm the departure of manager Danny Rohl by mutual consent,' a club statement read. Sheffield Wednesday can confirm the departure of manager Danny Röhl by mutual consent#swfc — Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc) July 29, 2025 Wednesday also confirmed backroom staff members Sascha Lense, Chris Powell, Neil Thompson and Sal Bibbo have followed Rohl, linked with a string of jobs in England and the Bundesliga, out the door. Assistant Henrik Pedersen remains in South Yorkshire, having put pen to paper on a new deal earlier this month, and he is now the favourite to replace Rohl as manager although no announcement was made. Rohl's future at Hillsborough had been uncertain for several months as he said after their final game of last season that he had made his position to the club's hierarchy 'very clear'. Wednesday are under a three-window fee restriction imposed by the English Football League over late payments to players, and are also under a transfer embargo, while owner Dejphon Chansiri is looking to sell the club. Rohl said on Instagram: 'A very special time is coming to an end and I am incredibly grateful for the experiences we have shared over 21 unforgettable months together. 'I thank our chairman for his faith and giving me the opportunity to take my first steps as a manager. 'I thank my players for such a successful collaboration, your tireless commitment and for being great humans. I am proud of all of your personal resilience and efforts. 'This summer has been difficult and, in the end, the club and I came to the mutual decision to part ways. I understand the different thoughts and reactions to everything that has been going on during these past few months. 'I am extremely grateful to have had this opportunity. Even during the difficult moments and setbacks, I have always continued to feel the support from everyone. I take so many special moments away with me that will remain in my heart. 'We achieved a miracle together and that will always be something truly exceptional. I wish everyone associated with Wednesday my very best. I will never forget you. The Gaffer.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Is Brighton Pride still meaningful or just big business?
Members of the LGBTQ+ community have claimed Brighton Pride has become too commercial, lost its meaning and no longer feels like their space, although others dispute this."Pride has been turned into a massive money-making exercise," Ben Tindal said. The Brighton resident added "expensive" ticketed events excluded working-class or low-income LGBTQ+ people, who needed the "visibility and inclusion" of Pride the most. Paul Kemp, Brighton Pride managing director, told the BBC there were "practical realities of the cost of putting on a safe, accessible event for tens of thousands of people". Organisers have done everything they can to ensure the event was inclusive, with discounted tickets available, he spoke to the BBC about ticket prices, with final release Saturday tickets for Pride on the Park costing £64.50. Mr Tindal said Pride should go back to being a "protest" aimed at bringing about change. "That's when it actually meant something," he continued. Mr Kemp said Pride would always be about protest - raising awareness, platforming LGBTQ+ voices and campaigning for equality. This year's theme - Ravishing Rage - was a "direct response to the global pushback on LGBTQ+ rights", he added. 'Corporate pride' Hermione La Chapelle told the BBC that Pride had lost its "radical spirit in favour of corporate interests" over the years. She claimed businesses sponsored Pride as a "huge marketing opportunity". The 26-year-old added companies also used the event for "pink-washing", a practice of pretending to support LGBTQ+ causes to boost their image while also having discriminatory practices or poor human rights records."It is a betrayal of the anti-oppression values that should be at the heart of LGBTQ+ liberation," she said. "Everyone I know is boycotting Pride this year." Brighton Pride organiser Mr Kemp said the event "simply wouldn't be possible without some level of sponsorship" as the costs of delivering events had "skyrocketed" since the pandemic. He said all partnerships were reviewed annually. Mr Kemp said the event had also raised more than £1.4m for local LGBTQ+ causes. Gary Pargeter, who runs Lunch Positive, a community organisation supporting people living with or affected by HIV, told the BBC funding from Pride was "absolutely essential for the survival and growth our work". He said the money was all the more crucial against a backdrop of reduced funding for LGBTQ+ groups elsewhere. Pride also brings a "massive boost" to Brighton's economy, according to a report by the city's council. It generated an estimated £20.5m in revenue in 2018 from visitors to the city, the council's latest figures show. 'Not our space' However, Pride has increasingly become a music festival, according to Ms La change, she said, meant it was attended by big groups of straight people who were there "solely to party without reflecting on the reason why we have Pride". "It doesn't necessarily feel like a space for the LGBT community anymore," Ms La Chapelle added that allies supporting their LGBTQ+ friends were welcome. More than 300,000 attend Brighton Pride, according to Pargeter, who grew up in the city, said the "high profile" nature of Pride could give people - especially those still coming to terms with being LGBTQ+ - the comfort and confidence to be who they are. "It's a real mainstay of celebrating our identity," he added. Though she wished it had concessions for elderly people, 80-year-old Betty Gallacher said Pride should focus on education through workshops and talks. It would enable younger generations to understand the history of the LGBTQ+ movement and the discrimination people faced, she said. But she said the most important - and valuable - part of Pride was the free parade, which she was a part of until two years ago."It says we are out and proud," she added.
