About

Northern Pride is the biggest LGBT Pride (see Gay Pride

Gay pride

LGBT pride or gay pride is the concept that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity...

) festival

Festival

A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....

 in the North East of England, hosted in Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

. It is held in July every year in Leazes park, just outside the City Centre. The event is free for all who attend and offers music, stalls and a safe space for LGBT people, their families and friends. Northern Pride is a celebration of LGBT

LGBT

LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...

 culture, history and societal diversity.

History

Building on the previous work of the organisation 'Pride On Tyne', the Northern Pride committee converted to a not for profit limited company in January 2009, having successfully hosted a Pride event in July 2008.

Since conception, the event has grown over the two years - with approximately 4,000 people in attendance in 2008 and 6,000 attending in 2009.

Management

The committee is made up of volunteers, (re)elected at annual general meetings by the organisation's membership.
The current committee are:

Name	Title
Tom Gorman	Chair
Kai Smith	Company Secretary
James Anderson	Community Involvement Director
John Harrison	Entertainment Director
Pete Woodward	Communications Director

Funding

The event attracts sponsorship from private organisations and Local Authorities. Northern Pride has built excellent relationships with [Trade Unions] who support the event.