Sue Panover will host the Reading Pride festival

Performer Sue Panover will kick off the official launch of Reading Pride - Berkshire's first ever gay festival.

The event has been announced to take place on 4 September as part of a week-long series of celebrations.

Festival entertainments manager Jamie Wake - also known as Anne Robinson lookalike Ms Panover - is launching the festival on Monday.

First and last

Mr Wake, who will be hosting the festival at Kings Meadow, will be running a Weakest Link competition at the Granby pub on Monday evening to kick off the Pride activities.

He told BBC News Online what the town's first festival would mean to the gay community in Reading and to him personally.

"It's people coming out to celebrate the fact that they are proud at the end of the day.

"It's also a huge party, of course," he said.

"I opened the Oxford Pride festival, the first of the season, and I will be the last person you see at Reading Pride.

"So I'm opening and closing the UK pride season really."