Plea to save Pride event facing £20k shortfall

Organisers of an annual Pride celebration in Lincolnshire are calling for help to prevent the event being cancelled.

Scunthorpe Pride, which started in 2023, is billed as the largest free community event in the town, with the 2025 event attracting more than 15,000 people.

In a post on social media, organisers said they were facing a £20,000 shortfall due to missing out on National Lottery funding.

Beckie Stephen, vice chairwoman of the event, said it was "very upsetting" but added the team had already received some "amazingly positive feedback" following their social media plea.

In the post, organisers said: "If we don't raise this money, Scunthorpe Pride 2026 will either be significantly stripped back or may not go ahead at all.

"We aren't giving up yet, but we need the "Steel Town" spirit more than ever."

The event is due to take place in Church Square on Saturday 29 August.

Stephen said their mission had always been to keep Pride a free, non-ticketed event.

"To take that away, especially during the summer holidays... would be such a shame to so many families," she said.

"Our LGBTQ percentage is quite high compared to other towns, so just bringing that day to Scunthorpe is really important."

The team has appealed for local businesses to support the event and for public donations via a Go Fund Me page.

Stephen said: "We've had so many businesses reach out to us to offer potential sponsorship, which is just amazing.

"We just keep going, keep pushing forward."

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