As Woking prepares to host Surrey’s first-ever Pride event, Jane McGowan meets organiser and campaigner Stephen Ireland...
For one weekend this month, the suburban settlement of Woking will be bathed in all the colours of the rainbow as it hosts Pride In Surrey – the county’s first-ever celebration of its LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community.
The event, which is designed to ‘Celebrate, Educate and Connect’ will feature a parade through the town centre on August 10 followed by a huge party in Woking Park. The not-for-profit event is the brainchild of volunteer Stephen Ireland who was inspired to launch Pride In Surrey after realising that while the county’s LGBTQ+ community is growing, their voices are pitifully underrepresented.
“I wanted to create an event that not only celebrated the community but promoted understanding too,” says Stephen.
Sadly the statistics show that both tolerance and understanding are currently in short supply. According to Pride In Surrey, between October 2018 and January 2019, there were 14 reports of hate crime against LGBTQ+ people across the county. In the UK as a whole, the figures paint an even bleaker picture, with 41% of the trans community being the victim of hate. And perhaps more worryingly, the numbers are rising: a 2017 report from pressure group Stonewall found that the number of lesbians, gay and bisexual people who have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their sexual orientation had risen by 78% from 9% in 2013 to 16% in 2017.
“It’s shocking that in this day and age people can’t live as they want to,” says Stephen. “That one group can be dictated to by another is just wrong.”
Stephen has been involved with London’s Pride event for several years, and after watching 30,000 people from all walks of life join together for last year’s capital parade, he decided the time had come to spread the love to Surrey.
“I put out a call to all the local councils and Woking responded immediately, saying it understood the challenges the LGBTQ+ community was facing and was keen to be involved. It was clear to that this was the town that should host the first-ever Pride In Surrey festival.
“I wanted to create an event that everyone could go to. There are a good many LGBTQ+ people who have access needs and haven’t been able to participate in larger events. Woking is one of the most accessible towns which again makes it an ideal venue.”
When I spoke to Stephen, more than 2,000 people had registered for free tickets – the VIP offer sold out within 24 hours. So what can people expect? The whole shebang kicks off at 11 am on August 10 from the HG Wells Centre with a parade through the town to the Wolsey Place Centre. Organisers are expecting between 500 to 1,000 people to march, all of whom have been asked to register for the event.
“We want to make sure locals aren’t too disturbed by the celebrations – we didn’t want to close roads,” Stephen reveals. “We wanted to say to people who maybe just out and about shopping, ‘Look we are a community of people, come and join us and celebrate us and understand the challenges we face.’
“We have to remember that while it’s a celebration, Pride is also a protest. There are 70 countries where people still face persecution, or a lot worse, for being LGBTQ+ and we want to band together to challenge this. We want to make everyone feel welcome – it’s an inclusive event. We only ask that people show respect.”
From noon the fun moves to Woking Park (which is being named Pride Park for the weekend), where the free event will include an array of live entertainment, including UK Eurovision entrant Michael Rice and X-Factor contestants Talia Dean and Jack Mason. There will be food and drink aplenty, as well as a large family/youth zone and charity zone, showcasing the many groups who provide support to the LGBTQ+ community.
“For me, it’s about including as many people as possible,” says Stephen. “We just want everyone to enjoy what will be a fantastic event and celebrate in all their glory no matter who they are.”
And so say all of us!
For further details, visit: prideinsurrey.org
