THORNBURY’S first Pride event is the first of three summer celebrations lined up for the town’s High Street.
Grants from South Gloucestershire Council are helping to fund the events as Thornbury faces a summer without the carnival, which has been cancelled after organisers said it was no longer viable.
Organisers say the Pride day, tomorrow from 10am-6pm, will celebrate “love, diversity and our amazing community”.
The event aims to bring together the town’s LGBTQ+ and straight community.
It will include a performance from Thornbury Town Band, a best-dressed window competition open to all local shops, pubs and businesses, and a ‘design your own cocktail’ competition.
Love Thornbury organiser Sandra Davies, who runs the Swan pub, said: “It’s all about getting people out there and getting people involved.”
Love Thornbury has been awarded a grant of just over £2,000 towards the cost of the Pride event, and a free children’s event taking place on August 1.
It will cover security, including marshals, lighting, music and mascots.
Craft show
In July the High Street will host a new event, the Heritage Craft Show.
Sandra said: “We don’t normally run an event in July but we are filling the gap of the carnival and doing something different.”
The show will take place on July 18 from 9am to 5pm and include craftspeople from across the region, showcasing work including knife making, upholstery, stained glass, ceramics, tufted rug making, marbling, calligraphy, silversmithing, guitar making, lace making and many more.
Love Thornbury committee member Nadya Webster said: “This is a not for profit event aimed at getting people to the high street and encouraging young people to think of a career in the creative industries. There will be Morris Dancing, too!
“There are some incredibly talented craftspeople in our region,” said Nadya. “In order for these crafts to survive, we need to inspire the next generation to learn these crafts.”
The event is being funded with the help of a £2,340 grant from South Gloucestershire Council’s Creative High Streets Fund.
Children’s event
The money will also also support the free children’s event, Summer in the High Street, helping to fund tokens for free funfair rides and ice cream.
Summer in the High Street will run from 10am-5pm on August 1.
Bunting for the Pride festival has been made by a group of 16 knitters who meet at the Swan pub.
The 16 members of the Swan Nutty Knitters group in Thornbury also raised £2,100 for charity Sarcoma UK as they created 82 bunting triangles during an 18-hour knitathon.
The knitters worked from 8am on May 15 until 2am the following day in memory of member Sarah Hescott’s mum Hazel, who died aged 63 of the disease, a form of cancer, in 2021.
The group also made yellow ribbon pin badges, in honour of the Sarcoma UK emblem, and blankets for Teckels Animal Sanctuary at Whitminster.
A donation page for the fundraiser is still open here.
Picture: Swan Nutty Knitters with the bunting they have made for Thornbury’s Pride festival