New Salisbury Pride directors want to 'break down' LGBT 'misjudgement'

A group organising the celebration of the city's LGBTQ+ community announced this week, on March 18, that it would be relaunching Salisbury Pride.

This came following a rocky 2023 which saw the cancellation of a major annual Pride celebration followed by the closure of Progress Bar.

Read more: ​Salisbury Pride relaunching with new directors after 2023 cancellation

Harriet Kelly, Helen Maple, Reece Brown and Caroline Corbin are the new directors of Salisbury Pride.

A survey asking people what they want from Salisbury Pride gathered responses from more 60 people, some of whom are not part of the LGBTQ+ community but Mrs Maple, 26, said that hearing everyone's voice is helpful for the planning process.

Helen Maple, 26, is one of the four directors of Salisbury Pride. (Image: Salisbury Pride)

The three key themes which the majority of respondents connoted with Pride were community-driven, inclusivity and celebration.

Moving forward, it has been made clear to the directors that there is a strong desire to recognise the history of Pride and convey its meaning without commercialising it.

However, Salisbury Pride also wants to support local businesses so a fine balance must be reached, Mrs Maple explained.

Reece Brown, one of the new directors of Salisbury Pride, is landlord of the Anchor and Hope pub in Winchester Street which has become a new base for the group's smaller-scale events.

The plan is to organise more events throughout the year rather than putting all the group's time and money into one large event during Pride month in June.

This approach aims to ensure Salisbury Pride is more self-sustaining so that it will depend less on grants and government funding, which director Caroline Corbin previously blamed a lack of for the cancellation of Pride 2023.

See more: ​Salisbury Pride 2023 cancelled due to money issues after bar closure

Mrs Maple said: "People don't just want to see events in Pride month. It's really important to break down some of the misjudgements people have about the LGBT community."

Harriet Kelly, 21, works at the Anchor and Hope and said the younger directors are bringing "quite a creative perspective" and between them have a good amount of experience running events.

Harriet Kelly, 21. (Image: Salisbury Pride)

Mrs Maple has connections in the music scene but also spent seven years working with young people from marginalised groups in education which she said taught her "transferrable" skills when it comes to running Salisbury Pride.

While Salisbury has come a long way, Mrs Maple said "the world has a lot more work to do" when it comes to inclusivity.

"It comes with education. Pride is not just exclusive for the LGBT community. It's there for allies too to celebrate everyone's difference. Having four directors ensures a diversity of backgrounds and ideas," she added.

A focus group open to survey respondents will meet for the first time at the pub from 7pm on Tuesday, April 9, to give people a chance to get familiar with the new directors and further discuss the future of Salisbury Pride.

Then, on April 20, a relaunch party will be held at the Anchor and Hope to celebrate the return of Salisbury Pride with a drag act, karaoke and crafts.