Sussex group recognised for best grassroots Pride event of the year in top national awards

Trans Pride Hastings is a Community Interest Company. It came into being in February last year, founded by local people Victoria Oldman and Zed Gregory. Last July they worked with a team of volunteers to deliver 15 events in Hastings, St Leonards and Bexhill, across eight days focusing on community building, support and celebration.

They raised £7,578.94 from donations, local business sponsorship, fundraising events and ticket and t-shirt sales.

Trans Pride Hastings was announced as a winner on February 16 at a glitzy ceremony at Manchester’s Hilton Hotel, which saw performances from BRIT Award nominee Jazzy, Caity Baser, Talia Mar, Tia Kofi and Ginger Johnson, all hosted by Gaydio’s breakfast show presenters Paris and Dave.

Other winners included Strictly Star and actor Layton Williams, who was awarded the Outstanding Entertainment Contribution Award and Lady Phyll, CEO of UK Black Pride, who won the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The pair said: “Our community and our town made trans Pride Hastings an uplifting and incredible week of events for the local trans and non binary community.

“We took Hastings to Brighton to march with 30,000 people at Brighton Trans Pride, we went to Bexhill for the day for tattoos, badges, life drawing and a social. St Leonards hosted our dog hang out, Big Queer Party and a picnic on the beach. Over in Hastings we got busy with a book club, a trans museum tour, two cinema events, trans skateboarding, local business training and a craft event for parents and partners.”

The Trans Pride Festival in Hastings is scheduled to take place this year over the weekend of July 27 and 28.

Gaydio is broadcasting on 97.8FM in Brighton and on DAB across Greater London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds, Cardiff, Bristol, Sheffield, Brighton and Portsmouth. Listeners can also tune in via the Gaydio website and mobile app or through a smart speaker, just say ‘play Gaydio’.

Have you read? Sussex man captures stunning picture of Kestrel in flight

Have you read? In pictures: Sussex auction of strange and macabre objects