Police praised after thousands parade at Pride

An organiser praised police handling of the Peterborough Pride festival

An organiser of a city's annual Pride festival has praised the way the event was policed.

Brian Bell said the Peterborough Pride festival, which was first staged in 2019, was the biggest yet this year.

He said about 5,000 people had attended on Saturday and around 3,000 had taken part in a parade.

Mr Bell, 40, said the the presence of uniformed police officers had helped the festival run smoothly.

Organisers said they hoped the event would allow people to "feel they can just be themselves".

A Pride parade made its way from Stanley Park to the Green Backyard in Oundle Road.

Highlights included singers and dancers, lip-syncers and community performers - as well as a Madonna tribute act.

About 3,000 people took part in a Peterborough Pride parade on Saturday

The festival also offered signposting services, including referrals to LGBTQ+ friendly organisations in the city, counselling and support groups.

Organisers said they hoped the festival would "help people navigate the community and find the support they need".

Mr Bell, the event's vice chair, said more people had attended on Saturday than in previous years.

"It went really, really well," he said.

"We had massive support from Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

"Uniformed neighbourhood bobbies mingled with people. They were there to make sure everything ran smoothly.

"On the day nobody caused us stress - but there are always some people who might."