Pride event goes ahead after 11th-hour donation

Organisers said a last-minute donation saved the event

A Pride event in East Sussex has taken place after a last-minute donation meant it could go ahead.

Hastings Pride 2024 saw a parade through the town on Sunday before a festival at The Oval, due to go on until 21:00 BST.

The event was saved by an 11th-hour donation in July, after it had been called off due to financial troubles, said the organisers.

Natasha Scott, founding member of Hastings Pride Festival, said at the time she felt "emotionally dizzy" when the sponsorship was confirmed.

A parade was held through Hastings before a festival event

The event is free to attend for people - and their pets

Sunday's parade included participants from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, St Michael's Hospice and the emergency services, while speeches and music were planned at the festival later in the day.

The event started in 2016 as a Hastings Pride Launch Party and organisers say it is one of the only free-to-attend pride events in the UK.

On 3 August, an estimated 300,000 people took to the streets of Brighton for its annual Pride parade.

Individuals and organisations took part in the parade