Chelmsford crowds gather for Essex Pride event

Pride gives people the opportunity to be "their true authentic selves", Essex Pride chair Garry Ormes said

Crowds have gathered to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community at Essex Pride.

A parade took place through Chelmsford earlier.

Garry Ormes, chair of Essex Pride, which has been running for 19 years, said this was the second such event to take place in the city.

"It's about visibility for LGBT people and also for allies, families, friends and colleagues to all come together and just celebrate the meaning of Pride," he said.

Speaking about the Chelmsford march, he said that for "anybody struggling with their sexuality", it was important to know that "my town is a diverse and accepting place to live - it sends out such an important message for that".

The celebration took place in Chelmsford - the county town of Essex

This was the second Pride march through the Essex city

The Pride celebration has been accompanied by an exhibition including poetry and artwork which will be open for four months at Chelmsford Museum.

Entitled Behind the Rainbow, it is a collection of personal stories and experiences from the LGBTQ+ community.

Artist Poppy Mayhew, who contributed to the exhibition, said Pride was "such an important experience for everyone"

Co-curator of the exhibition, Sofia Rojas, said it had been a year in the making.

It became "very evident that we wanted to focus on stories from people and have their voices represented and heard and seen", she said.

"It is important to see yourself represented in this way, so you can feel welcome in this world - it's about the stories behind these pieces," she said.

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Artist Poppy Mayhew