Covid: Isle of Wight Pride event cancelled amid lockdown concerns

Campaigners travelled from around the country to take part in a Pride march on the island in 2018

A Pride event on the Isle of Wight has been cancelled over concerns about coronavirus restrictions being lifted.

Trustees said it had to consider the "risk" of investing in its 17 July event, if the government's roadmap out of lockdown was delayed past 21 June.

Organisers said cancelling at a later date "could result in significant debt and perhaps loss of the charity and the event itself in future years".

Plans are being made to host the island's next Pride on 16 July 2022.

A 150m (500ft) rainbow flag was unfurled during the parade in 2018

In a statement, the trustees of the charity said: "We also need to put the safety and wellbeing of our communities the wider public and our valued volunteers first.

"This decision is not one we have taken lightly as we had big plans, including returning to the beach, it is a huge disappointment to us all."

Organisers said if the roadmap goes ahead as planned, they would seek to "hold several community engagement activities and small events around the Island".

The Isle of Wight held its own Pride event for the first time in July 2017 and 15,000 people attended the 2018 festival, which celebrates the LGBT community.

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