Swindon & Wiltshire Pride hosts picnic and march

Swindon and Wiltshire pride is the biggest LGBTQIA+ event in Wiltshire

A Pride picnic has been held to bring the LGBTQIA+ community and allies together.

Swindon & Wiltshire Pride organised the free event in Queen's Park, Swindon.

Large Pride celebrations were cancelled this year due to a lack of staff.

The charity's community engagement manager said the picnic "brings people together and gives the community a place to make connections, raise awareness and a place to feel comfortable".

More than 300 people took part in the parade from the town centre to Queen's Park

Ordinarily, a large Pride event is organised in Swindon, but the charity had to scale back its celebrations due to a lack of people volunteering to fill vital committee roles.

To mark the occasion, a free Pride picnic and a Pride march have been held in the town centre instead.

The events were organised to mark the 50th anniversary of Pride marches in the UK.

Swindon Pride community engagement officer Phoenix said: "It's such a relief to see the event go ahead. So many months of planning went into it.

"A lot of people said they prefer it in Queen's Park so we will need to consider this as a future venue.

"For some people who were not able to attend any Pride events since lockdown they have been able to come along feel safe and celebrate with us."

Organisers said more than 2,000 people were at the picnic

Swindon Pride launched in 2008 when it held the town's first Pride festival.

In 2009, the event was expanded to incorporate Swindon & Wiltshire Pride, before it gained charitable status in 2019.

The charity works to celebrate the diversity of the county.

Sarah Mason, the charity's vice chair manager, said: "Our events have always been inclusive, happy and vibrant.

"We'd also like to thank South Swindon Parish Council for their support with hosting the event at Queen's Park."