said by Rob
on Friday, 14 August 2009, 3:00pm

There must be so many ways Pride can cut back on costs without it overly effecting the Park event (like getting rid of the Line Dancing tent for example!).

Or maybe concentrate more on ways to generate money. Don't charge people to attend the park, but maybe charge people for a "VIP Package" which enables you access to the VIP toilet/bar area, VIP Wild Fruit area, VIP Cabaret area. I know it's done already but maybe expand on the idea to make it seem more attractive!

said by jimmegee
on Friday, 14 August 2009, 3:17pm

Can't say I'm surprised - despite our best efforts on the day, we didn't pass a single bucket collector. And was the event even sponsored by anybody? I tried rallying people on Facebook to pledge money before the event but there's a terrible sense of apathy every year with very few people actually digging deep on the day.

Is it fair to ask those of us who care passionately about Pride to try and make up the shortfall, now the crowds have gone? Or should the management of Pride be held to account for not doing enough on the big weekend? I'll be donating what I can but think we need a fresh set of managers for the event and a radical rethink of fundraising that ropes the tens of thousands of out-of-towners and non-LGBT attendees into coughing up.

said by Lola_L
on Friday, 14 August 2009, 4:51pm

I too, wonder why it's the Brighton LGBT scene who has to foot the bill, when Brighton Pride attracts so many visitors each year? The hundreds of pounds they spend on accomodation, food, travel, etc is all very well but it doesn't pay for the event itself.

I have read several comments on Facebook, the phone has rung constantly, and texts have been sent... but maybe Jimmegee has hit the nail on the head with his post on here.

Having been involved with Pride myself, albeit in a small way, I do see both sides, but feel that Pride should have a few more answers or possible solutions rather then expecting us to come up with the cash. Or is that too harsh?

I feel the free Pride is now over if we wish to keep it to the scale of previous years, but if it is down-sized or becomes a charged event then I predict the backlash will be horrendous. And ironically the majority of it will be from those who never contribute anything to Pride each year.

said anonymously
on Friday, 14 August 2009, 5:56pm

I think it's worth noting that the people that run Brighton Pride are volunteers, bar two or three paid workers, and that anyone can put themselves forward to help run it.

It's easy to start accusing Pride of not having done enough now that the event is over... but getting rid of an experienced team of people who are giving up their time for nothing and replacing them with a new one is unlikely to solve the problem. The Pride team probably need all the support we can give them to prepare for next year. I think we also owe them a big thank you for all the time and energy that was undoubtedly spent on this year's event - even if it didn't make a profit. Thank you!

It does seem logical that getting everyone to pay a fair amount on the day to cover the park costs is reasonable, rather than asking the community to start fundraising to keep it free. But this raises huge questions about the cost of fencing and security around the park - and one wonders whether the whole park event has now unfortunately grown beyond a manageable size...

said by Bridget
on Friday, 14 August 2009, 6:17pm

I agree with Lola but I think in order to keep pride free, the issue of needs to be more present on the day at the park.

To be fair, most people who attend the park on the day have no idea of the fundraising that goes on throughout the year, for example in the Queen's Arms.

If more buckets were visible on the day and awareness was raised to the fact that keeping pride free is becoming more and more difficult then I believe that the 'out of towners' would donate more. It may also be possible that all acts in Brighton could have a donation bucket at their events if they feel that would not become annoying amongst locals.

There must be a way of raising the money necessary. I know there are lots of intelligent people out there with great ideas, they just need to be spoken and listened to.

said by Andyb
on Friday, 14 August 2009, 7:09pm

We at the Queen's Arms in Brighton are planning a weekend cabaret marathon from Friday 9th October to and including Sunday 11th October and have set a target to raise a minimum of £1,500 for Pride.

We can all have some fun whilst raising the much needed money to make sure Pride will continue. I personally will donate £250 to kick start our fundraising for this weekend. I will also donate 20p from every drink sold throughout the weekend. Full details will be released over the coming weeks.

said by Rob
on Friday, 14 August 2009, 7:38pm

Brighton Pride has proved that it can successfully run a FREE Pride event. It's ALWAYS been free. We do not need to start charging. There are other ways of raising money. Why not go along the lines of sponsorship? I mean BIG sponsorship.

said by littlejon
on Friday, 14 August 2009, 9:50pm

I also did not see a single Pride bucket either on my way down or in the park which surprised me.

I wouldn't be against charging say £5 to get in the park. The quality of the Wild Fruit tent would have been well worth that this year. Also the park gets overcrowded and it is starting to attract a bit of a dodgy crowd, such as the groups of rude, stropping (mostly straight) kids.

Maybe charging would solve these problems, it depends whether we are prepared to part with a small sum of cash in exchange for an afternoon worth of entertainment knowing that it is going to a good cause.

said by bennyboy1976
on Friday, 14 August 2009, 11:15pm

When I heard the news that Pride were short of its target for funding this massive event I began to wonder why no volunteers or bucket collectors from pride took the opportunity of collecting money at the street party!

As one of the organisers for the past two years I can honestly say the Street Party would not exist without Pride! Whilst everyone is aware Pride and the Street Party are not related, we do work closely together.

Pride should have taken the opportunity to collect money on the Saturday and Sunday during the Street party and around all the venues. They could have cashed in on good will and more importantly the massive crowds on Sunday who were enjoying the sunshine!

The path forward for the LGBT community is to act quickly and support Pride. If anyone is interested in teaming up to do some fundraiser benefits get in touch with me at The Amsterdam and let’s see what we can do!

Ben
X

said by mbiker
on Saturday, 15 August 2009, 12:12pm

Probably upset a few with this response, but lets be honest, most want something for nothing. They're happy to spend money on clubs and drugs etc over Pride week, but when it comes to Pride itself they want it for free. You could have a bucket on every corner but most wouldn't put much in, and how many would volunteer to spend their Pride holding buckets? An entry fee is the only way Pride will collect any money. Sad but true.

I joined Pride this year just to feel I gave something, but it's always the minority. Look at Pride London in Clapham Common a few years ago... over 200,000 but hardly raised a penny.

A lot of those that travelled down here, will be going to Manchester and happily paying as they have no choice if they want to go there. Being free isn't the main thing for Brighton Pride - being one of the best is though.