A month ago Dorset's biggest Pride event, Bourne Free Pride, took place in Bournemouth after two years absence (due to the pandemic). It was a welcome return to the event, with a massive turn out of people, including many members and team members of Space!
We started off the pride weekend with our Space Youth Project stall in Meryick Park. We had lots of leaflets and information about what we do. badges for sale with designs like pronouns, flags, and slogans, and the free lollipops and pens went down very well too! We had many visitors to our stall and it was wonderful to meet everyone and spread the word about what we do. The event was a big celebration of the LGBT+ community, with many great stalls from other charities, such as Beyond Reflections who have a lovely team that gave us some of their badges about consent. It was amazing to see so many people freely be themselves, celebrating their identity and expressing themselves, supportive families and friends, and incredible performers throughout the event.
Then came the Pride March, (pictured above) which began in the Bournemouth Triangle. (Outside FLIRT Café, where we hold our bi-weekly 'Coffee 'n' Chat' group for over 20's) We walked through Bournemouth Town Centre, all the way to Meryick Park, bringing the tunes with our boom box! It was glorious to see so many happy faces watching the parade, of all different ages, and we made sure Space Youth Project's presence was known! It was great to have some of our young people walk with us, proudly waving their flags. You probably could have heard our brilliant youth workers Charity and Jodie from quite a distance as they worked up the crowd so energetically!
We also held a pride event at The Dolphin Shopping Centre in Poole throughout Pride Month, where we had our stall as well as crafty activities like decorating mugs and tote bags. It was lovely to have so many visitors be interested in what we do and how we could help them or someone they know.
Pride events are really important, not just because they're great fun, but because they bring us together, even if you're not in the LGBT+ community. It's a time to celebrate ourselves and eachother, be PROUD of who we are and celebrate progress and freedom!
A massive thank you to all our supporters and members, the organisers of the events, and most of all to our hard working Space team.
Hope to see you there next year!
Blog by Katie S
Photo by Bournemouth Echo