Salix Homes celebrates the first ever digital Salford Pride

Salford’s first-ever online pride celebrationis taking place this weekend on Saturday, 20 June, with the help of Salix Homes.

When social distancing measures were put in place earlier this year, Salford Pride knew they had to cancel their planned event in Peel Park, but thanks to a contribution from the housing association’s Springboard community grant fund, Salford Pride is instead bringing the party to people’s homes with The Pink Picnic: Digital.

Salford Pride’s chief operating officer, Marcus Taylor said: “Salix Homes has helped us out a lot in the past, so we applied for £500 worth of Springboard funding to help pay for artists, host and equipment. Alongside contributions from other sponsors, this money will help us provide the digital party goers with a great experience.”

The Pink Picnic: Digital promises eight hours of entertainment with featuring headline acts Divina De Campo, Ronan Parke, Rowetta and Charlotte Awbery. The event is taking place on Facebook Live and is hosted by local drag queens Venus Quasar & Annabelle Lecter.

The first The Pink Picnic took place in 2011 in partnership with Salix Homes, and the free event has grown in popularity each year.

Marcus added: “We knew when we had to cancel The Pink Picnic that lockdown would likely be in place for many months. A lot of people are struggling with the isolation, so we wanted to give the people of Salford and beyond something to look forward to.

“Our event will provide engaging content for people to get involved with, while promoting and raising awareness of equality, diversity and inclusion.”

Warren Carlon, service director of communities at Salix Homes said: “We’ve got a long history with The Pink Picnic and we’re glad that through our Springboard community fund we’re able to help bring people together to celebrate this year’s Salford Pride event, from the safety of their own homes.”

To join The Pink Picnic: Digital, head to their Facebook event page and click ‘going’.