Manningtree is the tiny town with a huge heart and even bigger ambitions. A plastic free community, home of the Earth Festival and swimming spot of the Manningtree Mermaids who are campaigning for bathing water designation to protect the Stour.
Manningtree is planning its first ever Pride festival
The free daytime line-up includes a sports day involving LGBTQ+ sports teams, topical seminars, live music, an art auction, kids’ activities and a fun day at the fire station. The historic Red Lion pub plays host to a ticketed comedy and drag show later in the evening.
“The aim of Manningtree Has Pride is to raise awareness, educate and celebrate,” says Rowan Hunter, the organiser behind the event. Brought up in the Essex village of Thorpe-Le-Soken, Rowan has lived in Manningtree for 11 years and runs two successful businesses, the ever popular Estuary Wine Bar and the Stour Stores homewares shop. He is engaged in a range of community projects and is the vice-chair of the Manningtree District Business Chamber. He also supports local artists by showcasing their work in his bar and sourcing the majority of items in his shop from Suffolk and Essex makers.
Why the festival?
Starting a Pride festival from scratch is an enormous and nerve-racking undertaking, but it’s one that Rowan is passionate about. “As an out and proud gay man from a small country town I wanted to do something for the local LGBTQ+ community to give them a voice and let them know they are not alone,” he said. “I want raise awareness of and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in small towns. Hopefully we can change hearts and minds so people will reflect before they express opinions which may be unkind, and build an even more welcoming and inclusive place to live. It’s also vital to show LGBTQ+ people in the area who may be in crisis that they have a community here that supports them.” With this ethos in mind, Rowan is donating all proceeds from Manningtree Has Pride to LGBTQ+ charities The Outhouse in Essex, Queer Space and Outreach Youth in Suffolk.
Manningtree Has Pride has received huge support from local businesses and organisations, and as well as celebrating the LGBTQ+ community it will also be a celebration of Manningtree and all that it stands for. While Pride is a joyful event, the organisers insist that now more than ever it’s important to remember its origins as a protest following the Stonewall Riots of 1970. While we may think society has significantly progressed in terms of LGBTQ+ inclusion since then, it’s a worrying fact that homophobic and transphobic hate crimes have increased dramatically in the UK over the past few years. The organisers of Manningtree Has Pride are keen to encourage everyone to celebrate Pride month with them, and invite the small but mighty town of Manningtree to reflect upon the challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community today.
