Back in 2019 the LGBTQ+ community in Milton Keynes was in need of a Pride event to celebrate LGBTO+ achievement, life and love. It was important to create a ‘Safe Space’ for the LGBTQ+ community where they could be their true authentic selfes without fear or prejudice!
The Charity Q:alliance oversaw the first pride in 2019 and thanks to a grant from the MK Community Foundation they were able to invest in their accessibility offer by bringing in sign language interpreters, braille programs and a dedicated vehicle for change. This had a huge impact on how the event was perceived.
In 2021 Milton Keynes Pride Festival became an independent (Community Interest Company). MK Community Foundation were keen to move the funding arrangement to a 3 year partnership.
Milton Keynes Pride Festival, talks about the impact the partnership had, “First and foremost, it enabled us to raise our event profile. We had a partner and more importantly a trusted partner within the local community!
The MK Community Foundation has such a positive reputation and does such good work, we were able to go to other interested sponsors and show them this commitment and it solidified people’s trust in us as an event.”
Milton Keynes Pride Festival Continued “The Community Foundation’s approach to the partnership was different to other sponsors, for the LGBTQ+ community seeing a local funding organisation investing in social action gives them confidence that they care! This means an awful lot to a sometimes-isolated community, our pride is seen as a very safe space in a city where safe places are very few and far between.
