Oakham Pride: 'How we brought big Pride to Rutland'

Faced with the challenge of helping to set up a town's first ever Pride event, Lucy Slessor needed to draw on all of her resilience and determination - as well as a dedicated group of supporters. The result, she says, will be an inclusive gathering that she hopes will challenge perceptions forever.

Lucy Slessor attended her first Pride in 2019 and within three years she was setting one up herself.

Lucy grew up in Oakham, the county town of England's smallest county Rutland, before her parents moved away. About 18 months ago, she moved back.

As a way of meeting friends, Lucy - who is bisexual - joined a recently-formed LGBT group with about 250 members and, last November, posted on their Facebook wall about an idea she had had.

"I got it into my head that I wanted to organise a Pride," she said.

"I got involved in a Pride event in Peterborough, making the costumes for it, and I remember thinking how everyone was enjoying what was going on.

"Apart from anything else, it celebrates a community that currently don't feel seen or fully accepted."

Did Lucy find this to be the case in Oakham?

"I think it's true of lots of places," she said. "Both of small towns like Oakham and big cities."

But she also found a lot of support for her idea and was instantly contacted by the group's founder - Abii Lavery - who had already begun setting up a Pride event in the town.

Together with a committee of eight others - including Lucy's 22-year-old daughter Bonnie-Rose, who she said, she "roped into it" - they launched themselves into months of planning and preparation.

This included getting permission to hold some of the festivities within the grounds of Oakham Castle, organising food, drink and entertainment, overseeing health and safety and charting the route of the town's first Pride march which will take place at 11:45 BST.

The group was helped by the fact that, among their number was Lucy Stephenson, the current leader of Rutland County Council, who knew the procedures of planning town events, and Ritzy Crackers, a drag queen with contacts who could oversee the day's entertainment.

They also forged links with organisers of existing Pride events to get tips and advice.

Even so, Lucy said it was a huge undertaking.

"It's been a crazy, crazy ride because there was so much to do," she said.

"But it's been a wonderful way of engaging so many people in the community.

"There's been so much support for it."

Lucy herself does not work due to a disability but has spent many years helping to plan events voluntarily so understood the challenges.

One such challenge came from the minority who opposed the event.

"We had all of our posters pulled down, even those that we put up in the museum," she said.

"It felt quite nasty. I would go out in my mobility scooter to put them up and, as I came back, half of them were torn down already.

"I can accept it might not be everyone's cup of tea but people don't have to come along. We respect that.

"If anything, it shows the importance of having a Pride event.

"The blessing was that local shops said they would take the poster and put it up in their windows."

As the day of Oakham's first Pride has neared, Lucy said it has become far bigger than even she realised it would.

Throughout the town, shops have hung rainbow colours, bunting crosses the streets and flags and balloons adorn buildings.

Up to 400 people, from Oakham and beyond, are expected to attend the event, which is due to be opened by local MP Alicia Kearns.

"It grew over time," Lucy said.

"It's been a true labour of love but I wouldn't want it any other way.

"There's been such a lot of positive reaction to it, so much joy. So many businesses and people have helped out.

"What we are hoping for is that we can make it an annual event.

"Pride should be a celebration of acceptance. It should be a celebration of the fact we are all different.

"The hope is that anybody who is too scared to attend can start to feel more accepted."

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