Great Yarmouth celebrates Pride parade and new sports centre

A popular seaside town held a double celebration as its Pride event linked up with the official opening of a £26m sports centre.

Drag Race UK star Bimini Bon Boulash started the parade in their home town of Great Yarmouth.

While Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson led the ceremony at the Marina Centre located on the seafront.

She said the investment in the sports centre was "absolutely incredible".

Bimini, who came second on the second season of the BBC's RuPaul's Drag Race UK, rode a snail - from Great Yarmouth's Joyland fun park - and carried a specially commissioned torch to start the Great Yarmouth and Waveney Pride parade.

The torch was designed by East Norfolk Sixth Form student Ednilson Dos Reis for the event and was delivered to the sports centre, which opened to the public in August.

When officially opening the centre Grey-Thompson said: "We know that place makes a difference and it's also about aspiration.

"For the people that come and use this place it can open your eyes to what you can achieve."

Alongside Grey-Thompson was the town's Paralympic swimmer Jessica Jane Applegate, who won a silver medal at this year's Commonwealth Games.

"For Great Yarmouth to have someone like Jessica Jane to look at, what they have achieved, to have that aspiration is amazing, and people and place make a massive, massive difference," she said.

The centre was funded by Great Yarmouth Borough Council, with £2.5m from the government and £1.6m from Sport England.

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