Pride in Moray chairman David Harrison promises the event will return to Forres
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
PRIDE in Moray's chairman was overwhelmed by local reaction to Saturday's celebratory event in Forres.
After a lunchtime speech to a colourful crowd of hundreds at the War Memorial, David Harrison led a march through the town to Grant Park for a festival of fun and entertainment enjoyed by more than 1000 revellers into the early evening.
"The overwhelming support we received from people cheering us along High Street was amazing!" he said. "Thank you to the people of Forres and all of the organisations that sponsored us - we really do appreciate it.
"I had so much great feedback - people saying how much they enjoyed the day and how well organised it was. One gentleman told me he thought the event was great and that Forres needs something like this every year. He asked if it was coming back and I replied, “That’s the plan!”
David found choosing highlights from the afternoon difficult ...
"There were so many!" he said. "Seeing so many people attend was such a joy, especially everyone embracing their diversity whilst having a great time.
"But one of my own highlights was seeing kids from Highland Youth Theatre performing songs from 'Grease' and 'Everybody’s Talking About Jamie'. They are so talented."
Pride in Moray asked attendees to register for tickets despite the event being free and without barriers.
David explained: "One of the reasons we asked people to sign up for our free tickets was to get an idea of numbers. This is not just important for us, but also for the council and for our sponsors so we can plan for next year's event.
"A total of 1310 registered for tickets, but we had more than that there, as I know many who attended without one."
Fifteen volunteers helped the event run smoothly from 1-8pm.
"We are incredibly grateful," added David. "They all worked extremely hard."
However, the organisers were disappointed to read "mean spirited and nasty comments" on social media in response to local news previews.
David finished: "These individuals will not stop us from doing future events.
"It was also very disappointing to see the lack of attendance from local schools on Saturday, especially from Forres Academy where an inspector's report highlighted diversity and equality as issues.”
