Rain holds off for town's 'biggest ever' Pride parade

Hundreds of people turned out for a colourful Pride parade in Berkshire.

Organisers of Bracknell Forest Pride said the event, now in its third year, was the biggest yet.

The parade, from Easthampstead Works to Bond Square on Saturday, was followed by entertainment from musicians, dancers and drag artists.

The council said Pride helped "everyone to feel welcome and valued" and "shows that our town supports equality".

Bracknell Forest councillor Jodie Watts described the planning of the event as "a lot of cogs that have all come together".

"We have many people who put a lot of time and effort and thoughts and hard work to make sure it all works," she said.

"We have a lot of local help. It's going to be awesome.

"Last year was our first parade and the numbers keep going up. We are now spread out a bit further around town."

Acts booked for the festival included a Madonna tribute, a Pink tribute and a performance of Priscilla Queen of the Desert by South Hill Park at the Lexicon shopping centre.

Craig Titley-Rawson of South Hill Park said: "It's really important to support Pride events. We thoroughly enjoyed the first two years.

"It's a celebration of a community. Pride is inclusive, it's fun, it's colourful and family friendly."

Among the revellers was Rhiannon Lewis-Williams from Bracknell said: "I'm here as an LGBTQ+ ally, a Christian ally as well.

"I think everyone should be loved and it's a good excuse for a party."

Miss Watts added: "I love that for a whole day everyone can be themselves.

"You don't have to be part of the LGBT community. You can be an ally or you can just be interested in what's going on."

You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.