Final numbers are in from the August bank holiday, and Manchester Village Pride has brought in £183,500 for five local charities. Added to the £12,500 collected at the Candlelit Vigil by George House Trust, the overall total reaches £196,000.
Because Manchester Village Pride was run entirely by unpaid volunteers this year, overheads were stripped right back. That meant the cash could go straight where people actually need it, rather than being swallowed up by running costs. On top of a £30,000 ring-fenced fund for smaller grassroots projects, the money goes between five key organisations doing proper work across Greater Manchester.
The actual impact on people’s day-to-day lives is what really matters here:
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akt can cover 681 nights of emergency shelter, sort practical support packs for 73 people, or fund three months of frontline casework for young LGBTQ+ people facing homelessness.
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George House Trust can keep vital crisis support running for people living with HIV and maintain local trans and community peer groups.
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The Proud Trust gets the backing needed to keep youth spaces open and accessible across the North West.
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Sparkle gets vital resources to keep showing up for trans visibility and community care.
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LGBT Foundation can put funding straight back into everyday wellbeing services.
Every single leader involved, from Carl Austin-Behan at Manchester Village Pride through to Adam Pemberton-Wickham at akt, Darren Knight at George House Trust, Rachel Bottomley at LGBT Foundation, Josh Houghton at Sparkle, and Liam Swanston at The Proud Trust, shared the same sentiment: this was Manchester showing up for Manchester.
Looking ahead to 2027, the weekend is already locked in for the August bank holiday, right back in the Village. The team has not announced any structural tweaks or major changes to the setup just yet, with the immediate focus remaining on building on this community-first approach and strengthening ties between the charity partners.
Anyone wanting to keep tabs on what the organisers are planning for 2027, or see how the cash gets spent over the coming months, can get updates through manchestervillagepride.org.
Full press release here – Open Here