The Blackpool Pride festival is set to get bigger and better after it received a £5,000 funding boost from the council.
The third annual Pride event, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) celebration, will take place over the weekend of May 17 and 18, and is set to be the biggest yet.
Last year, around 8,000 people flocked to Blackpool to join in the celebrations and it is expected that there will be crowds of between 12,000 and 15,000 attending this year.
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Coun Ian Fowler, cabinet member with responsibility for equality and diversity, said: "Not only does the Pride festival celebrate the LGBT community in Blackpool, it also encourages thousands of visitors to the resort, boosting business in local shops, hotels, bars and restaurants.
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"We're pleased to be able to offer Pride our support and hope this year's event is even bigger than the last one."
Mark Seargent, chairman of Blackpool Pride, said: "To receive this wonderful grant from Blackpool Council is a real and positive endorsement of the work that is being undertaken to celebrate the town's diverse culture.
"This event, organised every year for the past three years, by a small but amazing group of hard-working volunteers, is growing annually and is fast becoming a significant weekend on Blackpool's calendar.
"It gives people from our local LGBT community and many thousands of friends from all over the country an opportunity of self expression that they would not normally have.
"This year our event coincides with IDAHO, The International Day Against Homophobia, and is a poignant reminder that whilst we celebrate with the support of the many agencies who oversee our event many millions still live in fear throughout the World."
For information on Blackpool's Pride festival, contact Mark Hurste, vice-chair of Pride, on 01253 622488.
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