READING Pride has announced that a mainstay of the event is returning for 2023.
Club FOD is coming back to the festival with its community hub, tackling isolation and removing barriers which some people face in attending Pride events.
While Club FOD has been organising dedicated LGBTQ+ events in Berkshire since 2019, it has since become a registered charity which seeks to prevent social isolation within the LGBTQ+ community.
In 2021, the charity ran the PrideXtra tent at Reading Pride’s Love Unites Festival and trialled their community outreach work at outdoor events.
Following a successful year, they were brought back to host a dedicated area of the festival which established a community hub.
It provided a safe space for people such as those who find crowded spaces challenging or who have mobility issues, and for those who were attending alone, in an effort to reduce the barriers to attendance for the widest range of people.
It also featured a backdrop of cabaret and live performances, including drag, games, and music, in what is believed to be the first community project of its kind at a UK Pride festival.
Now Club FOD is returning for 2023’s Love Unites Festival when it takes place in Reading in September.
The hub will help attendees with community resources such as health and social support, as well as providing a place where individuals can tackle isolation or other barriers which might limit their enjoyment or attendance at Pride.
Club FOD trustee Brendan Nagle said: “Unless you go with friends or as a couple, you’re at pride by yourself.
“It’s a space where you can come and do your own thing, or you can take part in the bingo, the drag, the games.
“Whatever you want to do, it’s an extra safe space within the wider space of Pride, especially for those who are alone.”
Martin Holmes, also of Club FOD, said: “It’s all about preventing and reducing social isolation– even at Pride, it can be lonely, especially if it’s your first.
“So having something deliberately close to the entrance means that people have a place to escape, and somewhere to come back to.”
CEO Jamie Wake said: “Because everyone gets a hello and chat if they want to, we can link people up because they’ve made that connection.
“People have thanked me for bringing the concept to what is a very cheerful day anyway, but we know that the team makes a big difference.”
More information about Club FOD’s work is available via: clubfod.org.uk
Full details of this year’s Reading Pride Love Unites Festival are available via: readingpride.co.uk
