The Okehampton Pride event will return bigger and better to Simmons Park this July for its second year to provide greater visibility to the area’s LGBTQ+ community.

The colourful event will take place on July 18 and will include music, drag queen acts, 30 market stalls, sports activities, a dog show and a conga line around the park. Stalls will open at 11am with the main event set to start at 12pm.

Co-chair and founder of Okehampton Pride, Daniel Burgess, said that this year’s event would be “much bigger” and emphasised the importance of creating a day everyone can enjoy while celebrating different sexual orientations and gender identities, especially in this rural area of the county which he described as an “LGBTQ+ black spot”.

He said: “It’s a visibility thing. I come from Stockport (near Manchester) where it’s much more visible. It’s important for people to have that visibility in their area so they know they can be themselves.”

The team recently called out for volunteers to help on the day and ensure the park remains clean and tidy. Several have already come forward but, said Daniel, more are always welcome.

He added: “Any number of volunteers are handy. We want to be considerate to the area and leave it as we found it.”

The Pride movement can trace its roots back to the Stonewall riots in New York City in 1969, when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar, sparking days of protest. The first Pride march was held in 1970 as a political demonstration to mark the first anniversary of the riots. This eventually transformed into the celebratory event it is today. The first official UK Pride march took place in London in 1972.