A Pride social event — The Sunny June Pride Meet Up — open to all will be taking place tomorrow (Friday, June 23), at Church Lane, Tavistock.

The social is scheduled to start at 6.30pm.

Organiser, Charlotte Skardon, is hoping the event will act as a confidence booster for those to attend the main Pride event next Saturday, which starts with a procession from the Meadows at 12pm.

Charlotte said: ‘We currently have one room booked at Church Lane and we’ve had good interest so far. I already have activities lined up for the evening. I hope this event will be really useful for those who want to go to Pride on July 1 but perhaps feel like they couldn’t go alone. They might meet someone here to go with; I understand it can be daunting if you’re not with friends or a group of people.’

Charlotte now hopes to run events on a monthly basis, with other more family-friendly suited events such as picnics in the park as an alternative to holding them at bars, restaurants and/or social clubs.

Charlotte added: ‘This is all about building a community and a vibe. Fundamentally, we want to provide a safe space which is accessible for everyone. Tavistock has traditionally been viewed as quite a conservative place, however it has proved itself to be fundamentally welcoming, as Pride last year demonstrated.’

For more information about the social, head to the Facebook event, where you can also speak with Charlotte, using the following web link: https://shorturl.at/wBGI8