‘Please help us!’ Lincoln Pride sets up £50,000 fundraiser after cancellation fears

A Pride event may not go ahead without extra support, its organisers have warned.

Lincoln’s biggest LGBT+ event attracts thousands of people every year and is free to attend, but it has struggled to raise the necessary funding to hold an event this summer.

Organisers have turned to crowdfunding to help raise £50,000, saying many of the usual sponsors have been unable to contribute due to the difficult financial climate.

It would be ‘absolutely heartbreaking’ if the event was unable to go ahead, a Lincoln councillor has said.

Pride is held in Lincoln’s Tentercroft Street car park, with this year’s event planned for Saturday, August 15.

The event posted on social media: “Please help us save Lincoln Pride 2025.

“Lincoln Pride 2025 is at risk of being cancelled – and we urgently need your support. It is paramount now more than ever that the event goes ahead.

“This year, many of our usual sponsors are unfortunately unable to help due to budget constraints.

“Despite our best efforts, we’ve exhausted all other options. We have no choice but to turn to the community that makes Lincoln Pride so powerful.

“Lincoln Pride costs over £85,000 to run – but our fundraising target is £50,000, and we believe we can reach it together.

“We know that £50,000 might sound like a lot – but if every person who attended last year donated just £10, we’d more than exceed our goal.

“Last year, Pride brought together over 8,500 people, making it one of Lincoln’s busiest free-to-attend events. It’s more than a celebration – it’s a crucial space for visibility, inclusion and community.

“Pride shows that LGBTQ+ people exist, belong, and will not be erased. But we need your help to make it happen in 2025.”

Donations can be made through the event’s website.

Coun Natasha Chapman (Lib Dem) said: “It would be absolutely heartbreaking if the event doesn’t go ahead. It’s so important for members of the LGBT community.

“I’ve been quite a few times both in a personal capacity and as a city councillor, and the atmosphere is always amazing – it feels fun, friendly, inclusive and safe.

“It’s so important not just for Lincoln but for places around that don’t have their own Pride events.

“It would be lovely to keep it free – some of the big events like Manchester Pride have become ticketed, and we don’t want to go down that route in Lincoln.

“I’m hopeful the event will be able to hit their fundraising goal. It would be a big loss for the city if it doesn’t go ahead.”