Congleton Pride Trust held its Annual General Meeting recently at which it elected a new Committee to take it into its seventh year. At a well-attended AGM in Trinity Methodist Church Hall, the Pride Committee presented the previous 12 months’ activities, including the successful annual Pride event in July, when thousands of people flocked to Congleton’s town centre, and numerous social events.
Outgoing Chair Malcolm Pope thanked each member of the Pride team and praised them for what he described as the “best Pride event in Cheshire”. He thanked the event sponsors including Millie’s Vets, Pear Hospitality Group, Congleton Market Quarter, Kanga Health, Congleton Chronicle, Edit Development, and more than 20 other local businesses.
In addition to the main event, the Pride group has run regular Caffeine Connections coffee afternoons, evening fundraising events and The Listening Project which allows members and the public to learn more about LGBTQIA+ life.
The Chair expressed gratitude to members of Congleton Pride who have been vigilant in reporting hate incidents to the Police, including damage to banners, the actions of so-called ‘preachers’ in Congleton town centre, and incidents on social media. Arrests have taken place, and the public is encouraged to report any incidents they see or experience. Congleton Pride members are trained to support reporting as a local Hate Crime Reporting Centre.
Following the Supreme Court ruling on sex and gender earlier this year, the team continues to advocate for trans people including with responses to consultations, social media, and meetings with Congleton MP Sarah Russell. The Chair thanked Abby Smith for leading this work.
The Chair thanked the members of the communications team, especially Garry Fuller who was stepping down from his role as Social Media Manager, for excellent work engaging with the public and the LGBTQIA+ community. Although stepping down from the Chair due to other commitments, Malcolm said it had been “the honour of his life” to chair Congleton Pride.
Treasurer Richard Walton expressed thanks on behalf of the whole team to Malcolm Pope for being an outstanding leader and Chair of Congleton Pride. He then confirmed that Congleton Pride remains on a sound and stable financial footing, with healthy reserves in the bank.
The meeting discussed plans for 2026. Financial, political and team pressures led to a discussion about possibly having a ‘fallow year’, as many festivals do, but team members felt that the visibility of a ‘main event’ was important. The consensus was to continue with the smaller ongoing social events and run a ‘slimmed down’ Congleton Pride on 18 July 2026, details of which will be confirmed in the coming months.
Abby Smith and Ronan Clayton were elected as co-chairs of Congleton Pride for 2025-26, with Abby leading on campaigns and Ronan on events.
The new Committee is seeking volunteers. If you are interested in helping out, the team has roles available in social media, administration and event management. Anyone who wants to be an event marshal or a general volunteer is also most welcome.
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