Manchester Mardi Gras 1999 - no money raised for charity

Includes good shots of the event. Plus the co-ordinator of Manchester Mardi Gras 1999 is asked to explain how the event didn't raise a penny for charity, after the public gave hundreds of thousands of pounds.

He is given an easy ride by the interviewer and no really difficult questions are asked despite all the rumours at the time.

Almost ten years later it could all be about to happen again... The amount raised for good causes has been falling each year. The pitiful £70,000 raised by Manchester Pride 2006 was one of the lowest figures for charities in the 16-year history of the event. And that's ignoring inflation.

It's all due to the cynical people who now control and who have manipulated our Pride. Despite the tiny charity amount, businesses continue to make more than £22m from Pride each year according to official Manchester City Council figures.

If you care about this, boycott the event and don't buy a ticket. Manchester Pride CAN be free and raise more for good causes than it does now. The parasitic businesses need to contribute more and Manchester City Council should not be involved.

The security issue put forward by the co-ordinator is a smoke screen. There were no barriers until 2003. It is about herding people into the area near the bars and confining them there so they spend money. We're charged for the barriers and guards that keep us there.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• manchester
• pride
• mardi
• gras
• 1999
• charity
• gay

[ldg1985]

Bring back Julia Grant, she might have fucked up but the queens still love her and the village needs her!

[TheJonfletcher]

If the Current Organisers carry on they will kill the event. Already they have dropped the word GAY from the event. Are they ashamed of our community? Letss take the event back to its roots and dump the current organisers

[hardylane]

1999 - (£10 ticket ) Hugely corporate/council event raises nothing

2000-2001 - Gayfest (free event) raises nearly £100k each year

2002- VBA organises another free event, but is almost thwarted by council maneovering.

2003- Event snatched back by council (tickets reintroduced)

2004 - Council-run event renamed Manchester Pride (tickets £12)

2009 - Same thing continues (tickets £20)

Something needs to change

[QueerNews]

Julia Grant stood up to the council when no-one else was brave enough, she organised GayFest as a FREE festival which raised more money for charity than it has in recent years.

She may have given up the fight but her spirit she lives on through many of the LGBT community - people like Queer Youth Network which she helped set up and Phil Burke who stood up to the council in 2008 just as Julia Grant did ten years ago on behalf of the VBA and community groups.

[doubledeckers]

This was actually the year BEFORE Julia Grant ran GayFest and was the reason she ended up doing it. There was certainly more transparency over money during the Julia Grants years: 2000 & 2001.