Latest news with #HarryDoyle
ITV News
5 days ago
- Business
- ITV News
Liverpool Pride 2025 cancelled following funding and planning struggles
Pride in Liverpool and the city's March with Pride will not go ahead in 2025, organisers have confirmed, citing 'significant financial and organisational challenges.' The LCR Pride Foundation, the charity behind the annual event, announced the cancellation of the celebration, which had been scheduled for Saturday 26 July. In a statement, the organisation said it had become impossible to deliver the event after reverting to a mainly volunteer-led model and struggling to secure both local and national funding. Rising costs and tight planning timescales also played a major part. The decision was further complicated by the cutting of ties with long-term sponsor Barclays, the charity said, a move which was made after 'listening to the community.' While the Foundation says it stands by the decision, it acknowledged it caused further delays during an already challenging period. "We are devastated that we will not be able to march together this year, at a time when coming together to stand in solidarity, protest and celebration is needed more than ever,' the LCR Pride Foundation said. 'However, we strongly believe that this is the right decision to secure the future of Pride in Liverpool, and to enable a return in 2026.' they continued. The Foundation added that planning discussions with Liverpool City Council and city-based sponsors are already underway to ensure the event can return stronger in 2026. Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture, Councillor Harry Doyle, called the news 'hugely disappointing' but said it was a decision the organisers had 'tried valiantly to avoid.' 'Its absence will be keenly felt,' he said, 'particularly given the ever-growing need to support our community and promote unity. The Council will continue to support the Foundation in their long-term efforts.' In the meantime, the LCR Pride Foundation says it will support regional Pride events and look at alternative ways to bring the LGBTQ+ community together later in the year.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Liverpool Pride cancelled amid financial pressures
Liverpool's annual Pride event and the city's March with Pride have been cancelled amid "significant financial and organisational challenges". LCR Pride Foundation, which organises the event, which was due to take place on 26 July, said "with great sadness" it would "regretfully" not go ahead. The charity said rising costs and difficulty securing funding had made it "impossible to bring Pride in Liverpool this year". About 60,000 people turned out for last year's event, the largest number ever to attend. LCR Pride Foundation's board of directors said: "In recent months the charity has faced significant financial and organisational challenges, which have impacted timescales and resulted in it reverting to an almost entirely volunteer-led operation. "This, combined with rising costs and difficulty securing national and local funding, has made it impossible to bring Pride in Liverpool to the city this year." "We are devastated we will not be able to march together this year, at a time when coming together to stand in solidarity, protest and celebration is needed more than ever, and we understand how difficult this will be for our community." They added: "However, we strongly believe it is the right decision to ensure both the continuation of the organisation and to enable the return of Pride in Liverpool and our march in 2026." It said discussions with Liverpool City Council and a number of sponsors were already under way for next year's event and it was exploring other ways to bring the community together later in the year. Councillor Harry Doyle, the council's cabinet member for health, wellbeing and culture, said it was "hugely disappointing, especially given the success of last year's event". He continued: "I know it's a decision LCR Pride Foundation has tried valiantly to avoid. However, given the difficult circumstances they find themselves in it's also understandable and from a long-term point of view, it's the right decision for them." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Record crowds descend on city's Pride event LCR Pride Foundation Liverpool City Council
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Council defends £250,000 cost of hosting BBC Radio 1 Big Weekend
Liverpool City Council has defended spending £250,000 to host BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend later this annual three-day festival will be held in Sefton Park from 23 May and is expected to attract 100,000 music schools nearby will close on 23 May, except for students sitting their GCSEs, while there have been complaints from residents about road closures and restricted park council's health, wellbeing and culture lead, Harry Doyle, said the money had come from its events budget and added that the festival was great PR for Liverpool. Doyle said the city had to take part in a competitive bidding process to secure the event, which he said would have a "positive economic impact"."The amount of visibility the city is getting - it's being mentioned on Radio 1 every 10 minutes," he said."Liverpool is an exciting place to live and to visit."He cited council figures which showed that when Liverpool hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in May 2023, more than 300,000 people visited the city, boosting the local economy that month by £55m."This is what we get from major events like this," Doyle said."We saw it with Eurovision and we're very proud to be working with the BBC again." There have been complaints from some local residents that disruption linked to the festival had started too councillor Richard Kemp described the perimeter fencing for the site as "an absolute mess" and said park and road closures two weeks ahead of the event had caused problems for local residents, commuters and tourists."No-one says we shouldn't have nice events that portray Liverpool in a good light, but this is too far - it's too big, it's too soon, it's too ugly," the Liberal Democrat politician to complaints about the perimeter fencing, Doyle said it was a requirement from Martyn's Law, introduced last month, to improve security to counter the threat of terror attacks."We have to have a perimeter fence to keep people not only within the event, but also outside the event, safe," he explained."It's a huge event. It's a huge coup for the city. We are getting lots of attention, lots of young people in the city are excited."The event is the only music festival taking place in Sefton Park this year after the annual Africa Oye event announced it would skip a year due to rising costs. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Liverpool FC victory parade - all you need to know
The full details of Liverpool FC's Premier League victory parade have been released. Hundreds of thousands of fans are expected to line the streets on Monday, 26 May, as the team shows off the Premier League trophy from an open-top 15-km (10-mile) parade is scheduled to start at 14:30 BST from Allerton Maze, travelling north on Queens Drive towards the Fiveways roundabout and Rocket there it will continue along Queens Drive, Mill Bank, West Derby Road, Islington, Leeds Street, and The Strand, finishing at Blundell Street. Liverpool City Council's cabinet member for culture and public health, Councillor Harry Doyle, said: "Bank Holiday Monday is set to be a day to remember for the whole city, and with an event of this scale, a bit of planning goes a long way."That's why we've created a clear, easy FAQs to make sure everyone has the key information they need to feel confident, stay safe, and enjoy the day in their own way."The council has warned people not to bring flares or fly any drones. How else you can watch Fans who cannot attend can also watch it live across LFC's platforms including LFCTV GO, YouTube, Facebook, X and TikTok as well as LFCTV on Sky channel 423 or Virgin Media channel 544 in the roads will be closed including The Strand northbound from the Upper Parliament Street/Great George Street junction to Leeds Street/Great Howard Street junction from 04.00 – 22.00, or until it is safe to southbound lane will be closed from approx. 12.00 – 20.00, again subject to crowd safety Leeds Street City bound will be closed from 12.00 until approx. are advised to avoid the route and use public transport to get to the city centre. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
BBC News
21-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Liverpool's Epstein Theatre to reopen with test events
Test events will be held at Liverpool's Epstein Theatre after its reopening has been Grade II listed venue on Hanover Street, which opened in 1913, was shut in 2023 after Liverpool City Council said it could no longer provide financial still retain the freehold on the theatre, which has now been leased by property management firm JSM Company Group Ltd to the Theatrical Times Ltd events will be held over spring and summer ahead of a full autumn programme of shows to be launched on 19 September, which marks the birthday of the late Beatles manager Brian Epstein. JSM Company Group, which has a vast portfolio of properties in Liverpool, is now responsible for Hanover House, which contains the is seeking planning permission for further works within the building, including the development of a 15-bed aparthotel. 'Cultural asset' The theatre began life as the Crane Music Hall and following refurbishment of the auditorium in 1967, it reopened as the Neptune venue was closed in 2005 due to health and safety concerns and reopened following a £1.2m upgrade in 2011, when it was renamed the Epstein Proctor-Williams recently confirmed he would return as the theatre's general manager and said: "I can't wait to reveal the first new season and officially launch it with an amazing gala evening, aptly being held on what would have been Brian Epstein's birthday."Councillor Harry Doyle, Liverpool Council's cabinet member for culture, said he "looks forward to seeing its renaissance and working with the team to help promote this cultural asset"."Here's to a bright future filled with incredible performances and unforgettable moments at this iconic venue."Joshua McTaggart, chief executive of Theatres Trust – which is the national advisory public body for theatres - added: "Following its closure in 2023, we added the Grade II listed venue to our Theatres at Risk Register and have been working since then to help find a way forward for this unique and beloved venue." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
