Cookstown lights up with Pride

The streets of Cookstown were swathed with colour on Saturday afternoon as Mid Ulster Pride celebrated its fourth year with a parade followed by an array of entertainment in Cookstown Community Centre.

Friends and allies marched to the beat of the wonderful Cookstown Samba Band with support from numerous local parties such as Sinn Fein, Alliance and People Before Profit, ahead of an evening of family fun with live music, drag acts, pop-up stalls and food and drink.

Speaking with the Tyrone Herald after the parade, Mid Ulster Pride chairman Josh Cuddy said, “The parade went fantastic.

“Thanks to everyone who turned out. All the groups, all the members of the public who joined in and everyone who supported us up and down the street.

“The energy was fantastic with some brilliant beats from Cookstown Samba Band, we could not have asked for better.

“It just goes to show that Pride is important and it still means something so much to these people down here in the rural heartland of Mid Ulster.

“Thank you so much, and Happy Pride!”

Chair of the council, Dominic Molloy was also in attendance. Following the celebrations he said, “Today’s event is an extremely poignant one, yes it’s fun, and colourful and joyous but it also signifies how far we have come in terms of reducing the isolation felt within the LGBTQ community, particularly in our rural areas.

“It is a visual respresentation of how Mid Ulster now celebrates and looks out for, and after, its LGBTQ residents.

“The celebration today emphasises our commitment to diversity and to empowering different communities, to help ensure Mid Ulster is a welcoming place for all people.”