DOZENS of rainbow flags filled Abingdon on Saturday as the town celebrated Pride.

About 300 people gathered at Abingdon Meadows for a community picnic to celebrate the occasion with food, drinks and music. 

Young people also marched through the town holding banners reading "protect trans kids". 

The celebration was organised by Abingdon Queer Action, an LGBTQ+ collective that hosts a Pride event in the town every year.

 

 

A spokesperson for the group said: “We think it went really well – when we marched through the town centre, people were waiving and smiling at us.

“It felt amazing being part of it, there was such a buzz throughout and the community really came together, everyone showed that level of respect and care we don’t always see when it comes to these events.

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“We did a similar event last year as part of the reason we chose a picnic format in the first place is because it’s easier to socially distance.

“There’s people in the group who are not in contact with their families anymore because of issues including homophobia so it was really important for us to feel that connection and support from the community in Abingdon.”

 

The first Abingdon Pride took place in 2019, when a stage in the town's Market Place featured local musicians and performers, community groups had stalls in the square and the Abbey Cinema showed films including Pride and Rocketman.

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