Fife Pride in 'robust shape' & how ‘Kirkcaldy has embraced the LGBT+ community’

The team behind the annual celebration now has Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) status - a key landmark in its development since the first Pride event was staged in Kirkcaldy in 2017.It has since become an annual fixture in the Lang Toun calendar, bringing thousands of people into the heart of the town.

Paul Murray, defacto chair of Fife Pride, said: “We had no legal recognition before and the organisation had no protections for the people involved in it. To be a SCIO is to be in a really good position. It was an important step for us. It means we are an official organisation and that gives protection to the people who are trustees who all do such fantastic jobs for us.”

Paul hopes more people will come forward to be part of Pride and help shape it as it looks ahead to its first decade in town in 2027.

“The organisation is in a very good place,” he said. “One of the benefits of Fife Pride is that it is very grassroots. It is organised by the community for the community. We don’t sell tickets on the door - it is open, top all and free.

“And Kirkcaldy has embraced the LGBT+ community so well. People talk about how it used to be dreadful growing up here, and they cannot believe how Pride is part of the calendar every year. That is something we should be proud of.

The pandemic put Pride’s momentum on hold, and the death of trailblazing convenor, Pat Greenaugh, early in 2023 was a huge loss.

“Pat had so much information in her head - she just knew what to do,” said Paul. “We have had to re-learn some things in staging an event of this scale, and now we have a really strong committee with people taking on responsibility for different tasks. By splitting up tasks and roles, it makes it much easier.”

“We are now looking for event organisers to take it forward once more, and to shape the Pride they want. It’s time to pick it up.”

This year will see a slight departure with no politicians on stage making speeches because of the impending election - several parties will have stalls - so the opening address will come from Colin Salmond-Wallace, founder of Facebook page Love Kirkcaldy.

The return of the after party to The Hive is another big step forward - it is headlined by TV star Claire Sweeney - and several spin-off events are taking place across town.

Added Paul: “I would love to see more venues and businesses getting on board and throwing themselves into Pride.”