THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF AN INCREDIBLE YEAR!
- 10,655 people attended our festival - 21 events over 10 days
- 7 ticketed shows sold-out!
- 52 amazing volunteers
- 2,700 young people took part in our Youth programme
- We won the Hebden Royd Service to the Community Award
- We delivered our Posh Club event for over 60's, our Electric Bloom music festival for under 18's, and a set of workshops and wellbeing fete focussed around addiction in our community
- A new partnership with the amazing Cal De Cabaret was born, showcasing up and coming stars in our valley
- We won a Reaching Communities grant for three year's funding, worth £49k per year
From literary legend Jeanette Winterson; cabaret superstar Le Gateau Chocolat; to the utter beauty of Jacob Alon; the comedic revelation that is Frankie Thompson; from Drag Race royalty - Ginger, Michael and Tomara; to the joy of the Pink Pooch Dog Show and the kids rainbow parade through the park to hundreds of Kate Bush's dancing on the moors - there was something for everyone!
A huge thank you goes out to our funders and sponsors: Arts Council England, National Lottery Awards For All, National Lottery Reaching Communities, Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, Hebden Royd Town Council, Community Foundation For Calderdale, Sir George Martin Trust, Rotary Club Hebden Bridge, Hebden Town House, Brunswick Centre and all the businesses hwo buy an advert in our brochure.
Our biggest thanks go to you, as without the support of this extraordinary community we wouldn't exist. From the bottom of our hearts - thank you. We'll see you next year for our tenth anniversary!
Ever wondered who we are, how much all of this costs and how we afford it? Read on...
It cost £175k to run Happy Valley Pride in 2025. £94k came from grants including from Arts Council, National Lottery, Hebden Royd Town Council, CFFC, Calderdale Council.
£81k was self-generated - tickets, bar sales, local sponsorship, merchandise, and your generous donations.
What did we spend it on?
- Two part-time staff on 1-2 days per week to run the entire organisation - and to apply and win the vital grants (funding permitting)
- Two part-time Youth Engagement staff to develop and run our Youth Engagement Programme to 3,000+ under 18s
- 16 sessional staff to ensure the Big Day Out runs smoothly
- The Big Day Out (£40k+ alone)
- A 10-day LGBTQIA+ arts festival
- Multiple year-round events including our wellbeing workshops & fair, our Trans Day of Remembrance event, our Posh Club event for over 60's and our under-18's music festival
- Running costs
- Year-round campaigns including our Stand By Your Trans and We Welcome All campaigns
- Focus groups made up of members of the local community including our Youth Pride Committee, our Accessibility Forum and our Volunteer Committee
...And much, much more.
The funding landscape has changed dramatically over the ten year's we have existed, with funders becoming more and more oversubscribed and under resourced. This means we need to tip the balance to become more self-sustainable. Otherwise, we simply won't be able to continue.
We have an ambitious target of moving from being 40% to 70% self-funded by December 2027 - becoming less reliant on grant funding. Over the coming year we will be looking for local, ethical sponsors to partner with who are aligned to our values, as well as encouraging our wonderful, loyal followers to become regular or one-off donors.
Here's an example of how you could make a difference:
This year, 7,100 attended the Big Day Out. If everybody who came donated just £6 per year, that would cover the entire cost of the event and ensure we can keep it completely free and open to everyone.
So now you've hopefully got a better idea of how all of this works, do you still think we're worth it?
If you would like to, please donate below.
THANK YOU.