Julia Grant, with supporters and a planning committee, went to Europe and won the right to stage Europride in 2003. After Julia sold up and left Manchester, this was then appropriated by Marketing Manchester and the current administration took over. Prior to that it had been reclaimed by the Village businesses following the scandalous 1999 Mardi Gras where NO money was raised.

George House Trust were “handed” the Candlelit Vigil and most of the people who had organised and had creative input into the previous years successful, albeit limited, Mardi Gras were sidelined.

I singlehandedly produced and directed the Vigil in 2002… the first year it had returned to Sackville Park. It cost me £10 for the single red firework I bought to signify the end of the minute’s silence. The actors and artists who participated in the event volunteered to do so. By all accounts it was a success and so you can probably understand my personal disappointment when I was completely ignored the following year, and a “director” brought in by George House Trust to stage the event. She even met me for coffee to get my advice… and then I was dropped like a hot brick.

I was also horrified that they insisted on plastering their corporate logo all over the stage. They also insisted on a big fireworks display… (BURNING MONEY!)…and a new direction… let’s shout and be camp, everyone! YES!… . It was gaudy and cheap. The Vigil was for reflection.. not just another main stage camp show.

After two years of doing backstage work at the park, I pulled out of the festival, as I was being treated more and more like a dogsbody. The event was re-branded “Pride” (with the internet domain names bought and registered prior to Europride even taking place)

They started paying people to man the stages and created a hierarchy of VIP passes… and so we have come full circle. We need another shakeup. We need an army of motivated, creative individuals to take Mardi Gras back to the community and reject the corporate nighmare that “Pride” has become.

If anyone knows the score behind George House Trust after the shameful and disrespectful “George House Trust Vigil” (not the HIV/AIDS Vigil), at Manky Pride 2009, please tell the talking birdies - bucket shakers wearing LGF t-shirts, Manky Pride stickers on the buckets, tens of thousands of pounds spent on fireworks, celebrities and ‘pop stars’ so out of their depth they upset a number of HIV positive people who left the Vigil in disgust after the ‘hi-nrg-buy-my-new-single’ performance after the one minute silence.

A Greedy Toad from Toad Hall was also spotted fleeing the scene carrying as many heavy buckets of cash fleeced from HIV positive people and people affected by HIV/AIDS back to their lair - maybe next year some of the cash could be used to give a platform to black people from African countries where up to 80% of the population is living with HIV/AIDS as they deserve to be heard amongst the all-white lesbian unt gay chorus et al.

Back to the Princess Towers of Wind In The Willows…

The truth is they are in trouble in a number of ways. Certain individuals within the organisation (not all) have taken advantage of their positions over the years and now it really is starting to catch up with them. Karma perhaps?

They are like the Borg Collective. Even if you need them unless you have something they can gain from or view you as a threat they will ignore you.

“We are the (LGF). Lower your sheilds and surrender your vessel.

Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own.

Your culture will adapt to service us. You will be assimilated.

Resistance is Futile.”

But in the end, trying to get home a small group of explorers managed to rid the galaxy of their destructive agenda!