Four Cumbrian businesses have stepped up to sponsor Kendal Pride festival in 2024.

The second annual event will take over the town with a host of activities from Friday June 14 to Sunday 16.

This year, Kendal Pride has four key sponsors in Herdy, the Westmorland Family, Douglass Grange and Anord Mardix, who have been steadfast in their support and celebration of pride and the LGBTQIA+ community in Kendal.

Jamie Hooper, chair of the organising group, said: “Financing an event of this scale in what is only our second year is no easy task, and having the support of the business community is fundamental in making what we do possible.

“It is wonderful to see businesses stepping up to the plate and showing their solidarity with not just Kendal Pride, but the broader LGBTQIA+ community in Kendal and the South Lakes.”

Cute and lovable gift and homeware brand Herdy is synonymous with the Lake District and its colourful shops bring fun and smiles to Kendal, Bowness-on-Windermere, Grasmere, Keswick and Ambleside. Herdy has supported Pride month for many years and this year they have sponsored Pride Kendal for the first time.

Diane Hannah, Herdy’s co-founder and director, said: “Herdy is getting out the glitter and going full on colour for Kendal Pride. We’re always up for a party  and we hope everyone has a baa-rilliant time over the weekend.”

The Westmorland Family, which owns and operates Rheged, Tebay Services, Cairn Lodge Services, Gloucester Services, Junction 38 Truckstop and the Westmorland Hotel, has long been known for its support of charitable and good causes in the area. And, in support of its LGBTQIA+ employees and the local community, is backing Kendal Pride and its mission to ‘do pride differently.’

Lucien Xavier, head of creative and design at the Westmorland Family, said: “What Kendal Pride offers really chimes with our ethos, both in terms of cultural programming, and bringing the community together.

“And, many of our team are members of the LGBTQIA+ community, so it is important to us to stand in solidarity with them and celebrate pride together.”

Accountancy firm Douglass Grange, which has offices in Kendal, are also supporting the three-day festival, as part of its commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community.

Ben Moffat, director at Douglass Grange, said: “When we saw there was the opportunity to get involved in Kendal Pride, we knew immediately that it was something we wanted to support.”

Leading electrical engineering and manufacturing business, Anord Mardix - A Flex Company, have thrown their support behind Kendal’s pride celebrations too.

Jessica Nisbet, Senior HR Business Partner at Anord Mardix, said: “We’re an international company, but we have strong roots in Kendal, and we believe that pride is something everyone can celebrate together.”

Kendal Pride has also been funded for 2024 by Arts Council England, National Lottery Awards for All, Kendal BID, Kendal Town Council, and Cumbria Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.

Tickets for Kendal Pride’s Big Pride Party are on sale now priced at £20 per person, with more details about the free elements of the programme to be released soon.

For more information about Kendal Pride, to apply for the drag commissions or drag school, or to book tickets to the Big Pride Party visit www.kendalpride.co.uk