It has been a difficult week for us all following the news of the charges made against two former Pride in Surrey volunteers. Conversations have taken place between Pride in Surrey, Guildford Borough Council and other stakeholders about how the organisation, and this year’s Pride in Surrey event, go forward. Following these discussions, we have decided that this year’s Pride in Surrey event will go ahead on Saturday 21 September. Alongside our usual steps to safeguard our event, we are taking extra measures to ensure event-goers are protected. In particular, we have arranged for additional security around the event site. In previous years, our security have done an amazing job at ensuring our visitors have been safe, and this extra precaution will ensure that work will continue this year. Pride in Surrey marks an important date for Surrey’s LGBTQ+ community, acting as an opportunity for people to be themselves unashamedly and to call for the extension and protection of LGBTQ+ rights, which are under constant attack. To cancel an event that means so much to people would allow those who would weaken our community to win. We understand that many who have worked with us and attended our events over the years may feel uncomfortable attending this year’s event - we understand this. We hope to rebuild the trust that many have placed in us and will continue working to make Surrey a better place for LGBTQ+ people. We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received and would like to thank organisations and individuals who have reached out to us as allies. With a month until our event, we look forward to sharing more details about our plans for our upcoming event and we are continuing the hard work to ensure our visitors can come together for a welcoming, and most importantly, safe day.