SUNDAY, September 24 marked an important day for Bridgwater, as the town hosted its first ever Pride celebrations.

An estimated 5,000 people flooded the town centre which was transformed with vibrant, bright colours and decorations.

The Bridgwater Independent Market event had its biggest ever turnout, with 56 stalls set up by local traders, selling crafts, food and handmade gifts.

Members and allies of the local LGBTQIA+ community were not deterred by the windy weather, although the day did end slightly earlier than expected at 3pm due to poor conditions.

Highlights of the day included live entertainment from drag artists, including Bridgwater's only drag queen, Lady Elize, who event organiser Michelle Beck described as "phenomenal".

St Mary's Church even opened up their side rooms to allow several drag acts performing at the event to get changed and prepare for the show.

An after-party was held inside The Cobblestones pub once the event was finished, as celebrations continued in shelter from the windy conditions.

Funding was granted to Bridgwater Independent Market by the Bridgwater Town Deal and Somerset Council.

This helped to pay for essentials at the pride event, such as security, entertainment, a sound engineer, and more.

Michelle, founder of Bridgwater Independent Market and the brains behind Bridgwater's first pride celebration, said some young people at the event appeared to be shedding tears of joy.

"We wanted to change hearts and minds, and do something for Bridgwater," she said.

"It went a long way to highlighting the difficulties that the [LGBTQIA+] community has had in Bridgwater.

"It was stunning to see so many people."

Attendants to the event, and those who missed out, will be excited to learn that Bridgwater Pride will make a much-anticipated return next year, in 2024.

The event has been promised extra sponsorship from Nigel Briers, founder of Weston Pride, to make it even bigger and better than this year's impressive showing.

Nigel attended Sunday's event, and described it as "something quite unique and special".

Pictures: Daffodil PR and Communications.