Record £183,500 raised for LGBTQ+ charities at Manchester Village Pride
Five charities will share the money raised over the August bank holiday weekend
Manchester Village Pride has said it raised a record £183,500 for five LGBTQ+ charities over the August bank holiday weekend.
Organisers said the money will go to LGBTQ+ people and community groups across Greater Manchester.
The charity George House Trust also collected a further £12,500 through the Candlelit Vigil, bringing the total community fundraising to £196,000.
Read more: 'There's no place like home': Manchester Village Pride 2026 kicks off
Where the money is going
The funds will be shared between akt, Sparkle, The Proud Trust, LGBT Foundation and George House Trust.
Organisers said £30,000 will also support grassroots LGBTQ+ community groups.
Manchester Village Pride CIC said the event is now run entirely by an unpaid team, which allowed it to keep running costs to a minimum.
It said people gave their time and skills for free behind the scenes, so the money raised could go directly to the charities.
Organisers thanked attendees, sponsors, Manchester City Council, Greater Manchester Police, CityCo, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Transport for Greater Manchester, Brentwood and their hotel partners for helping to deliver the event safely.
They also thanked the community volunteers and local Gay Village businesses involved.
What organisers said
Carl Austin-Behan, Co-Director of Manchester Village Pride CIC, said: "This isn't just a donation from MVP; this is a massive achievement by the community, for the community. By supporting the event and coming together in such huge numbers over the August bank holiday, the people of Manchester and across the country have directly raised these funds. We are so incredibly grateful to everyone, from our dedicated volunteers and local businesses to our civic partners, who stepped up to make this happen. Together, we've ensured these vital charities can continue their life-changing work."
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Reaction from the charities
Adam Pemberton-Wickham, CEO of akt, said: "akt are deeply honoured to be one of Manchester Village Pride's charity partners. The money raised through the Village Pride weekend for akt could fund 73 young people with practical support packages, 681 nights of emergency accommodation, nearly 14 Rainbow Starter Packs to help a young person thrive in their first home or pay for 3 months of a frontline caseworker. All of these are critical for fulfilling akt's mission to support LGBTQ+ young people aged 16–25 who are homeless; at risk of homelessness or living in a hostile environment to find a safe place to live and thrive."
Darren Knight, CEO of George House Trust, said: "George House Trust wants to thank everyone who bought a ticket and made Manchester Village Pride 2026 such a phenomenal success, supporting our work for a world where HIV holds no one back. This money will enable us to continue to our crisis support for people who are living with HIV, delivery of our LGBTQ+ and Trans groups and ensure people have what they need to live well, whilst challenging HIV stigma."
Rachel Bottomley, Managing Director of LGBT Foundation, said: "Manchester Village Pride not only organised a show-stopping community Pride weekend this year, but also raised an incredible amount for LGBTQ+ charities. LGBT Foundation are incredibly grateful for this donation which will fund wellbeing support services for the community, helping us to spread more queer hope and joy!"
Josh Houghton, Co-Chair of Sparkle - The National Transgender Charity, said: "We are beyond grateful to Manchester Village Pride for this incredible donation. For a trans charity, support like this means so much more than money. In a climate where trans people are too often talked about rather than listened to, this is a community-led pride organisation saying clearly and publicly that trans joy, visibility and belonging matter. Thank you from all of us at Sparkle."
Liam Swanston, Director of Development and Partnerships at The Proud Trust, said: "The donation from Manchester Village Pride will make a massive difference to the LGBTQ+ young people we support. At a time when only 5p in every £100 goes to an LGBTQ+ charity large donations like this help keep our services running so LGBTQ+ can access our support regardless of where they are."
He added: "The Proud Trust has enjoyed the collaboration with Manchester Village Pride and the other chosen charities and are excited to build on this year's success."
The charity also shared comments from young people it supports.
One said: "Celebrating Pride is so important, I'm glad I get to be part of something like this in my city."
Another said: "Youth Pride is great, celebrating Pride at an event for young people and their friends, make us feel like we belong at pride."
Village Pride returns in 2027
Organisers said Manchester Village Pride will return to the Gay Village for the August bank holiday weekend in 2027.