SEPTEMBER has been earmarked as the potential month when Basingstoke’s first ever Pride event will take place, organisers have said.

Plans were first revealed in February for the borough’s inaugural LGBT festival, which celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture.

A steering group has been set up to see the event come to fruition, called Pride245.

Cllr Simon Bound, a cofounder of Pride245, said he hoped the celebrations would begin in the third week of September, with Saturday September 16 planned as the initial date.

Cllr Bound added: “The plans are coming along really well and now we are looking what events we can run during the weekend programme.

“A few ideas have been coming together including taking a look at the film ‘Get Real’ - which was set in Basingstoke - to show how Basingstoke itself has changed as well as attitudes in the story.”

Get Real is a coming-ofage tale about a gay teenager who came out in the world. It was released in 1998 and based on the play ‘What’s Wrong With Angry?’.

“A lot of people feel that there is no LGBT history in Basingstoke, but that’s just not true,” Cllr Bound said.

“With films like this it shows there is that history and hopefully we can all come together and see how the world has changed and begin to set about putting new initiatives in place to help develop the community. We’re still open to ideas for the event, so people can still put forward ideas they have.”

Pride245 is an initiative set up by local volunteers with its core focus on education, celebration and inclusion.

In February, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’ s deputy leader Cllr Terri Reid said a Pride event would “be a fantastic addition to enlivening Basingstoke”.

To find out more aboutthe festival and the group visit facebook.com/Pride245.