THE development manager of Helensburgh’s Community Hub has pledged that the town’s Pride event will be back “bigger and better” in 2026.
However, Gill Simpson also remarked that she had been left “drained” by negative comments relating to the event on social media.
The Pride event on Friday, June 27 attracted positive feedback to the community hub, with messages replicated in a report to go before a council committee.
The document will go before Argyll and Bute Council’s Helensburgh and Lomond Community Planning Group on Tuesday, August 19.
Ms Simpson said: “I am personally and deeply proud that Helensburgh Community Hub this year hosted Helensburgh’s first Pride event.
“It was a successful, supportive and incredibly joyful day attended by around 100 people of all ages.
“In organising this event I was also personally drained by the experience of dealing with some exceptionally negative comment on social media that was factually inaccurate, misleading and deeply discriminatory.
“The overwhelming number of comments were positive but the negativity shown demonstrates why more work is needed to support the LGBTQ+ community both socially and in tackling discrimination and outdated and negative attitudes
“So we plan to work with members of the LGBTQ+ community locally and within Argyll and Bute to provide more social and support activities as well as creating a bigger and better Pride event in 2026.
“We would therefore welcome support from, and engagement with, other agencies and organisations to make our community a better place for LGBTQ+ people.”
Ms Simpson also reported on the repair café event which was also held at the community hub in June, which is planned to be repeated later this month.
She added: “A pram for a dog, two sewing machines, a cushion cover, and a table light were along the 14 different items that came in for repair at the first Helensburgh Repair Hub event at the end of June.
“The project is a collaboration between the hub, Jean’s Bothy and ABCAN (Argyll and Bute Climate Action Network), and has approximately 20-30 committed volunteers, including one who has set up a bespoke admin system that will allow us to capture the climate impact of the project.
“The next repair hub event will be on Saturday, August 30 from 10.30am to noon at the hub, and thereafter it will be on the last Saturday of the month.”
