Welshpool could host its first ever LGBTQ pride event in the summer of 2023.

At a meeting on December 14, Welshpool Town Council voted to support a proposition to hold a Pride event in Welshpool sometime next year.

The proposition was put forward by drag artist, Andrew James Way, who submitted his plans to host the event in July to the council, with the event being staged by AW Entertainments and Events.

As it is six months away, much of the event has yet to be organised, however the proposition submitted to the council gave several suggestions on the entertainment and features that could be included in the event.

It was suggested that stalls be set up along Broad Street, with entertainment such as drag queens, musical tribute acts, and potentially a marching band, as well as acts to open each day of the event.

Pride events are celebrated throughout the summer each year, mainly in the months of June and July, to recognise and celebrate LGBTQ rights and history.

On July 17, Llandrindod Wells hosted the inaugural Powys Pride which was deemed a huge success, with hundreds of LGBTQ community members and allies marching and gathering in celebration.

Event organiser and volunteer Ivy Taylors spoke on the importance of Pride events in rural areas like Mid-Wales.

She said: “I grew up in Powys, and spent 15 years being unsure of my identity, thinking I was the only one who felt this way.

“It’s why events like this are so vital for a community, to meet voices and other perspectives that assure us we are not alone and that allow us to be ourselves amongst ourselves, especially in more isolated rural communities.

“It’s especially important now when homophobic and transphobic rhetoric is being used by politicians as a distraction for their own failures.”