First Gloucester Pride Paddle kickstarts Pride Week in Gloucestershire by Admin | Gloucester News Centre - http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk/
The first ever Gloucester Pride paddle kicked off Pride Week in Gloucestershire on Sunday.
The week-long celebration of inclusion and diversity for Gloucestershire’s LGBTQ+ community got underway with a group paddle made up of 30 people at Gloucester Docks in a mix of canoes, kayaks and paddleboards.
Setting off from the new Sport England funded community paddling hub in the docks, the group headed down the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal to Hempsted before returning to the docks, paddling the pride message as they travelled along the canal celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.
The event was held in partnership with Pride in Gloucestershire who throughout the week are hosting events across the city to celebrate Pride, culminating in Pride Day on Saturday – a free event taking place at Gloucester Park featuring performances, a funfair, food and drink and activities for the family.
Lara Bienkowska, community roots engagement co-ordinator at Canal & River Trust, said: “It was fantastic to host our first Gloucester Pride paddle and to see so many people enjoying the opportunity to paddle in the docks and along the canal.
“Our new community paddling hub provides us with the opportunity to welcome community groups and host paddling open days for people to enjoy a mix of free sessions where they can get on the water with our team of trained volunteer instructors.
“The paddling hub aims to promote inclusivity and at the end of September, the launch pontoon is being upgraded to have step-free access to support adaptive paddling to enable more people to enjoy being active on the water.
“We had some brilliant feedback from the pride paddle, and it was great to get everyone together on the water to share in the inclusivity of the pride message, and to enjoy the benefits that our waterways can bring.”
The event was supported by Paddle UK, the national governing body for canoeing, kayaking and other paddle-sports.
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