Dear community,
We have sought clarification from licence holders about the restrictions imposed on Trans Pride Brighton this year, communicated in our previous post, and we’d like to clarify the position on the following:
- There is NO specific threat to the event.
- Soft drinks, water and non-alcoholic drinks WILL be allowed in the park in closed plastic containers. (This includes sun screen, medicines and baby formula.) You may be asked to take a sip of any liquids in unsealed bottles before entry.
- Alcoholic drinks (in any container) will not be allowed.
- Fluids in glass bottles will not be allowed (exceptions will be made for medicine with a prescriptive label).
- Bag searches will be soft searches only, in practice this means security staff looking inside bags without putting their hands inside. The security staff may pat down the outside of bags.
- All searches will only be undertaken only by Trans Pride contracted security staff and assigned volunteers.
- As per previous years the police are not invited into the park or the march. We cannot deny them access, but it is unlikely that they will enter the park without just cause. Our agreement is that if the police do enter the park to deal with any issues we are facing inside the event – they will be escorted, at all times, by a member of the Trans Pride committee. This situation is exactly the same as in previous years.
- The most likely officials to enter the park will be civilian licensing officers, this is to check that the licensing rules are being applied correctly (such as the ‘Think 25’ policy).
- Removing the bar & alcohol licence would have NO effect on the rules that govern the security needed for the event.
- Last year we had over 5000 people attend the event; however, we did not exceed 3000 at one time. The 5000 figure is for the overall footfall on the day.
- The restrictions on numbers in the park, while hugely frustrating, are for health and safety reasons, that have nothing to do with the alcohol licence. The size of the park is the issue and the number of exits available in an emergency, the limit is based on the number who could be evacuated in an emergency.
- We are fully aware that there are potential bottle-neck issues around people entering the park when factoring in searches, and plans are under way to mitigate this as best as possible (potential ideas have been noted and we will release these as soon as something concrete has been agreed).
- We are aware that some in our community have access needs and are currently working on the best way to safely prioritise their access to park. We shall update you all as soon as these have been finalised.
- We are looking at how we can accommodate overflow from the march and once we have more detail on this, we will publicise it.
We would like to apologise for causing distress with our last post. Getting this difficult communication right is a huge challenge and one we recognise we’ve struggled with.
Our goal is putting on the best Trans Pride event we can in the context of the environment we are working in. We are a small team and this year has proved very trying for all those involved.
We hope this has alleviated some of your concerns and will help with making this year the best one yet.
Thank you for your patience
Trans Pride Brighton and Hove