SOUTHAMPTON Pride brought in £500,000 for the city this year, and the organisers now need businesses support to put on next year’s event.

Following this year’s successful Pride, which saw more than 15,000 lesbian, gay, transgender festival-goers attend, the organisers are urging for funding from businesses to make next year’s £60,000 event even better after a lack of support in previous years.

Pride is a non-profit organisation and fundraising from last year’s event will hardly cover the cost of next year’s event, with the estimated cost to be more than £60,000 as plans are already taking shape.

It is estimated more than £500,000 was spent in the city on the weekend of Pride 2019 and 85% of festival-goers rated it five star.

One of the organisers, Danny Langrish-Beard, said: "We think Southampton Pride is important to the city.

"To keep it free, we need people to get involved and support it.

"We need sponsors and businesses to help this event and get involved because the cost of the day is expensive and we want to do other things throughout the year."

Julianne Watling-McCarthy, another organiser of Southampton Pride, said: "We are urging volunteers and people to help out.

"If you want to hold a fundraiser for Pride that would be great.

"Speak to your boss at work and see if you can take a day to volunteer towards this event - we want to keep it free for as long as possible so families can walk past and get involved."

The date for Southampton Pride 2020 is Saturday, August 29 and it will include new features for everyone to enjoy the event.

Julianne Watling-McCarthy added: "We are planning on having an over 18 room, with music and entertainment aimed at adults.

"We also want to expand the awareness of the autism-friendly room and make it quieter for people who use it.

"The music will be all outside next year and we will have inside the Guildhall quieter for the autism room and safe spaces."

The headliners for next year's event have not been confirmed following S Club's triumph last year.

If you are business or someone who is interested in getting involved, go to https://southamptonpride.org/contact/