ONE of the organiser’s of Pride Glasgow believes the event has grown in size because there is more support for the LGBTI community.

David Sinclair works tirelessly all year round with an army of volunteers to put on the weekend event, which will take place for the first time this year at Kelvingrove Park on July 14 and 15.

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David, 32, said: “My first year involved in Pride Glasgow was 2012 and at that point, we were a one day event. “The size of the event has since grown massively.”

He added: “There is more support out there for the LGBTI community. Not only is it the LGBTI community that is coming along, our allies are as well.

“I think we have come along way in the six years I have been involved in pride.”

The city will celebrate the LGBTI community over two days with several events linked to Pride Glasgow. A parade which will start at noon on Saturday, July 14 leaving Clyde Place and following a route of King George V Bridge, Oswald Street, Argyle Street, Queen Street, St Vincent Place, St Vincent Street, Argyle Street, Randor Street and Kelvin Way. Each year thousands come out to march or watch the parade.

David said: “It is really good to see thousands of people lining up the streets of Glasgow even if they are not coming to the event.

“For them to be able to stand along the streets of the city centre as we are going along with the parade flying the flags and celebrating shows where we are now in 2018.”

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The main event at the park is ticketed with a variety of acts performing including former Spice Girl Mel C, Ru Paul’s Drag Race star Courtney Act with Steps headlining an after party.

David said: “We listen to feedback from surveys that we have done at previous events to see what sort of acts people want. We also look at what is within budget.”

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He added: “One of the trustees is a massive Spice Girl’s fan so Mel C is an act he has been asking for for a long time. The chance came up this year and we grabbed it.

“It is unbelievable getting Steps and to have the opportunity for them perform at the Glasgow Pride after party. I seen them last year at the SSE Hydro and they were absolutely amazing. I never heard one gripe about them, everything I heard was positive. They are icons especially if you grew in the 90s.

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“We also looked at getting one of the Ru Paul Drag Race stars before and it just never happened. We were aware Courtney Act was doing a show in Glasgow and when we saw how popular that was, we decided to go for it.

“One of the Ru Paul Drag Race acts is always what people are asking us to book so we decided Courtney Act was going to be the first. We made the approached and we were delighted to be able to get her. She was amazing this year on Celebrity Big Brother.”

Pride Glasgow will also open up the Kelvingrove Bandstand each day of the weekend for several hours offering free entertainment for those who do not want to buy tickets to the main event.

The event will also be boosted with a food village, licensed bars, fairground, family and youth areas, and a dog show.

David said: “I was a bit anxious about the change of venue to begin with and it is a big change for us.

“But Kelvingrove is a stunning venue and I think it is really exciting we are using the bandstand at the park which is another stunning venue.

“It is opening up new avenues for us and the West End itself is a beautiful part of the city. It is really exciting.”

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Pride Glasgow, however, could not come together without the army of volunteers dedicated to making the event a success.

Around 260 people give up their free time to volunteer at the event while a team of five including David begin planning the event in August of each year to ensure it all comes together in time for the following summer.

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David said: “When you start to see it come together, you can see that it has all been worthwhile.

“Throughout the weekend there will be various moments like when the parades sets off and arrives, and we think we are making this happen. It is brilliant and really rewarding.”

He added: “My background is IT and I got involved in this because six years I had to give up my other job for health reasons. I needed something voluntary wise to be able to stop me going mad.

“Organising Pride Glasgow has helped me to be able to deal with my own health problems, get out of the house and it keeps me occupied.

“The volunteers are just so passionate about making it a success, and it is great to see how far pride has helped the LGBTI community come along in Glasgow.”

The event runs each days from noon to 10.30pm. For more information and tickets, visit http://festival.pride.scot/

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