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Interview: Sheffield Pride's Helen Cuthbertson


Bomar Faery chats with Helen Cuthbertson, Sheffield Pride's assistant event manager, about what kind of preparation is needed to create such a fabulous event:

What's your name and how are you involved in Sheffield Pride this year?
Hi, my name is Helen Cuthbertson. I am involved in organising the bookings of market stalls for this year’s Pride event. It means I get to work closely with local businesses, so it's really fun! I'm also the assistant event manager which means I have to have an overall understanding and awareness of the whole event which is demanding but enjoyable and seeing a successful event at the end is very satisfying!


How did you first get involved?
I first got involved in pride through the event manager Rob Fowler. We are currently both studying Events Management at Sheffield Hallam University and are both in the same seminar group. As we are friends he mentioned it to me and I was very keen to get involved for some experience. I worked at the 2012 Pride event in Event Control and had such a fun time so I was very excited when he asked whether I would like to be this years assistant event manager and said yes straight away.

What does pride mean to you?
Pride means a lot to me. Some of the pride team members are very good friends of mine and I am all for stopping the discrimination of gay people. Pride is such a great event for raising awareness and I'm proud to be a part of it. It seems crazy in this day and age that there is still discrimination around and it completely baffles me. I think it is important that people should be able to celebrate who they are and Pride is a great opportunity for them to do this. Especially this year as the gay marriage issue has really been highlighted and Pride is a great way to show support of it, in the end my view is that love is love and whoever wants to get married should be able to.

Any favourite pride memories?
As I have currently only worked at one pride event specific memories are hard to choose! So I'm looking forward to working this year to gain even more! I do remember last year being really fun though! Even though there was a bit of rain everyone was in high spirits and seemed to be really enjoying themselves which is always good to see.

What are you most looking forward to this year?
Definitely the new city centre location! Last years' event was great on Endcliffe Park but this year being on Devonshire Green and Barkers Pool will attract so many new visitors and raise the events' profile enormously. The whole Pride event has had a makeover including the brand itself, there is a new logo and location making this year’s Pride the biggest ever, which is so exciting.

What ways can people get involved in pride?
There are many ways to get involved with Pride! There are opportunities to volunteer at the event itself or people can get involved by attending Pride this year. People can also be involved by supporting what pride stands for and helping to raise awareness of the LGBT community.

Helen was speaking to Bomar Faery on behalf of Gaydio. 







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