BOLTON town hall was illuminated in rainbow colours to mark the official start of this year’s Pride.

Despite the atrocious weather last night, those gathered drew hope and inspiration from a number of powerful speeches.

First up was Nat Entwistle, 15, of Bolton Youth Council.

He said:”One of the most important things that the youth council is doing at the moment is campaigning to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues in young people, and it’s obvious that this is particularly prevalent in LGBT+ young people, so I think that it’s vital that we support this event as it is, at its root, an event to combat hate crime that can have terrible effects on young people’s mental health.”

“From my personal experience visiting LGBT+ youth groups I have definitely noticed that young people are so much more about LGBT+ issues. I’m not going to say that stigma and homophobia have vanished with the new generation, but it’s because of events like this that a new generation have grown up in a world where LGBT+ people aren’t hidden or afraid, but they are instead being proud of who they are.”

Speaking about what Bolton police are doing for the local LGBT+ community, DCI Chris Bridge explained a bespoke risk assessment and support plan had been put in place.

He said there had been 90 reported incidents of LGBT+ hate crime in the past twelve months, and remarked: “Ninety is a number, but behind each number is a person with a story to tell.”

DCI Bridge added: “We are cognisant that crimes against LGBT+ people are under-reported so we encourage people to report them so we know the true picture and deal with it accordingly.”

He finished by saying: “Bolton police fully supports this Pride weekend so let’s celebrate difference, celebrate similarity and celebrate ourselves.”

Demonstrating that Bolton Pride is an event against all hate crime, not just hatred directed against the LGBT+ community, the organisation Stand Up to Racism had a presence at last night’s launch.

Carl Austin-Behan, LGBT+ advisor to the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, spoke with pride about the region’s committment to LGBT people.

He said: “Greater Manchester is known throughout the UK and around the world as a beacon for LGBT+ people. Let’s not forget that the UK’s LGBT+ rights movement began in Manchester, and LGBTQ people make a huge contribution to the success of our city-region.”

Mr Austin-Behan, an RAF hero who was discharged in 1997 for being gay, pointed out that here are at least 220,000 LGBT+ people in Greater Manchester.

“That’s bigger than the population of Rochdale - so it is important that we are represented, and our voices are heard.”

He stressed the importance of collaboration in tackling inequalities and ensuring that LGBT+ people feel included, valued and safe.

The former Lord Mayor of Manchester told the crowd: “In June 2017 many agencies came together and produced the Greater Manchester LGBT+ Action Plan and the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham signed up to that.

“As part of his commitment, Last Month he has appointed myself to be the LGBT+Advisor with a panel to assist and help me to deliver that.

“The panel reflects the diversity of the LGBT+ spectrum, and also geographically across Greater Manchester.It’s the first time something like this has been done in Greater Manchester – and it is the first panel of its type in the UK. We will collaborate with partner agencies, LGBT organisations and charities and individuals so that we do break down those inequalities.

“By setting up this panel, the Mayor is demonstrating a clear and unambiguous commitment to improving the lives of all LGBTQ+ people and reducing inequality across the city-region.”

Another speaker was Tolu Ajayi, co-organiser of Rainbow Noir, a Manchester based peer and social support group celebrating LGBT+ people of colour.

He said: “We encourage our allies to stand with us and celebrate us loudly, not in silence, we can’t do this on our own. And ultimately we encourage those who feel most alone to stand strong in the face of adversity and homophobia instead of accepting it, and to truly work towards an era where we all love each other and ourselves with no conditions.”

The evening ended with a new element - a minute of noise - where those assembled were encouraged to shout, scream, jump and wave a coloured ribbon.

This was immediately followed by a more traditional minute of silence to reflect on the purpose of Bolton Pride.