Hebburn Pride organisers say vandalised banners and abuse will not stop Saturday’s event
Pride in Hebburn (Image: Facebook – Pride in Hebburn)
Organisers of Pride in Hebburn say they will press ahead with this weekend’s celebrations after event banners were torn down and damaged, and volunteers faced verbal abuse while trying to repair them.
In a statement shared on social media, Pride in Hebburn said: “Yesterday our volunteers put up banners to promote Pride in Hebburn. Less than 24 hours later, some had been torn down, damaged and left hanging from the railings.”
The group added: “Even more disappointing, while volunteers were trying to repair the damage, they received abuse from people passing by.”
Pride in Hebburn said the incidents only reinforced the need for LGBTQ+ visibility in public spaces. “This is exactly why Pride still matters. Pride is not about division. It is not about politics. It is not about excluding anyone. It is about creating a community where people feel accepted, respected and free to be themselves.”
Hebburn’s Pride weekend is scheduled for Saturday, 13 June 2026 at Fountain Square. Organisers have described the event as free and family-friendly, with rides, live music and children’s activities, adding: “A few damaged banners and some unpleasant comments won’t stop us.”
What happened to the Hebburn Pride banners
The organisers said the damage happened overnight on Saturday, 6 June, after volunteers put up signage on Station Road. The group’s statement described banners being left “hanging from the railings” after being torn down and damaged.
Peter Durrant, head of Out North East, backed the organisers and said: “For this team of brilliant volunteers to say we’re doing it again, to have that ripped down and to receive homophobic abuse is heartbreaking,” adding that the event would still go ahead.
Durrant also said: “The whole aim is to bring the community together… and to turn around that image that the town centre wasn’t a safe space, to now show it is.”
Pride support and local politics
The vandalism in Hebburn comes as some local authorities face political rows over Pride support. In St Helens, council leader George Woodward wrote in a Facebook post: “St Helens Borough Council won’t be supporting or promoting Pride. I have instructed officers to cease engagement with all aspects of the event.”
St Helens councillor James Dunn responded: “For many of our LGBT residents, families, young people and allies, Pride is about visibility, safety, history, acceptance and community.”
Local Pride groups across the UK are typically volunteer-run and rely on community fundraising, local sponsorship and council cooperation for permissions, safety planning and logistics, including when funding disputes have hit other North East Pride events.
