An Aberdeen born soap star will lead the city’s pride parade next year.
Organisers have announced Hollyoaks actress and Aberdeen-born Annie Wallace will take part in the colourful parade in May.
The entire length of Union Street in Aberdeen is to be turned into a colourful parade route as Grampian Pride, the region’s main lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) event, gets underway on May 26.
Ms Wallace, who plays Hollyoaks High’s headteacher in the hit soap, was born and raised in Aberdeen and said: “I’m beyond excited to not only be asked to speak at Grampian Pride but to lead the Pride Parade through the city, it’s an incredible honour and I’m very privileged to march with LGBT people from my hometown, standing up for equality and calling out discrimination.”
Grampian Pride is being organised by a team of over 30 volunteers, with key organisations and charities involved to make it happen, including Grampian Regional Equality Council, local LGBT trust Four Pillars and Pink Saltire, a national LGBT equalities charity.
It’s co-chaired by trans activist, Justine Smithies, from Cruden Bay, a Stonewall Diversity Role Model.
She said: “We have some big ambitions to bring back Pride to the North East of Scotland after an absence of over 10 years – just look at how the world has changed and how Scotland has changed in that time.
It’s expected Grampian Pride will need to raise over £30,000 to stage the march and a festival event in the city.
Free tickets for the event on 26th May 2018 are now available from the group website – grampianpride.org
