The Brighton Rainbow Fund Grant Presentation event

Tuesday, November 1 saw the return of the Brighton Rainbow Fund (BRF) Grant Presentations event for the first time in three years. Venues and fundraising events were also recognised with the Brighton Rainbow Fund Fundraising Champion Awards.

The evening was hosted by Lola Lasagne, back in Brighton from their new home in Manchester, especially to continue their tradition of fronting this event.

(All photographs by generous permission of Nick Ford Photography)

The event took place at Ironworks Studio; Brighton & Hove Pride provided wine for a reception, with food prepared by local HIV charity Lunch Positive.

First order of the night was the presentation of those 2022 Fundraising Champion Awards to Brighton & Hove Pride, which raised £220,000 for BRF to distribute this year; Brighton Bear Weekend, which raised £6,000 for BRF; Legends, which raised £3,000 over Pride Weekend (with thanks due to the performers who gave their time and talent for the Sunday Cabaret too); Revenge, which raised £3,000 over Pride Weekend; Rockwater, which raised £2,800; and The Bulldog, which raises funds for BRF most evenings of every week, with the 2022 total currently in excess of £4,000.

At the beginning of October this year, to mark the third anniversary of the death of James Ledward, who founded BRF back in 2010, the first of an Annual Online Raffle was held. The prize was a high quality framed print of a photograph taken by Nick Ford at a photoshoot with cast members of an Alternative Pantomime, all of whom signed the print.

The lucky winner was Kim Hobson, and two of those cast members presented her with the print, along with photographer Nick Ford.

Proceedings then moved onto the presentation of the grants that were approved at this year’s Annual Main Funding round.