Liverpool City Region Pride Foundation has announced that its MarchOnline will return on Saturday, July 31 as part of Merseyside’s Pride celebrations.

The virtual march will be taking place for a second year running on what would have been the day of the city region’s Pride celebrations – the March with Pride and Pride in Liverpool.

The organisations physical celebrations were cancelled earlier in the year due to ongoing uncertainty and risks around mass public gatherings and the Covid-19 roadmap.

Wirral Globe: Mersey Rail supporting LCR Pride celebrations last year

LCR Pride Foundation CEO, Andi Herring, said: “Our theme this year is our most community and activism-focused ever, and our annual March with Pride has always been at the heart of grassroots activism within the community.

“Each year, we march to highlight the inequalities and injustices that the LGBT+ community still faces in the city region and around the world.

“This year we want to take that one step further. We want to use the march to draw a line in the stand and highlight the ways that we - as individuals, organisations and businesses - can take action to enact real change.”

Wirral Globe: Liverpool Roller Bird waves flag in support of Pride

The foundation will be inviting individuals, groups and businesses to join the MarchOnline by submitting images and videos in line with this year’s theme, ‘From Now On’.

The virtual march will comprise videos of speeches from local leaders and short interviews, combined with individuals marching, cheering and holding placards in their own homes, submitted by the members of the public, charities and businesses supporting the LGBT+ community.

The videos will then be broadcast from the organisation’s social channels, at 12.00pm on Saturday, July 31 when the physical march would usually take place.

Wirral Globe: Dogs Trust Merseyside march in support of LCR Pride

Individuals wishing to take part in the virtual march are asked to register and submit a landscape-orientation photo or 20-second video while waving, cheering, marching, dancing, posing with a partner, family, friends or pets, or even displaying a banner.

They are also encouraged to submit a ‘From Now On’ statement, outlining a specific action or actions that they will take to make real change.

Organisations wishing to ‘march’ as a group will also be given the opportunity to provide a 10 - 20 second video from a designated spokesperson, introducing the organisation, why it is marching and sharing their organisation’s ‘From Now On’ statement.

Wirral Globe: Sahir House at last years celebration

The deadline for video and image submissions for the MarchOnline is midnight on Wednesday July 14. Full details of how to submit your video can be found at lcrpride.co.uk/march

For more information and announcements about LCR Pride Foundation’s digital programme and other initiatives, visit lcrpride.co.uk.