As we mark the 50th anniversary of the UK's first Pride parade, Tameside Radio presenter Alex B Cann reflects on attending his first Pride celebration and why such events are so important.

It's been a rather tumultuous week in politics, to say the least. Trust in our elected leaders is at rock bottom, and I think it's going to take some time to rebuild that.

I have never subscribed to the theory that all politicians are the same. I've met several constituency MPs at events recently, and in every instance I've found them to be polite, interested in chatting to people and in the job for the right reasons. It's those people I feel sorry for, as there has been an absence of any such integrity at the top for quite some time now.

Away from the so-called Westminster Bubble, prices continue to soar, and one supermarket has resorted to slapping security tags on big packs of Lurpak butter, which is approaching £10. With so many basic food items rocketing in price, and wages failing to keep up, it's a really difficult time for most of us at the moment.

Those producing the food are not having an easy ride either, with over three quarters of pig farmers considering quitting in the near future, dairy farmers fighting supermarkets to try and get a fair price, and small independent businesses facing the perfect storm of rising energy costs and customers tightening their belts. As for petrol prices, I can scarcely believe my eyes when I see a litre of unleaded priced at £2.06 on the motorway. That 5p duty cut feels like a lifetime ago.

In happier news this week, I was proud to host the first Skipton Pride event in the gorgeous Yorkshire Dales town. It was the first time a Pride event had been held there, and Ilkley (winner of the Sunday Times Best Place To Live award recently) also held its first one on Saturday.

I've not attended a Pride celebration before, but gosh what a fantastic atmosphere! I even got to meet Baga Chipz, star of Ru Paul's Drag Race, and she was absolutely hilarious. She also stayed around until everyone got a selfie who wanted one. There was an Abba tribute band, which beat holograms in my book, plus an array of other performers and some powerful speeches too.

Fifty years after the first event was organised in London, Pride has become quite a force around the country, and it's about much more than rainbows. I witnessed one of our speakers on stage coming out to their family, and I can't imagine the bravery that must have taken.

There was a really good turnout in the sunshine, and lots of stalls, including one offering Yorkshire pudding beer made in Malton in North Yorkshire (very tasty, having sampled two pints for research purposes). I got a health check and apart from a slightly high BMI, was told I'm the picture of health! I asked them to let my GP know, as I can't ever get through to them these days.

Joking aside, events like Pride are really important and great at bringing us together. There have been a lot of confected rows about pronouns and gender recently, but at the end of the day, we're all people and should love who we want to love. The skirmish about Halifax Bank and pronouns on name badges was a ridiculous tabloid storm this week, but after last Saturday's event, I feel like we're finally entering an era where celebrities won't need to 'come out' before the papers break the story. The days of homophobic headlines about the likes of Elton John will hopefully never return.

I'm not saying there isn't still work to do, but I felt a real sense of optimism at the weekend. Tameside Pride is coming up at Cheetham Park on Saturday 16th July, and there will hopefully be a similarly sunny day for the organisers. The day will feature fairground rides at reasonable prices, loads of different food options and a licensed bar, plus stalls galore and an array of stage entertainment. Get yourself down there, and be part of Pride's 50th anniversary. I hope to pop down myself before my Tameside Radio show.

You can listen to Alex every weekday from 7am to 11am and on the 'Super Scoreboard' show on Saturdays from 3pm to 7pm, on Tameside Radio 103.6FM. 

Read more from the Tameside Reporter

Click here for more of the latest news

Click here to read the latest edition of the paper online

Click here to find out where you can pick up a copy of the paper