For the 25th anniversary of Birmingham Pride, people from across the country came together to cheer on the parade. A handful of our young people and volunteers joined up with other Birmingham County Scouts members to walk the parade to promote and celebrate our diversity and inclusivity, particularly with the LGBTQ+ community, within the Worldwide family of Scouts.

We made our way to the Birmingham Scouts HQ where we were met by Darren Kyte and the FLAGS team for a briefing, which featured a surprise visit from UK Chief Commissioner, Carl Hankinson, who encouraged us to enjoy ourselves, have fun and show the world that Scouts is for everyone.

There was an expectation of large crowds, lots of people taking part, and plenty of spectators along the route. Several news reports have estimated there were over 40,000 people turned up to watch the parade.

Birmingham Pride always brings colour, music and laughter to Brum, and this year was no different.

The parade started at Centenary Square at midday, and we slowly made our way through Victoria Square, New Street, down towards Moor Street Station, past the Bull Ring and down Smallbrook Queensway, before heading down Hurst Street, where we finally ended in the Gay Village.

Along the parade route there were dancing stormtroopers, firefighters playfully spraying crowds with water and we had our own stilt walkers, with oversized neckers to help them stand out even more. (Did they use Scout pioneering poles to prop them up?)

After walking and dancing for nearly two hours, and just under two miles, we said our farewells before heading off to sit down and relax our weary legs with a well-deserved nice cold drink.

Thank you to all our volunteers and young people who took part and helped us celebrate the diversity and inclusion in Scouts.