'We see each other and we celebrate that together'

"We see each other, we're seen by each other and we celebrate that together," an attendee of a Pride event has told the BBC.

Channel Islands Pride has returned for its tenth year and Oli Davies, trustee of equality charity Liberate, said it had become one of the biggest community events in Guernsey's calendar. "It's about people feeling safe, seen and knowing they belong," Davies said.

Couple Becca and Freddy Morris said the event had played a "significant part" in their lives - getting married on the Channel Islands Pride stage in 2024.

Becca said: "It was incredible. Seeing so many people that we loved there, and the community celebrating with us, was just beautiful."

The couple said the event helped them feel part of a wider community growing up.

"I remember feeling euphoric being surrounded by people like me," Becca said.

Anik Hubert said she was about 19 when she attended one of the early Pride events, shorty after coming out as gay. At the time, she said she had rarely seen LGBTQ+ representation in Guernsey.

"Seeing Pride was a wake-up call that actually this is normal and it's something that should be celebrated," Hubert said.

"I made loads of connections that I'm still friends with today," she said. "There was a community I didn't know existed."

This year, she will be bringing her two-year-old son to Pride for the first time.

"I just want young people to know they're seen, valued and loved," she said.

Charlie Murray-Edwards attended his first Pride at the age of 14.

Growing up trans, he said there was little understanding of what it meant to be trans but meeting other LGBTQ+ people gave him support and guidance during difficult moments.

He said: "It was a safety net. It helped me understand I wasn't alone.

"It gives people the chance to explore who they are and see others with lived experience."

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