ORGANISERS of the Borders' first Pride march have said they will “start from scratch” as the event has been put on hold until 2022.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, people in the region will be forced to wait another year before Pride in the Borders is held.

The event, which was originally meant to take place in 2020, is being organised by Scottish Borders LGBT Equality.

The group's chairperson, Kay Hughes, said: “We’ll have a new committee, we’re starting from scratch."

For the 2020 event, Pride in the Borders was expected to be based in Scott Park in Galashiels.

And it was set to feature family areas, sensory zones and health and well being sections.

The event would also have included a Pride March through Galashiels up to the park.

However, due to plans to develop in the area, Pride in the Borders is now hunting for a new home.

Kay explained that holding such events can help with the isolation that some queer people feel when living in rural areas.

She said: “Young people go to school, then come out, and at 18 years old there’s nothing for them.

“There are no opportunities to meet [queer] people, and a lot tend to move to the cities.

“Then we have an ageing community.

“People move back with a partner, then they lose them and there’s nothing.

“I came here [Borders] from a good LGBT network and there was absolutely nothing.

“There’s no gay pub or gay night here.”

Thanks to groups like Scottish Borders LGBT Equality there are now groups for people to join to build a queer community in the region, such as the Pink Ladies Lunch Club.

Kay added that although things have improved in the Borders, the LGBT Equality group does sometimes receive some push-back.

“We still get resistance,” she said. “We put up a picture of Scottish Borders Council flying a Pride flag, and we still get people asking why we need a flag.

“Some say homophobic or transphobic things.

“Lots of young people come forward to support members of the community.

“The tide is changing in the Borders, and it has changed – people are a lot more supportive.”

She added: “We were contacted by a trans couple asking what it’s like living here. I told them like anywhere there are always individuals, but it’s a lovely place to live.

“I’m extremely out and open, and I’ve never had anything negative said to me. That’s one reason why it’s called Pride in the Borders, it has a double meaning. We’re proud of who we are and where we live.”

For more information, visit the ‘Pride in the Borders’ and ‘Scottish Borders LGBT Equality’ Facebook pages.