THE Bishop of Llandaff, the Rt Revd Mary Stallard, has described Pride in Wales as “a wonderful, welcoming festival”.

“I feel a great sense of being welcomed myself, as well as having an opportunity as Christians together to offer a welcome to everyone who is here,” she said, after the two-day gathering in Cardiff last weekend.

The year also marked the tenth anniversary of the Faith Space, run in partnership with Llandaff diocese and The Gathering, Cardiff, a local ecumenical church for LGBTQ+ people and their allies. Anglicans, Methodists, members of the United Reformed Church, and Quakers are among the many volunteers. St John the Baptist, Cardiff, on the parade route, handed out water and sweets.

The Gathering, CardiffThe Gathering, Cardiff

The event in Cardiff is described as “the biggest and most colourful celebration of equality and diversity in Wales”, and attracts thousands of marchers, spectators, and participants each year. The Visit Wales website terms it “a weekend where people come together to celebrate their uniqueness, and where everyone is equal, regardless of sex, age, gender, race, social background or sexual orientation”.

Bishop Stallard presided at the Pride eucharist, with two of The Gathering’s pastoral leaders: the Revd Delyth Liddell, a Methodist minister, and the Revd Ruth Owen of the Church in Wales. The Revd Rosemary Hill, of Open Table East Cardiff, in the neighbouring diocese of Monmouth, said that taking part in Pride was “a joy and a privilege”.

“It was wonderful to be able to demonstrate how far the Church in Wales has come in terms of inclusion in the last ten years, but also acknowledge how far is left to go and to be a hopeful presence for LGBTQ plus people, both within and outside the Church,” she said.