THERE was face paint, sequins, drag queens and an awful lot of rain. The recipe for a perfect day, obviously.

Worcestershire Pride brought us Worcester's first LGBT pride parade on Saturday, pulling a massive crowd of people young and old, in a vibrant fun-filled spectacle as positivity and unity flowed through the streets of Worcester.

I hope this will be the first of many events of this nature, not only because of how much fun the day was, but because they carry a great deal of importance and highlight issues that, while we have come a long way, still could be acknowledged more and further understood.

I had the pleasure of briefly meeting chair of Worcestershire Pride, Andre Oldfield who said his aim was to give young LGBT people a chance to be represented, as this is the key to helping them feel more comfortable and accepted. "If you can't see it, you can't be it."

Evel Knoxville, a student from Worcester recently said: "I wish I could say that I’m transgender more often, and be greeted with less hostility."

As someone with a close LGBT friend, I've only very recently begun to appreciate how scary it must be for someone growing up who doesn't quite live up to the expectations placed on them because of their chromosomes, and the complications tied in with that. If I had been given more understanding earlier in life, I believe I would have been able to support this person more.

The great thing about the pride was how comfortable everyone was. The organisers did a great job of making the atmosphere nothing but welcoming to everyone who went along. This included 'allies' those who were there in the spirit of supporting their LGBT family members and friends. They also did a great job of giving a platform to a range of support charities and groups who were there to provide information and help.

I will definitely be heading to pride next year, whether I am covering the weekend shift for The Worcester News, or not.