The organisers of a popular event celebrating diversity and inclusion are appealing for the community’s help in saving it from cancellation.

An emergency appeal has been launched to ensure this year’s summer Tavi Pride (planned for July 4) goes ahead after a shortfall in funding.

The July event has become a fixture of Tavistock summer life and emphasises the town’s welcoming community.

Tavi Pride has grown in only four years into a vibrant festival showcasing performers across three stages including live music, drag artists, circus performers, poets, dance, family entertainment and more.

The day’s attractions begin with a lively, noisy parade with community and public groups dressed in the colours of the rainbow and rousing samba and other groups. This is followed by a range of live performers on marquee stages and creative stallholders and even a doggy-drag show.

Heg said: “Tavi Pride needs essential funds for the 2026 festival event to go ahead.

“It’s terrible news, we didn’t get lottery funding this year which means our festival may get cancelled if we can’t raise at least £10,000 in the next few weeks. We’re launching a Go Fund Me campaign and hope that all those loyal supporters will help us.

“Tavi Pride started in 2022 and since then has flourished into a fantastic annual celebration of our LGBTQIA-plus community.

“We've been lucky to receive National Lottery Funding for four years in a row but unfortunately, we have not been successful this year which leaves the festival element of our event hanging in the balance. Since our first event in 2022, costs have risen significantly, making the overall budget around £15,000.

She said the festival was a lifeline for the Tavistock LGBTQIA-plus community, where they can unite and feel represented.

They can get advice from LGBTQIA-plus organisations and meet new people.

Tavi Pride is run by a small team of volunteers who work throughout the year to plan the parade and festival. The event relies on these volunteers along with donations, sponsorship and funding.

Julu, said: “Since we’ve launched our fundraising campaign, we’ve had an outpouring of support with people who’ve said how important Tavi Pride is to their lives.

“They are often young people who say they only began to feel welcome, accepted and able to truly be themselves in their hometown since Tavi Pride. The event has given them confidence by showing there is a genuine community which they can feel part of.

“I know a lot of young people who say Tavi Pride has given them hope for the future as the world seems to get less caring and intolerant. This is even more important in rural areas where there isn’t the same network as in bigger towns.

“The event creates connection, community and positivity and helps LGBTQIA+ people feel more visible as a community.”

The festival also creates paid performance opportunities for LGBTQI-plus performers and is somewhere where LGBTQI-plus traders and organisations can come together to promote themselves.

Donations to enable Tavi Pride to go ahead are welcome within three weeks: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-tavi-pride-2026#