Warren Allmark, one of the founders of Chester Pride, and chair since 2018, has announced he is stepping down in October.
Warren has been a huge part of the LGBT+ scene since the age of 18, founding Gender Blender in 2008, the trail blazing club night which recently ended its run at Rosies nightclub. ‘It was based on the student night we had in Chester called “Beans”, and a student night in Manchester called “Poptastic”. We took the idea of what they do and blended them together. The idea was to create a safe space and to offer something different. It very quickly became popular. It was only meant to be there for 6 weeks, it did 16 years! When I started it, there was myself and one other member of staff who were openly gay, it ended up with 60% of the staff being LGBTQ+.’
He steered Pride through difficult years from 2019 onwards—a period described as ‘5 years of hell’, including cancellation due to high winds, the covid pandemic, and the covid recovery / cost of living issues. ‘I made a promise to the committee that with everyone’s help and support we would get through to the other side and repair any financial damage caused by this.’
The opening of the Rainbow Tea rooms on Bridge street, as well as paid tickets to Pride, have helped the recovery, but Pride remains dependent on the support of the community. Says Warren: ‘This has been a huge help, along with other revenue into the charity which has seen us grow, and we are proud to have become an employer within the community. When you think “Chester Pride”, you think of the main event, and although it is a massive part of what we do, Chester Pride is not just the event, we have made a massive impact with the other projects we have been able to create for our community. Alongside the Tea Rooms, other projects launched by Pride include the Box Project, Just Ask helpline, a Christmas Day meal and a foodbank campaign. There have been many social and support groups, and these are just a few that we have achieved to date. I want to personally thank everyone who has ever been involved in Chester Pride, as a member of the committee, a volunteer, service supplier, artist, or guest, who have helped see Chester Pride come to life.’
Looking to the future and wishing Pride all the best, Warren says that the hard decision will allow him to focus more on other projects and his personal life. ‘I feel a little bit numb. It’s been a massive part of my life, it’s taken over my life. With all this spare time coming up, it’s going to be weird. I don’t have any plans. I want a bit more free time, and to take on a normal 9-5 job. Since the age of 18, I’ve always run events and businesses.’
He remains a champion of Chester, often answering the city’s frequent keyboard attacks. ‘It bores me. I get really tired of it, but I will always challenge negativity, and I’ll fight it with facts. The fact is that Chester is a vibrant city. Yes, it’s not perfect. When people moan about parking… Go to Manchester, go to York—you’re paying the same prices. There are £5 all-day parking spaces here. The Market Car Park, or food hall car park as people love to call it, it’s a Pound dearer but you have state of the art parking, wider spaces, CCTV, and the council are paying for a building that’s cost millions!’
Reflecting on the end of Gender Blender he added: ‘I personally think the nightlife scene is dying. Midweek clubbing is dead. I think Covid sped this up by about ten years. We have seen two of the biggest nightclub operators go bankrupt, and another issuing a profit warning. People have built beer gardens in the back garden, you can buy a bottle of vodka for £20 and get a pizza for a tenner and stay at home. People are more socially awkward—especially the younger generation. Rosies is adapting, it’s doing “Over 50s” nights, and becoming more of a concert venue. It seems that people are going out earlier and then going back home. I think that resetting the licensing laws—shutting at 12, clubs at 1—wouldn’t be a bad thing. Staying out till half 3 in the morning is a thing of the past now.’
The Chester blog 