Medway Pride CIC, MGSD Centre, 331 High Street Rochester Medway ME1 1DA info@medwaypride.uk 01634 408668

Kent Cider Company

Kent Dider Co have been supporting Medway Pride as a Sponsor since 2022. They produce both traditional, still, strong and dry ciders such as Russet as well as sparkling apple ciders, real fruit ciders, experimental trial batch ciders and more

They also have many seasonal and limited edition offerings and these depend on what local fruit we are able to source at a good price and at the right moment. Popular seasonal offerings have included Strawberry, Damson, Cherry and Apricot. Rhubarb started out as one of our limited edition offerings and has grown to be one our most loved and bestselling ciders.

They want to be sure that people find a Kentish cider that they love, whether that be traditional or one of our more contemporary offerings. Also – handy for some of you to know : our business is vegan owned and run, so our entire range is suitable for Vegan drinkers. As well as this our cider is naturally gluten-free and therefore it is suitable for Coeliac drinkers too.

The Ship Rochester

what can we tell you about the Ship Inn that you don’t already know? đꤔ is it one of the oldest queer venues in the UK? YES! are they super-friendly and welcoming? YES! do they have amazing acts on every week? YES! do they have fabulous DJs? YES! do they do awesome cocktails? YES! is their Sunday roast beyond tasty? YES! is their back garden lovely? YES! are they one of our oldest, dearest, most supportive friends in Medway? YES YES YES!

Seriously guys, we love you, thanks for always being there for the queer community, for your many kindnesses, and for all the amazing support you’ve given Medway Pride through the years!

McDonalds (Medway)

Our long term Sponsor State 4 Restaurants who with other businesses manage Medways McDonalds franchises show unwavering commitment to advancing equality and inclusivity, The company has a comprehensive global policy that bars discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, safeguarding employees worldwide against mistreatment based on factors including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and transgender identity. So thanks Ronald for the invaluable McSupport you give to the LGBTQIA+ community and to us, Medway Pride!

Rochester Riverside Community Fund

Rochester Riverside is a £419 million (🙀 ) joint venture between Countryside and Hyde, in partnership with the council. If you’ve been down there you’ll they’re transforming what was a 50-acre brownfield site into a new riverside destination. The development includes around 1,400 new homes, a proportion of which are affordable, a primary school, nursery, hotel, 2.5 km river walkway, commercial units, parking, green open spaces, and play areas! Thanks for helping to energise the riverside guys, and for being such staunch supporters for so long, we truly truly appreciate it!

Funded by Medway Council

Medway Council

Did you know that Medway Council has developed and adopted a comprehensive Cultural Strategy that outlines their vision for the arts for the next decade? They want Medway to be internationally recognized for creativity and culture by 2030. The plans focus on diversity, collaboration, and engagement. They define culture quite broadly, taking in not only traditional stuff like museums, galleries, and theatres but also history, food, the night-time economy, creative installations in public spaces, and the creative industries. We think it’s a fantastic way forward and that their inclusive approach reflects the importance of the creative impulse in all of us in Medway. We also have to say a huge THANK YOU for their continuous support for what we do!

The Universities at Medway

The Universities at Medway do so much to support their LGBTQIA+ students and staff. .

The University of Greenwich is a proud member of the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme, and last year it was ranked as the second-highest university within the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index!

The University of Kent has an LGBTQ+ Network which represents and advocates for LGBTQIA+ students, a Student Trans Support Policy and Gender Affirmation Fund, and offers accommodation for couples.

Canterbury Christ Church University LGBTQIA+ Society at Canterbury Christ Church University provides all sorts of support, and not just to students, they donate to charities like Mermaids, Porchlight, and Just Like Us too. SO much support for LGBTQIA+ young people in Medway, we applaud the universities for it, and thank them form bottom of our hearts for being such amazing allies for so long!

Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

Arts Council England

Supported using public funding National Lottery Funded Arts Council England.

Arts Council England is the UK’s national development agency for creativity and culture. As an arm’s length non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, it champions, develops, and invests in artistic and cultural experiences across England. Their mission is to enrich people’s lives through a diverse range of activities, including theatre, digital art, reading, dance, music, literature, and crafts. They provide funding opportunities for organizations, artists, events, and other creative practitioners, ensuring that everyone’s creativity has a chance to flourish.

#MedwayPride24Sponsor

Medway Pride 24 Funding

Medway Pride 24 is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

Other Funding sponsors include Medway Council, Universities at Medway (University of Greenwich, University of Kent, Canterbury Christ Church University), Rochester Riverside Community Fund.

Other sponsors include, State 4 Restaurants McDonalds, Kent Cider Company, Kreston Reeves, MHS Homes, Moat Housing, Veolia, Coop, Tesco, Giant Stride Graphics, City of Rochester Society, Ship Inn Rochester, WCB Utilities Ltd, Kent Police PCC, Medway Labour & Co-operative, Orbit Group, Making a Differance Locally Ltd., Hempstead Village Fayre, plus individual donations.

PLEASE MAKE A DONATION TO THE MEDWAY PRIDE FUND 

Medway Pride 24 is a Free to Access Community Event. Although the event is free for the public to enter the cost of producing the event is covered by Medway Pride CIC a not for profit company owned and managed by volunteers. 

We need to raise approximately ÂŁ85,000.00 per annum to cover the cost of our annual events and the services we provide to support the LGBTQIA+ community members of Medway and the surounding area. These funds come in the form of grants from public and private bodies, business and private sponsors of our events and donations from members of the public.

Medway Pride CIC would like to thank all our Sponsors, Grant Providers and those who have donated to the Medway Pride Fund

Your donation will help us to keep producing our pride events and deliver our services.

Medway Pride 24 is an LGBTQIA+ community festival with entertainment, music, local, national, internationally recognised acts.

THANK YOU FROM MEDWAY PRIDE CIC

Medway Pride 2023 was a fabulous event, thank you to everyone involved in producing and creating such a fun day. We also thank everyone who attended any of the events during the Fringe Pride and Pride festival at Rochester Castle. We are busy putting together photo albums and creating a report on the outcomes for our funding partners. You voice is an important part of the feedback we use to produce the report. We are asking you to complete a short survey so we can include your feedback in our report.

Please vist thank you for your support, I could not produce Medway Pride without it. Please do fill out our after pride survey, it informs our report to funders and helps fund Medway Pride 2024 

Medway Pride Survey

TRAVEL NEWS Medway Pride 2023

Getting to Rochester Castle

Rochester Castle Check the link for more information about the castle including accessablity

There are plenty of ways to get to Rochester, from both near and far!

If you’re local, the following Arriva buses go via Rochester. You can check timetables and routes on their website.

  • 133 Chatham to Cliffe
  • 140 Earl Estate to Chatham
  • 141 Earl Estate to Chatham
  • 145 Chatham to Warren Wood
  • 155 Chatham to Maidstone
  • 190 Gravesend to Chatham
  • 700 Chatham to Bluewater

These ASD Coaches buses go via Rochester too. Timetables and routes here

  • 156 Chatham to Chatham
  • 197 Chatham to Lodge Hill

And these Nu-Venture buses stop at Rochester also. Their website is here

  • 142 Kit’s Coty to Chatham
  • 172 Chatham to Liberty Park
  • 173 Chatham to Lodge Hill Lane

If you’re coming from further afield, National Express run coaches from London Victoria to the Kent coast, with drops/pickups at Bluewater and Hempstead Valley shopping centres, both of which are served by buses that go through Rochester. Tap the route number for more info.

  • Route 007 Dover to Victoria Coach Station stopping at
    • Folkstone, Canterbury, University of Kent at Canterbury, Whitstable, Hempstead Valley (then Viabus 132 to Rochester) Eltham, Lewisham and Elephant & Castle
  • Route 022 Victoria Coach Station To Ramsgate stopping at
    • Elephant & Castle, Walworth New Cross Gate, Lewisham, Eltham, Bluewater (then Sapphire 700 to Rochester), University of Kent at Canterbury, Canterbury, Birchington, Westgate, Margate, Cliftonville, Northdown Park, St Peters and Broadstairs,

By rail

Medway has five main rail stations: Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham. All have frequent services from London Victoria and Charing Cross. High speed trains also link Medway to London’s St. Pancras International in just 35 minutes.

Southeastern offers a range of value for money train fares. For more information visit www.southeasternrailway.co.uk 

To plan your journey by rail phone 08457 484950 or visit www.nationalrail.co.uk or www.thetrainline.com.

If you’re driving there’s a decent amount of parking in or near Rochester. Chatham’s a bit further away, but has loads of carparks and plenty of buses run from there to the Castle.

ROCHESTER

Blue Boar Lane    Blue Boar Lane,  ME1 1PD  cash/RingGo

Berkeley House    The Terrace,  ME1 1EZ  cash/RingGo

Rochester Station    High Street,  ME1 1HQ  cash/RingGo

Corporation Street    Corporation Street,  ME1 1NH  cash/RingGo

Rochester Riverside     ME1 1GR  cash/RingGo

High Street Station    High Street,  ME1 1HY  cash/RingGo

King Street     ME1 1YD  cash/RingGo

High Street Furrells   High Street,  ME1 1JA  cash/RingGo

Cathedral Rochester    (Disabled) Northgate, ME1 1LX  cash/RingGo

Almon Place     ME1 1LN  cash/RingGo

Union Street     ME1 1XS  cash/RingGo

Boley Hill    CLOSED During the event 

Kings Head Disabled    CLOSED During the event 

STROOD

Commercial Road    ME2 2AD  cash/RingGo

Grove Road   ME2 4BL  cash/RingGo

Temple Street    ME2 4T H  cash/RingGo

CHATHAM

Chatham Riverside    Dock Road, ME4 4SL  cash/RingGo

Church Street    ME4 4PT  cash/RingGo

James Street    ME4 4DT  cash/RingGo

Market Hall    Cross Street, ME4 4LT  cash/RingGo

Old Road    ME4 6BJ  cash/RingGo

Queen Street   ME4 4LU  cash/RingGo

Rhode Street    ME4 4AL  cash/RingGo

Slicketts Hill    ME4 4LT  cash/RingGo

St John’s    Waterfront Way, ME4 4JL  cash/RingGo

The Brook    ME4 4LA   cash/card

The Paddock    Rome Terrace, ME4 4RE  cash/RingGo

Town Hall    Whiffens Avenue, ME4 4SF  cash/RingGo

Upper Mount    Old Road, ME4 6BP  cash/RingGo

You could also try JustPark, which is like Airbnb for cars! You can book parking spaces of all sorts, from private driveways to supermarket carparks. Availability can be found here.

We really don’t want to miss out on what promises to be a fabulous day, so if we think of anything else, we’ll put it on here and post on facebook about it!