THE organisers of Redditch Pride have said that they are committed to ensuring that their events are 'family-friendly' after concerns were raised about adult-themed items displayed at a Summer Fete.
The Redditch Pride Summer Fete took place on Sunday (August 23) in Arrow Valley Park and featured a number of stalls, games, and live music, and was described by its organisers, Redditch Pride CIC, as a 'really positive day'.
Despite the success of the event, concerns have been raised about the presence of adult-themed items that were on display at the Penrose Place stall, with a photo of the items shared on social media.
Penrose Place is a Solihull-based, LGBTQIA+-owned independent business that specialises in alternative gifts, 'cheek humour' and products that celebrate the 'diversity, personality, and humour of our community'.
According to Redditch Pride CIC, it had been agreed before the Summer Fete that a 'small number of items' that were in keeping with the stallholders' wider range would not be displayed.
Redditch Pride CIC say once it became apparent that these items were on display, the stallholders were asked to remove them and said that the items were visible for 'less than a minute'.
A Redditch CIC spokesperson said: "One of the stalls had a small number of items that, while in keeping with the stallholder's wider range, we had agreed beforehand would not be displayed at our family event.
"Unfortunately, those items were briefly put out. They were visible for less than a minute before they were spotted by the event team, and the stallholders were immediately asked to remove them. They did so straight away.
"Penrose Place is an LGBTQIA+ independent business with a tongue-in-cheek range, and their own statement below explains the nature of their products and the approach they take with families visiting their stall.
"We completely understand that a family event needs to be appropriate for children, which is why expectations had already been made clear to stallholders.
"When something was brought to our attention that didn’t meet those expectations, we acted immediately.
"We want to be clear that this was not something deliberately organised or promoted by Redditch Pride, nor was it something we knowingly allowed to remain on display."
In response to the concerns raised about the adult-themed items, Penrose Place said that it 'deliberately' selected its stock accordingly for the Summer Fete and emphasised its commitment to safeguarding.
A spokesperson for Penrose Place said: "We understand that some of our products have attracted attention because of their adult humour and occasionally provocative themes.
"We have never tried to hide the nature of our brand. Penrose Place has always been about being bold, playful, alternative and unapologetically ourselves. However, none of the products we sell are classified as 18+.
"We also recognise that a community Pride event is different from some of the larger adult-orientated events and festivals we attend.
"For Redditch Pride Fete, we deliberately selected our stock accordingly and did not bring a number of our more adult or provocative products, focusing instead on our wider range of cheeky and alternative humour.
"We take our responsibility as traders seriously. At events, we have safeguarding measures in place around our stall.
"We do not encourage unaccompanied children under the age of 16 to browse and, when families with younger children approach, we routinely make parents or guardians aware that some products contain adult language or humour.
"This is not because we are ashamed of what we create, but because we believe parents and guardians should be able to make an informed decision about what is appropriate for their own family."
A Redditch Borough Council spokesperson added: "We want to thank everyone who came and supported the Pride event at the weekend, which celebrated our LGBTQ+ communities.
"We are aware that a vendor put out some goods which some people did find offensive, and we apologise for this.
"We want to reassure residents that as soon as this became evident, the objects were immediately removed.
"Once again, thanks to everyone who made the Pride event a success."
Rubicon Leisure, who manage the Arrow Valley Visitor Centre in partnership with Redditch Borough Council, were also contacted for comment.
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