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Local creatives Adam Carver (Fatt Butcher), Jonathan Banks (Banksie), Lucky Roy Singh and Nathaniel J Hall are hoping to raise funds for those who have been left out of pocket.
When Nathaniel J Hall couldn’t get any answers about his outstanding invoice, he began to wonder what was happening at the charity behind Manchester Pride. One of the biggest LGBTQ+ events in the country, Hall was just one of hundreds of creative freelancers left wondering why their invoices had gone unpaid since last summer. So when the news broke that the organisation had gone bust, he tells me that it was hardly surprising. “I sort of knew it was coming,” says the Manchester-based actor and theatre-maker earlier this month.
Hall is the creative producer behind Manchester Pride’s Candlelit Vigil, which takes place in the city’s Sackville Gardens, and brings together the LGBTQ+ community and allies in a moment of reflection to remember those who have lost their lives to HIV. The vigil also unites attendees in the fight against the global HIV epidemic and the stigma that those living with the virus continue to face.
When he didn’t hear back after sending his invoice, Hall soon realised he was not alone. “I had a few artists get in touch with me to say that their invoices hadn’t been paid,” recalls Hall, who has been working with Manchester Pride for the past five years. “That’s when I knew something wasn’t quite right.” This prompted him to look on Companies House’s website, only to see that Manchester Pride Ltd had filed a “significant loss” in their last financial statement.
A week before the organisation announced it was going into liquidation in late-October, Hall heard from someone with close ties to Manchester Pride that the board had just held an emergency meeting, with Hall describing himself as “bracing for impact” whilst waiting for the news to break. “It felt like a car crash in slow motion,” he laments.
This year’s pride took place over four days and featured household names and queer icons, with the company now estimated to owe over £1.5m to hundreds of creatives, who might never see a penny. Former Little Mix singer Leigh-Anne, Nelly Furtado and Olly Alexander were amongst the headliners, as well as Drag Race UK’s Saki Yew, who confirmed to the BBC that she was yet to be paid.
As for the impact this had had on the freelance community in Manchester? “It’s been really mixed,” says Hall. Artists with bigger names have lost upfront costs, he explains, whereas those who are newer to the freelance scene do not have the financial reserves to afford to wait for delayed payments. “Creative freelancers don’t get paid that much,” reasons Hall. “They’re totally reliant on that money coming in. Some people have messaged me saying they can’t pay their rent or their prescriptions.”
It’s hearing these stories that motivated Hall to take action. “It was really heartbreaking,” he says of the toll this has taken on the creative community. As one of those affected by the collapse, Hall and fellow local creatives Adam Carver (Fatt Butcher), Jonathan Banks (Banksie) and Lucky Roy Singh joined forces to form the Together For Creatives Fund. They hope to raise £50,000 by mid-December for the creatives who are now facing financial hardship as a result of Manchester Pride going bust.
The fund’s Crowdfunder page says that the large debts owed to big suppliers will be prioritised over independent artists, producers and performers by the liquidation process – meaning that freelance creatives might need to wait months or years to be paid even a fraction of what they are owed. This is why the fund is prioritising this group, as whilst their fees might not be as significant as those with more well-known names, they will receive the lowest payouts and have to wait the longest.
For those behind the fund, there was a sense of urgency. “We needed to do what LGBTQ+ people do the best, and look out for our own; so we moved fast,” explains Hall. “We were also aware that other people were starting to set up their own fundraising events, and we felt very much that actually individual artists and creatives shouldn’t have to do that.”
The move to fundraise for creatives facing hardship rings true of the experiences of those who found themselves out of work during the pandemic. “It can often feel that artists have to prove their worth, and it was a similar thing that happened around coronavirus,” says Hall, adding that it is often the view that artists should just work more in order to make up for unpaid work and losses, rather than being paid fairly in the first place. “They deserve the same rights as other workers,” he argues of artists. “They deserve the same sort of level of respect and payment.”
When I bring up that the target of £50,000 seems ambition, Hall acknowledges this, yet I can tell that he remains optimistic that the LGBTQ+ community and allies will come to the aid of Manchester Pride’s creatives. In fact, I ask who specifically those organising the fund are hoping to help. “We’re raising money for independent creative freelancers. So that covers performers, drag artists and DJs,” he replies. “But also videographers, social media influencers, creative producers and so on. Anyone that is working independently and not for a larger organisation.”
When it comes to the rationale for not raising funds for larger organisations: “We obviously acknowledge that larger organisations deserve remuneration, because their contribution to pride is essential,” begins Hall. “ Larger organisations will have, or should have, insurance and other protections within their company structures that can hopefully sustain them.” Freelancers, on the other hand, may not be in such a position. “Particularly those independent creatives who have already paid out fees are now really struggling to make ends meet by the end of the year. Their need is really great and urgent.”
The Charity Commission has launched a compliance case after concerns were raised that Manchester Pride failed to pay its performers and creatives – the watchdog is tasked with ensuring that charities in England and Wales comply with the law. When I ask Hall about this, he says that he welcomes this. Yet in the same breath, he tells me that he is not motivated by negativity towards those at the top of Manchester Pride, nor does those behind the fund wish to create further division in the local LGBTQ+ community. “We don’t want to start a witch hunt,” he clarifies.
Equity, the arts union that currently represents more than 50 performers that have been left without payment in the wake of Manchester Pride going into liquidation, announced just last week that it had a “positive” meeting with Manchester City Council to discuss a way forward. The union reports that outstanding payments affecting its members range from £150 to £5,000 each, totalling more than £70,000, with more coming forward.
Following this meeting, Karen Lockney, Equity North West Official, said in a statement: “While payment for 2025 is crucial, we are also looking ahead to Pride 2026 and want a commitment that performers will be at the heart of planning and that union terms will be the foundation of engagements. We look forward to reconvening in early December to take this positive discussion forward.”
As talks continue, safeguarding the future of Manchester Pride is a notion that Hall and those behind the Together For Creatives Fund share too. “I think the future of pride is probably going to be a bit shaky for a few years,” reasons Hall. As for what he would like to see for 2026, Hall tells me that keeping things smaller and drawing in local organisations might be the way forward. “Hopefully we can try and activate local cultural institutions, theatres and other organisations to put on a range of events,” he says. “Maybe a stage in the Village too, but on a small scale. And definitely from my perspective, as the producer of the Candlelit Vigil, that has to be part of that as well.”
Adam Carver (Fatt Butcher), Jonathan Banks (Banksie), Lucky Roy Singh and Nathaniel J Hall are the creatives behind the Manchester Pride 2025: Together For Creatives Fund and are hoping to raise £50,000 for those who have been left out of pocket.
