‘STEP-PING’ UP FOR NEWCASTLE PRIDE

One of the UK’s biggest free LGBT festivals is ‘Step-ing’ up its game with the addition of a new star act. Faye Tozer, part of pop supergroup Steps, has just been named in the line-up for Newcastle Pride 2014. The singer, actress and television presenter, who recently reunited with the BRIT award-winning band following a ten year split, will be hitting the stage twice during the three-day event, starting with the Pride in the City stage at Times Square on Friday July 18. This will be followed by an appearance on the festival’s Main Stage at Newcastle Town Moor on Saturday July 19, where she’ll be joined by a host of other big name stars, including X Factor winner Shayne Ward. Faye achieved international acclaim as one fifth of Steps, clocking up countless worldwide hits, including Tragedy, Say You’ll Be Mine and Better Best Forgotten. Since then she has starred in a number of stage shows, including Tell Me On A Sunday in London’s West End and is now making her Newcastle Pride debut. She said, “The North East has been my home for quite a while now and I’m really looking forward to hitting the stage at one of the region’s biggest events.   The line-up for Newcastle Pride 2014 is absolutely fantastic and I’m very proud to be a part of it.” Newcastle Pride, organised annually by charity Northern Pride, is one of the biggest free LGBT events in the UK. This year’s festival, which will be the largest in its seven year history, is expected to attract around 65,000 visitors, with a whole host of family-friendly, free entertainment spread across two sites and three days. This includes the Main Stage at Newcastle’s Town Moor, which will host live music on Saturday and Sunday, July 19 and 20 and the new Pride in the City stage outside the Centre for Life, which will host additional performances on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings (July 18, 19 and 20). Other highlights include a parade through Newcastle city centre on Saturday July 19 and a whole host of stalls and targeted entertainment areas, which will be open at the Town Moor throughout the weekend. Mark Nichols, Chair of Northern Pride, which organises the event, said: “The line-up for Newcastle Pride 2014 is one of the best we’ve ever had and I’m absolutely delighted that we can now put Faye’s name on the top of that list.  Faye is a fantastic singer and I’m sure she’ll have the crowds singing and dancing along.” For more information about Newcastle Pride, including a full line-up, visit www.northern-pride.com or follow @northernprideuk on Twitter.