Disability campaigner Kath Gillespie-Sells to lead London Pride

LGBT disability campaigner Kath Gillespie-Sells is to lead London’s gay Pride parade tomorrow as the event’s first grand marshall.

The activist, who was honoured with an MBE last month, will lead the annual parade through the city centre.

The grand marshall role is an honour usually given in US pride events and this is the first time London Pride has had one.

Pride spokesman Colm Howard-Lloyd told PinkNews.co.uk: “We want to honour Kath for all the work she’s done to make Pride more accessible over the years.

“We want to make her the most important person in the parade.”

Ms Gillespie-Sells, who is the mother of The Feeling singer Dan Gillespie-Sells, became disabled when a splinter in her finger led to septicaemia.

She founded national LGBT disabled campaigning group Regard in 1990 after struggling to attend Pride events.

She was nominated for Hero of the Year at the 2010 Stonewall awards.

Also leading the parade will be rugby player Ben Cohen, who has begun a campaign against homophobia in sport, and London deputy mayor Richard Barnes.

Mayor Boris Johnson, who will not be attending, sent a message to marchers to “have fun this Saturday and celebrate all that London has to offer”.