HUNDREDS of people flocked to a town’s indoor market to celebrate Darlington Pride.

The event saw people of all ages and social backgrounds support the community in Darlington's Covered Market.

LGBT+ group Darlington ARQ arranged the celebration which their chief executive Andi Cull wants to make accessible to everyone.

He said: “It has met and exceeded my expectations. It’s fabulous to see the turn out from the fire service and the police because you can’t spell community without unity.

“I hope it lets people know there is an LGBT community in Darlington and that people are supported because everyone is here to support Pride.”

The indoor market was lined with Pride flags and filled with people sporting rainbow face paint.

A spokesperson from Darlington Covered Market said: “The market is really enjoying being able to support such a fantastic thing going on in Darlington.

“It’s a great event to support as it’s always good to include everybody as we like to engage different audiences in the market place.”

Organisations including the Alzheimer’s Society and the Samaritans held stalls at the event, offering support to the LGBT+ community.

The Samaritans Darlington directer, Gloria Wilson, said: “We want to support people in every aspect of their lives.

“If anyone is struggling, we are here 24/7 and will help them find a way forward.”

The event was the first daytime Pride event in Darlington and was set up as ARQ believe members of the public were missing out on celebrations.

Mr Cull said: “One of the challenges we had was getting the community together in this space at short notice, but we’ve just opened and already we’ve got a great crowd.

“I can’t believe this is actually happening. I’m really made up with how it is going.”

LGBT+ organisation Hart Gables also attended the Pride event.

Andrew Towers, a development worker at the organisation said: “We are here today supporting this event because we feel it’s important to allow people to be who they are and exist in their own identity.”

The event was headlined by music group Roxy and finished with a Pride march from the market to Grange Road.