EQUITY has secured £15,000 in funding for more than 50 Manchester Pride performers who were left unpaid after the company running the festival went bust last year.

The union revealed businesses within a “social action pot” put forward by the city council had raised the sum today.

Including £12,500 raised from a crowdfunder run by Equity member Nathaniel Hall, the total raised for the performers now stands at £27,500 — about 40 per cent of the £70,000 owed.

Mr Hallsaid: “Even though this won’t cover all the losses, the gesture is really welcome.

“Equity members have been working for months to get this result.”

Equity North West official Karen Lockney said that it “just goes to show that you should never give up.”

Council leader Garry Bridges said: “We’ve been clear throughout that we sympathised with the plight of performers left unpaid when the former organisers of Pride went bust.”