NEARLY £3,000 has been raised for two crucial charities following this year's Drag Diva Lockdown Live! event.

The show, which came complete with an abundance of glitter, glam and talent, took place at The Grand Atlantic Hotel in Weston earlier this month (April 6).

This is the third event, with the first having been held in August 2021 at The Grand Pier and the second in 2023 at The Winter Gardens.

This year's venue was chosen due to the ever increasing venue costs and the massive support that was made available from the team at Grand Atlantic. 

Paul Doble, the creator of Drag Diva Lockdown, and the Drag Diva Lockdown Live event organiser, said: ‘’It was a real challenge bringing this event to the final stages due to the ever-increasing costs however, with the help of sponsors SMSounds, KDM Security LTD, Seamus O’Donnell’s, Queen-shilling & Proud Bar the event came back with a punch and was full of amazing talent and lots of sparkle."

In total, £2,926.91 was raised, which has been split between two charities. 

Previously the event had raised money solely for the North Somerset LGBT+ Forum, a local registered charity supporting the LGBT+ community of North Somerset.

However, this year's event also raised money for the RNLI in Weston in memory of Paul's Nan who passed away in March 2023 but supported the RNLI each month.

The two charities came together at the Lifeboat Station yesterday (Wednesday, April 24), to celebrate the fundraiser and discuss next year's event, which will take place on Saturday, April 5, 2025.

Visit the Ticket Tailor website for tickets or scan the QR code.

Weston Mercury: Tickets for the 2025 event are available now.Tickets for the 2025 event are available now. (Image: Paul Doble)

Steve Winter-Gray, the chair of North Somerset LGBT+ Forum, said: "Paul's ongoing support to the North Somerset LGBT+ Forum year on year has enabled our HQ on Meadow Street to remain open throughout the past two years and to allow us to support the LGBT+ Communities of North Somerset.

"The team are incredibly grateful to Paul for his support, and for an incredibly enjoyable evening."

Christopher Ware is the station manager for Weston-super-Mare RNLI, and their spokesperson shared the following: "The volunteer crew at RNLI Weston-Super-Mare are very grateful for this monetary donation.

"It has allowed us to purchase a thermal scope to be used at the station. The scope shows body warmth in darkness and will be utilised for shoreline casualty searches around Weston's bay.

"Having the ongoing support of the North Somerset LGBT+ Forum is a new and welcome partnership for us."