15/06/2026
This is the day we plan for a whole year in advance. Essex Pride's festival in Central Park, Chelmsford, is where it all began with Bar Plus. Kirsty & Lilly nervously took to the stage and announced they had just opened an LGBTQIA+ safe space bar on Moulsham street, Chelmsford. The crowd erupted with cheers and joyful screams of delight.
They ran back to Bar Plus and helped with the final preparations. Woefully unprepared for what was about to happen. Kirsty turned to Lilly and said with hands held in prayer, "let's hope some people turn up!" Kirsty turned to key to unlock the pub door whilst friends and family, who had never worked behind a bar, joined a couple of newly recruited bar staff for a helping hand, looked terrified as the bar instantly filled with festival goers. The flow of customers did not stop all night. No one could move. The vibe was incredible, people were queueing to talk to Kirsty & Lilly all night. They were showered with hugs, kisses, and well wishing from people who were overjoyed to see a gay bar open up. It had been twelve years since Smiths had closed and they had missed the chance to completely relax and be themselves in a place they could call their own. The wait to be served was agonisingly slow due to the inexperience of the staff, yet no one complained. It was as if they could see that everyone was trying their best and that it could only improve.
When the doors finally closed , Kirsty & Lilly hugged and cried with the overwhelming emotion and the proudest moment of their lives. They had dreamed of opening Bar Plus for fifteen years. What had just happened surpassed their wildest dreams. As a transgender married couple, who had endured decades of hatred and bullying washed away from their consciousness.
Two years on and Bar Plus thrives with the couples inexhaustible devotion to improvements and dynamic development. This is a bar built on love and the celebration of diversity and inclusivity. It is where gay and straight people enjoy the same vibe. It's a cocktail and entertainment venue. It's a joy to visit.
Happy Pride evrybody.
The Bar Plus Team xx
