Organisers of Portrush’s first Pride rally said they were delighted with the “monumental moment”. The hometown of gay rights campaigner Mark Ashton hosted the rally on Saturday afternoon. Mark Ashton grew up the County Antrim town before moving to London in 1978 and was a leading figure in the Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) group during the 1984 miners’ strike. He died in 1987 aged 26. A plaque was dedicated to him in London and a garden in memory of him was built in Paris. A campaign to erect a memorial in Portrush has been ongoing.