22/05/2026
Get ready to welcome Madame Mint Ball to Wigan! A new partnership with one of Wigan’s oldest companies is set to bring a refreshing new addition to this year’s Wigan Pride event.
Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls, established in 1898, and operating from the same Wigan town centre factory since 1919, are the latest local business to show their support for
A further collaboration, with local upcycling CIC, ReDoo, means that Wigan Pride 2026 will welcome a drag artist with a difference.
ReDoo are currently working with thousands of Uncle Joe’s Mint Ball wrappers to create a spectacular costume for a brand-new drag queen, Madame Mint Ball, who will parade through the streets of Wigan at the Wigan Council backed town centre event on Saturday 8 August, handing out free Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls to the crowds.
Uncle Joe’s are also developing a new Wigan Pride tin for their famous Mint Balls, that will be available for everyone to buy from their stall on the day.
Anita Taulty is sales and office manager at Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls. She says,
“We love being part of the Wigan community and we often get asked to support local initiatives. Although we’re a well-established brand, we’re still a small family-run business, so can’t support everything financially, but we do try to offer other types of support where we can.
“We’ve been producing Mint Balls from the same Wigan factory since 1919 and we’re so thankful for our local customers.
“This partnership with Wigan Pride is our way of saying that it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, if you’re part of Wigan Borough’s community, we want to say thank you for all of your support for our business over the years and this is just one way that we can do that.”
A big thank you to Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls for your kind support and massive thanks to ReDoo for your hard work on the costume. We can’t wait to see it finished! Many thanks also to sponsors of this project Calisen and RADCaT and to our committee member, Craig, who will be transformed into Madame Mint Ball on the day!
Read more about this story: https://www.wigan.gov.uk/News/Articles/2026/May/Uncle-Joe's-Mint-Balls-make-unique-contribution-to-Wigan-Pride-2026.aspx