We have marked Pride Month with a Pride Tea Party for all our colleagues to encourage inclusion of all groups as well as positive conversation and diversity.
This month recognises the work of LGBTQ+ people, promotes education in LGBTQ+ history, and raises awareness of issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community.
This year the theme for Pride in London, taking place on 1 July, is ‘Never March Alone’ which emphasises supporting and championing the transgender community and allyship. It will feature photographic and video portraits of members of the trans and non-binary community and those who stand with them.
The month of June is the celebration of Pride and sees lots of organisations arrange different activities to bring more awareness to the campaign. LiveWest joined in with the celebrations to mark this by hosting a Pride Tea Party on 7 June to acknowledge LGBTQ+ communities.
Charlotte Bond, our SAGE group lead committee member, said: “Our colleague networking group SAGE (Sexuality and Gender Equality) is currently celebrating all things pride in the month of June. We are looking to promote, to educate and engage those interested in the group and the world of LGBTQ+.
“This month we had an internal colleague Pride Tea Party which was really great and lots of colleagues across the business joined in with supporting this. To mark this month, we will be holding an LGBTQ+ Starting Families webinar and, we are proud to announce we have plans to be a sponsor for Weston Super-Mare Pride which will now be held in September and join in the 'ProudToBe' Parade.”
The SAGE group is a group of colleagues who all have an interest in the LGBTQ+ community and making the workplace more accepting and visible. The group has representative from members who are within the LGBTQ+ community, but welcome allyship also.
The business recognises the importance of Pride month by educating colleagues on LGBTQ+ history and the best ways to support friends and family members in the LGBTQ+ community. It also gives a platform to the voices of minority groups including customers and colleagues within the LGBTQ+ community, giving everyone the chance to listen to their stories and sharing their thoughts on LGBTQ+ issues.
Jennifer Pulsford, our Inclusion, Wellbeing and Reward Manager, said: “At LiveWest it is important to us that we don’t just celebrate our LGBTQ+ colleagues and acknowledge the discrimination that they have and still are facing in everyday life once a year during Pride month.
“For us, every June, we take the opportunity to showcase our SAGE colleague network group, who represent the views of our LGBQT+ colleagues, and the work that they do to help us be more inclusive.
“Our tea party gave colleagues the opportunity to come and spend time with our SAGE members to find out what they do and what else we have planned for the month including our Ask us anything campaign and the webinar on how LGBTQ+ families can get support.
“I am really proud of what SAGE have achieved at LiveWest and love working with them to create new initiatives that feel right for us as an organisation, not just following what others are doing.”
In celebration of our colleagues and customers in the LGBTQ+ community, we have temporarily changing our logo across our social media channels during Pride month.
By recognising important campaigns such as Pride month, LiveWest is proud to celebrate diversity and have conversations to help learn and make positive change going forward.
