As summer comes to an end, we have been reflecting on all the wonderful Pride events we’ve been involved with over the past few months.
Together with Pride with Rosewood London, L’Oréal and Harrods
On Tuesday 25th June, Rosewood London, L’Oréal and Harrods joined forces to host their ‘Together with Pride’ 2024 event. The Diversity Trust’s Joni Clark (LGBTQ+ Team Trainer and Coordinator) had the pleasure of being on a panel with Cliff Joannou (Editor in Chief Attitude Magazine and Rolling Stone UK), Shereen Morgan (DEI Director, L’Oreal UK and Ireland), Philip Khoury (Harrods), and Tobias Lui (Rosewood Hotel Group) discussing LGBTQ+ Icons.
Annie Moon, our Deputy CEO and Gaia Reed, LGBTQ+ Team Coordinator, also attended the event to aid in the running of the raffle, with all profits going to The Diversity Trust.
Here’s what they had to say:
“I’ve been truly inspired by Rosewood London’s genuine commitment to make a positive difference to the LGBTQ+ community during Pride 2024 and am humbled by their support for The Diversity Trust. I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Together with Pride event which they hosted in partnership with Harrods and L’Oreal. I loved the animated discussion around icons and unpacking what they mean to the LGBTQ+ community. Lots of food for thought!” – Annie Moon, Deputy CEO, The Diversity Trust
“Working with Rosewood London has been an absolutely wonderful experience! All too often, we see tokenistic engagement with Pride, a rainbow on the logo, and that’s it, but Rosewood London has been something else altogether. In a time when trans and non-binary people are increasingly under attack, Rosewood London commissioned multiple training sessions to support their staff in understanding trans and non-binary lives, and how to best support us both as guests and colleagues. Every single person who I’ve met has been so committed to getting this right, from top to bottom of the organisation, and it really speaks volumes about the culture Rosewood London has cultivated. Questions in the sessions were thoughtful and challenging, always from a place of compassion and seeking understanding, and the Together with Pride event was a fantastic evening where I was honoured to share a panel with such inspiring people doing such valuable work. The discussions were honest, heartfelt, and didn’t shy away from some of the challenges we face, which again, is fantastic to see! I can honestly say in the most emphatic terms that working with Rosewood London, and everyone involved in the partnership, was an absolute pleasure and left me feeling inspired and hopeful for the future!” – Joni Clark, LGBTQ+ Team Trainer and Coordinator
“Often Pride month events can feel quite tokenistic, and I was so happy that Rosewood London, Harrods & L’Oréal’s Together with Pride event was the total opposite. It was so powerful to see authentic conversations happening on stage between the panellists, and I had lots of thought-provoking conversations with attendees and staff at Rosewood London. Thank you so much to everyone for your dedicated support of The Diversity Trust!” – Gaia Reed, LGBTQ+ Team Coordinator
Thank you so much to Rosewood London, L’Oréal and Harrods for their generous support.
Youth Pride
The Diversity Trust hosted our first ever Youth Pride this year on July 6th, and we are delighted to report it was a resounding success. The team had a brilliant day with over 40 young people attending the event hosted at The Armadillo in Yate.
The event was full of numerous activities including drag performances, drag and ballroom workshops, and a craft corner with masks, bracelet, banner and badge making. We are delighted to have received wonderful feedback from both our team and the young people who attended the event.
Youth Pride photos kindly taken by Bex Wade.
Bristol Pride
On Saturday 13th July, we were delighted to be at Bristol Pride with South Gloucestershire Council! The team had a wonderful day talking with Pride-goers and collecting feedback on what pride attendees want to say to the new government and to the NHS.
Bath Pride
Finally, we were delighted to be at Bath Pride on August 18th and engage with the local community on a gorgeous Saturday. Our wonderful new team members Tim (Voice and Representation Co-ordinator) and Trudie (Volunteer Co-ordinator) attended to represent The Diversity Trust. Tim and Trudie have joined The Diversity Trust in new roles made possible by The National Lottery Community Fund for our LGBTQ+ Voice and Influence project. Thank you to Bath Pride for having us and for everyone who came by our stall.
It’s been wonderful to be involved in so many different events throughout the summer, we are now looking forward to Trans Pride in November and to next year’s summer Pride season!