Our colleague-led community group, Pride, offers a welcoming, safe and confidential space where our people can share experiences, ask questions and build connections.
The group plays an active role in shaping an inclusive culture, raising awareness of LGBTQ+ issues and supporting internal networks. Pride also builds links with external organisations and charities, helping to bring wider perspectives into the business and support collective action through fundraising, volunteering and education.
Throughout the year, Pride has helped bring inclusion to life through a range of activities that create space for learning and celebration. We marked key moments such as LGBTQ+ History Month, with a lunch and learn session exploring the history, progress and continuing challenges faced by LGBTQ+ communities. During Pride Month, colleagues came together to celebrate and show visible support, from joining the Leeds Pride parade to hosting creative, community-focused events in Guildford and Birmingham, combining celebration with awareness.
In Leeds, our people heard directly from Out Together, a local charity working to build inclusive communities across Yorkshire, strengthening understanding of how support can continue outside the workplace. Fundraising activity, including support for the National AIDS Trust on World AIDS Day, helped connect colleagues to wider causes and conversations affecting LGBTQ+ communities.
At the centre of this work are the voices and experiences of colleagues themselves. On International Trans Day of Visibility, a powerful personal reflection shared by our people highlighted what inclusion means. By sharing lived experiences, these moments help deepen understanding and remind us that creating an inclusive environment is about ensuring everyone feels seen, respected and able to be themselves.
Looking ahead, Pride continues to build on this momentum. From supporting campaigns such as Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces, to introducing visible signs of allyship like Pride lanyards, we are finding simple but meaningful ways to demonstrate support and foster belonging across the business.
Pride helps to connect our people, strengthen understanding and ensures that support extends beyond awareness into everyday behaviour, helping build a culture where everyone can be their authentic selves.