Member Article

'Pride of Place' Returns for Second Year

Developer and Asset Manager, MEPC, is partnering with Leeds Pride and welcoming back its ‘Pride of Place’ celebrations to support the LGBTQ+ community in the region.

The Leeds business hub will again be showcasing its rainbow colours in support of Leeds Pride, as Wellington Place kickstarts its activities for the second consecutive year, celebrating, raising awareness and donating funds to the LGBTQ+ community and charity partners.

To launch the two-week Pride of Place programme, ahead of the Leeds Pride march on Sunday 4th August, Wellington Place occupiers and surrounding community joined forces to raise the Leeds Pride flag and kickstart their celebrations. From a Pride Stride down the canal to a high intensity Pride Ryde spin class, there’s lots for people to get involved with.

Rounding off the month’s celebrations, Wellington Place will again be bringing together a panel of experts and key speakers from businesses across the city, as well as the media, to discuss the topic of inclusivity in the workplace. The panel will debate HR practices associated with the LGBTQ+ community and strategies to tackle discrimination. This will be followed by an open floor question and answer session, bringing the topic of inclusivity to the forefront of business communities.

In addition to the activities hosted at the development, MEPC has also partnered with Leeds Pride to sponsor their community grant, which this year has the aim of supporting activities that celebrate the diversity of LGBTQ+ life and people’s experiences, and to engage LGBTQ+ people through culture. Funds from the grant have already been donated to a range of groups, including the Gay Black and Proud Carnival Troupe, Leeds Bi Group and Leeds Disabled People’s Organisation.

Dominique Simcox, Head of Customer Experience at MEPC Wellington Place, said: “After the success of last year’s events, we were extremely excited about bringing Pride of Place back to the development. It’s a topic we’re passionate about deepening the discussion on, not just here at Wellington Place, but within the wider business community in and around Leeds.

“The support we received throughout last year was incredible, and we were keen to build on that. This year, we also sponsored the Leeds Pride Community Grant, helping to support even more incredible LGBTQ+ causes around the region in the work they do. We hope that the Leeds community will join us in showing their support and building awareness around inclusivity in the workplace”.

Alexandra McEwan-Hannant, Director of Leeds Pride, added: “We were thrilled that MEPC came on board and partnered with us for the Leeds Pride Community Grant this year, with which we’re able to back some amazing causes. Their programme of events is a fantastic way to draw attention to inclusivity in the business community. It’s great to have received a fantastic the level of support from lots of companies at Wellington Place, with many of the businesses taking part in the parade and involving themselves with the wider city celebrations.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Albert .