Travis Perkins to sponsor Northampton Pride for second year

Travis Perkins plc will be sponsoring the Northampton Pride festival for a second year as the event returns to the town centre on Saturday, 8 July.

The event, which gives residents in West Northamptonshire the opportunity to come together to celebrate and stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ communities, will take place from 11am to 6:30pm, starting in Abington Street, Northampton, before finishing at the University of Northampton’s (UON) Waterside Campus where there will be a full programme of entertainment and a range of community stalls and food vendors.

Travis Perkins plc, which has offices located in Lodge Farm, employs 20,000 people at home and abroad, including 1,600 people in Northamptonshire. They will be supporting the Pride Parade whilst highlighting what they do to support members of the LGBTQ+ community they employ and serve.

The Parade will set off from Abington Street at 11am and arrive in the centre of the Waterside Campus at around 11.50am, where the event will be officially opened with a minute of noise.

Entertainment on the day will include rainbow stilt walkers, hula hoopers, Burlesque dancers, Drag Queens and a variety of onstage musical performances. This year’s main stage is sponsored by Northampton Town Council.

“We are once again delighted to have Travis Perkins – a valuable local employer, supporting our Northampton Pride festival alongside Northampton Town Council.

“Travis Perkins is a household name employing thousands of people in West Northamptonshire and I am thrilled to see the company stepping forward to support the local community and stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ community."Cllr David Smith, WNC’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Engagement, and Regulatory Services

All 20,000 Travis Perkins plc colleagues are being encouraged to use Pride to educate themselves on what it means to become good allies to the lesbian, gay, bi, trans and questioning (LGBTQ+) community and will mark the celebrations by taking part in a range of activities, including training, talks and debates.

They will also be encouraged to mark the occasion by wearing rainbow laces or dress brightly during June to show their support.

"At Travis Perkins plc we understand the need to build a more diverse workforce that better reflects all of the communities we serve, and as a major local employer, we are really proud to sponsor our local Pride Parade again. 

“We have a Proud network that aims to give a voice to and raise awareness of the issues faced in our business by our under-represented LGBTQI+ colleagues, so we can drive positive change. 

“As a business, we will use this year’s Pride to share our thoughts, ideas and experiences of the progress made, and where there is still work to be done. We will also encourage more of our colleagues to complete a training module to help us all become better allies and show that we’re tied into Pride by wearing our rainbow laces with Pride. We also very much look forward to coming together at the Pride Parade to celebrate diversity and support our colleagues and everyone from the local LGBTQ+ community."Dean Pinner, Managing Director of Keyline and sponsor of Travis Perkins Group’s LGBTQ+ colleague network