Northumberland County Council and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust are proud to have taken part in the first ever Northumberland Pride event.
Northumberland Pride, which celebrates lesbian, gay, transgender (LGBT+) communities, took place on Alnwick Rugby Club on 2 June and a range of Trust and Council services including the Sexual Health Service, Wellbeing Service, Fostering and Adoption, Apprenticeships, and Registrars supported the event with stalls and information.
Over the last year a great deal of work has been carried out to to support LGBT+ staff. The Trust and Council have a joint LGBT+ staff network to help both organisations develop policies and procedures, to ensure they are LGBT+ friendly.
Peter Jackson, Leader of Northumberland County Council, said: “We were delighted to support Northumberland Pride alongside the Trust. We undertake a range of activities to support and work with our communities and through Northumberland Pride we could engage directly with members of the LGBT community and showcase our services.
“It is important that equality and diversity is embedded into everything we do, from policy and practice, staff training and communication, to our work with schools, engaging with young people and with the wider community.”
Jim Mackey, Chief Executive at Northumbria Healthcare said: “We were delighted to be standing together with the council to support this great event.
“As a top 100 Stonewall employer and one of the best in the NHS at supporting LGBT communities it’s really important to us that we promote healthcare services which are accessible to everyone, and make a stand to ensure all our patients and staff feel supported. Northumberland Pride helps us to celebrate diversity and further promote equality in the workplace.”
Videos and pictures of the day can be viewed on the Trust and Council facebook and twitter pages.