Showing Up for Our Values at Birmingham Pride

On Saturday 31 March, I joined a small but perfectly formed group of Bromford colleagues joined thousands of others at Birmingham Pride to celebrate and show support for the LGBTQIA+ community. 

Bromford colleagues wearing their Pride in Birmingham

The weather held off (just about!) and the parade brought colour, energy and solidarity to the streets of Birmingham. At one point, I thought I’d found a Bromford customer in the crowd - only for them to let me know they lived in Bromford, not one of our homes! 

We were proud to walk behind Micro Rainbow, a brilliant organisation that provides safe housing for LGBTQIA+ refugees. It was inspiring to see another group with a purpose so aligned to our own - and the music and energy coming from them turned our march into more of a dance!

Even though we were a small group, I felt strongly about being there. It’s been a challenging year, particularly for the trans community, and with the recent Supreme Court ruling in April dominating the headlines, I wanted to show support for those affected.

This is something we’ve been reflecting on as a colleague group at Bromford. Together, we’ve reaffirmed our commitment to supporting LGBTQIA+ colleagues. Including those whose gender identity differs from their assigned sex at birth. We’re proud of our values and remain focused on creating an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves at work.

We’ve also been creating spaces for honest conversations, reflection, and education among colleagues - helping build understanding around LGBTQIA+ identities and language in a supportive, respectful way.

We’re already looking forward to next year’s Pride - and we hope even more of our colleagues will feel inspired to get involved, whether that’s in Birmingham or at other Pride events across our regions.

By Liz Walker, Head of Data Governance and Information Security at Bromford.

Liz Walker flying the Bromford flag at Birmingham Pride