UWE Bristol supporting Pride 2019

The University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) is proud to once again be a sponsor of Bristol Pride 2019. Celebrating ten years of promoting inclusivity in the city, Bristol Pride launched on 1 July 2019 with two weeks of events, film screenings, performances and parties which will culminate in the Pride Day Parade on Saturday 13 July.

UWE Bristol is this year's access sponsor, ensuring that all Bristol Pride events are accessible to all. As the festival takes place on the Downs, UWE Bristol sponsorship has supported an accessible viewing platform for the main stage as well as a fully accessible toilet with support staff. As in previous years, the University will also be sponsoring British Sign Language interpreters who will signing performances on the main stage.

The Pride Day Parade begins at 10am at Castle Park, and all UWE Bristol students, staff and their families are invited to join the parade and march with together with the University. The parade will make its way through the city centre ending at Millennium Square, and Festival buses will transport the parade onto Clifton Downs for the Pride Day Festival. Details about the Festival can be found on the Bristol Pride website.

Marcus Keppel-Palmer, coordinator of the LGBT+ Staff Network at UWE Bristol said: “Working at UWE Bristol, I have seen our commitment to supporting LGBT+ staff and students grow over the years. Senior management has consistently showed they ally themselves to the LGBT+ family at the University and I am delighted that once again the University is a sponsor of Bristol Pride.

“This year especially marks 50 years since the Stonewall riots raised the visibility of the LGBT+ community, but despite 50 years of continuous change and improvement, we must not lose sight of the fact that equality of rights is not available everywhere and our community still faces challenges to our hard won rights. Bristol Pride remains a marker that the LGBT+ community is a vibrant part of the intellectual and cultural fabric of the region, and I am proud that UWE Bristol is demonstrating its values by its participation in Pride.”

For more information on UWE Bristol's involvement in Bristol Pride 2019, please contact Matthew Farren at matthew.farren@uwe.ac.uk or pressoffice@uwe.ac.uk.