HC-One was delighted to be a main sponsor at Darlington Pride (12th - 14th August), organised by Darlington Borough Council, and show their support for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Colleagues from HC-One and the local community came together to mark the three day celebrations with the main events taking place over the weekend. The main festivities included a Pride Festival on Saturday 12th August with a Pride March through the Market Square on to High Row, Bondgate, Skinnergate and Blackwellgate, as well as live music, tribute acts, street theatre, food and drink traders, information stalls and activities plus much more. There was also a relaxed Pride Picnic in the South Park on Sunday 13th August which included craft activities, face painting and bubbles where there was also acoustic music by Tracks Darlington.
Darlington Pride was also an opportunity for HC-One Colleagues to pay a special tribute to their friend and Colleague, Alan Miller-Young, HC-One’s Senior Regional HR Manager and Darlington Pride Ambassador, who sadly passed away suddenly at the end of last year. A special mention and photograph of Alan and other LGBTQIA+ supporters who had passed away since last year’s Pride celebrations being shown on screen in Darlington’s Market Square.
James Tugendhat, HC-One’s Chief Executive Officer said:
“HC-One were delighted to sponsor this year’s Darlington Pride once again. As one of Darlington’s biggest employers, it’s important to us as an organisation to support the LGBTQIA+ community and promote inclusivity and diversity, and support Residents and Colleagues to be their best and true selves.”
James Morrissey, Head of Human Resources at HC-One commented:
“HC-One was honoured to sponsor and celebrate pride in Darlington for the second consecutive year, championing equality, understanding, respect and inclusivity for all.
“Our Colleagues really enjoyed getting involved in the Darlington Pride celebrations this year including the Pride Festival.
“It was also important for us to pay tribute to Alan, a much-loved Colleague and friend. Alan was actively involved with the Darlington Pride celebrations last year, and he was very much missed at this year’s event.”