On Saturday 2nd August 2025, Southdown and UOK proudly joined thousands at the Brighton Pride Parade for the very first time. The atmosphere was electric, reflections powerful and the cheering loud. Colleagues, clients, tenants, partners and allies came together to say: This is us, and we are Proud.
Southdown’s LGBTQ+ employee network worked incredibly hard with little time to secure a spot in the parade and invited LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies, clients, tenants, and friends to walk with them.
Dominique Hall, from the employee network, explains why being part of the Pride Parade is so important:
“There’s been a lot of backlash recently against anyone’s who’s different so it’s really important to show we have been around forever and we’re going to be around forever. We’ve got a lot of LGBTQ employees and tenants and clients. Pride’s a really big part of the year to show solidarity with the community and for the community to have pride in themselves.”
The sun was out, the music was playing, and the dancers did not stop dancing! It took three hours to walk from the Peace Statue in Hove to Brighton’s Preston Park and along the route we were met with thousands of faces who were there in support. It was a phenomenal and uplifting experience.
For much of the way, Rob Taylor from the employee network, held hands with his partner Joseph. He says, “I know it makes an impact to hold hands and show the world what we are proud to be!”
Kimberley, who was part of the parade, says,
“Myself and others heard lots of people cheer “Southdown” and this was particularly touching as I think we had a lot of service users watching the parade and I think our queer inclusive presence was important to them.”
Rob reflects,
“I would like to say how proud I am to everyone involved for bringing it together for us to share our support for the LQBTQ+ community. For me, you were present to share your love and passion supporting its challenges, and the true reason for marching! Southdown offers mental health support to the community and by walking in the Parade we defiantly got the message across that we are there for everyone, especially at a time when society is being confronted by so many challenges. WE, yes WE, achieved this together in solidarity. It was a joyous occasion for staff and clients to collaborate as one. So much love and kindness was felt and shared.”
We spoke to Brooke Joyce, Partnership Lead for UOK Brighton & Hove, who says,
“I was incredibly proud to walk alongside colleagues, clients, and other fabulous people in the Pride Parade, as an LGBTQ+ ally representing UOK Brighton & Hove. The atmosphere was electric, and the reception we received was just brilliant. It really felt like people were open and responsive to our messaging, and the wonderful outfits worn by our walkers certainly helped us stand out!
On behalf of the UOK Brighton & Hove partnership, I want to express our gratitude to everyone involved for the visibility, celebration, and powerful show of solidarity we achieved together.”
For those of you who could not join us, we wanted to share with you videos, photos, and reflections from those who took part, so that you can get a flavour of the day and the impact our participation had:
Kirstie
“Pride is a protest – one that is still needed to fight for LGBTQ+ rights, which continue to be threatened. Pride is also a celebration of all the many varied and beautiful things that queer people and culture bring to our communities. On a personal note, it’s helped me to understand and lean more into myself and feel deep, true pride.
Marching alongside clients, tenants, and colleagues as our whole selves, amidst tens of thousands of people expressing their solidarity and support, restored my hope for our communities and the world at large. It reminded me that love is really all that matters, and there is so much of it in and around us.
I am proud to work for an organisation that upholds values of acceptance and solidarity every day. It means a lot that Southdown committed to demonstrating this at Pride this year, saying loudly and unequivocally: This Is Us, and we are proud.”
Kimberley
“I appreciate everyone in Southdown for supporting not only their queer staff but also the queer community as a whole. As we know, our identity impacts our mental health. The community spirit was felt and it was a joy to walk the parade with all of you!”
Orla
“I wanted to be part of the parade this year because I feel proud to walk with an organisation I am proud to be part of. I have also been attending Brighton Pride since before I could walk, and I was excited at the opportunity to be part of the action for the first time. What really sealed the deal was learning that political parties and Sussex Police would not be marching in the parade this year, so I felt I could in good conscience take part in an event that is historically a protest, especially calling for better from legislators and lawmakers, and those who enforce those laws
It was a beautiful feeling to gain a new perspective on the parade; as tiring as it was to do a 25 minute walk in nearly 4 hours, walking past and waving to all the people lined up to show solidarity was such a heartwarming feeling. It was also lovely to see people cheer for us, as we were showing through our signs and messaging we are a supportive and inclusive organisation
Pride is important because it started as a call to action to gain rights for our community. It is a protest at it’s core, against societies that seek to oppress those who are different. In Brighton of course it has become more like a city-wide party, but that just goes to show what an accepting and celebratory place this is to live for queer people, overall. It is wonderful to celebrate visibility so loudly and proudly
It means we as individuals can visibly celebrate things we are passionate about; pride as queer people and pride in an organisation that supports and empowers vulnerable people, many who experience oppression in a variety of forms. It is defiant and it is loving. For Southdown, taking part is a beautiful statement to make about how we embody values like inclusion and diversity. We care, and we care about everyone.
Thank you for such a wonderful day everyone x”
Eve
“I just wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in organising our participation in the Pride parade. From the risk assessments and banners to the logoed shirts, colourful accessories, makeup, clear directions, and even water on the day — every detail was thoughtfully planned and brilliantly executed.
Thank you also for allowing me to be part of such a fantastic event. It was a real privilege to show my support for our LGBT+ community and to stand alongside you all in celebration.
You demonstrated a truly united front, which reflects the very best of our values — especially teamwork and inclusivity. It’s moments like these that remind me how proud I am to work with such a committed and passionate group of people.”
We would all like to say a huge thank you to Dominique Hall, Rob Taylor, and Dominic Leslie from the LGBTQ+ employee network who led the campaign for Southdown and UOK to take part in Brighton Pride. Their hard work, passion, dedication, and thoughtfulness and care made it a very special experience. Thank you also to Chris Wellings and Dominic Goodeve who helped to facilitate it to happen.
