Harding Evans Announce Sponsorships At The Start of Pride Month

June is Pride month, dedicated to commemorating the years of struggle for civil rights and the ongoing pursuit of equal justice for the LGBTQI+ community, as well as the accomplishments of LGBTQI+ individuals and raising awareness of issues impacting the community.

This year, we are proud to announce that Harding Evans are sponsoring both Pride Cymru and Pride in the Port, two great events that bring people together in love and friendship, and to celebrate how far LGBTQI+ rights have come and how in some places there is still work to be done.

Pride Cymru is well established in Cardiff, tracing it’s roots back to Cardiff Mardi Gras in 1999. Its annual festival regularly attracts over 50,000 people and features a colourful parade through the Welsh capital. This year, Pride Cymru will take place on 17^th & 18^th June at Cardiff Castle, with performers including Sophie Ellis-Bextor, The Feeling and Claire Richards. Harding Evans are delighted to be included as a ‘Green’ sponsor to support the weekend.

Commenting on the sponsorship, Gian Molinu, Chair of Pride Cymru and Senior Associate Solicitor in Harding Evans’ Residential Conveyancing department, said: “I am proud to be a team member of both Pride Cymru and Harding Evans. Seeing my employers embrace Pride so openly shows the commitment across the organisation to demonstrating to our clients and employees our values. Pride means a lot of things to different parts of the LGBTQ+ community and for me, it’s about acceptance and inclusion. Harding Evans is the first place I’ve worked in where my colleagues have embraced those principles. As Chair of a voluntary run and led charity, I can’t begin to explain the value of the support and commitment we get from our sponsors.”

Entering its second year, Pride in the Port will this year take place at the Riverfront on the weekend of 2^nd September, but with plans in place for a full week of events in the lead up to it. For the first time ever, there will be a Pride Parade going through the centre of Newport and Harding Evans will be proudly sponsoring the volunteers for the event, covering the costs for uniforms and training for everyone helping out across the weekend.

Adam Smith, Chair of Pride in the Port said “we are pleased that Harding Evans Solicitors have joined us to sponsor our volunteers. Volunteers are key to the success of any event. This sponsorship means we can again ensure the welfare of our volunteers is kept a priority and at the heart of what we are doing. What’s more, it shows that businesses in Newport are coming together to support Newport events and to promote diversity, inclusion, and acceptance in our great city”.

Commenting on both sponsorships, Marketing & Communications Manager at Harding Evans, Haley Evans, said: “As a law firm, it is important to ensure that we are inclusive to all and that we welcome everyone as an individual, both as clients and as colleagues. We are proud to be able to stand by the side of the LGBTQI+ communities in both Newport and Cardiff and look forward to working with both Pride organisations throughout the year, to understand how, as a firm, we can support the communities all year round, not just at the times of the festivals”.

If you would like to volunteer at Pride in the Port, you can do so here.