Why our colleagues are taking part in the Pride Cymru 2022 parade

26 August 2022

Pride Cymru will return to the Welsh capital this month and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB) is proud to be joining NHS Wales colleagues in the annual parade.

Celebrations will be taking place at Cardiff City Hall Lawns over the August Bank Holiday weekend and thousands are expected to join the parade through the city centre on the 27th of August.

Some of our members of staff who will be marching alongside Health Board colleagues, supporting the event voluntarily or attending in other capacities, have spoken about why they will be taking part and why Pride Cymru is as important than ever.

Morgan Barnes — Cancer Services MDT Co-ordinator

I'm joining NHS Wales and Cardiff and Vale UHB colleagues in this year’s Pride Cymru Parade because homophobia is still a huge issue in society.

People ask ‘why do we still need Pride? You can get married, you have all the same rights, you've already won’. But those people are equating equal rights and equal treatment.

Whilst legally we have equal rights, gay people still face huge stigma and unfortunately, abuse, violence and persecution still happen. Pride is a reminder that the fight for equality is far from over and won't be over until LGBTQ+ people can co-exist without fear.

For me, it’s important that NHS Wales and Cardiff and Vale UHB are involved in the Parade important because I work for them and I hope to continue working for them for years to come.

Knowing that every person is important — whether they're a colleague or a patient —makes me happy and proud to work for Cardiff and Vale UHB.

Miranda King — Laboratory Assistant in Biochemistry

I’ve wanted to take part in previous years but this will be my first time attending Pride Cymru and marching with NHS Wales and Cardiff and Vale UHB.

Across the world, human rights are being overtly violated. Whilst Pride is a celebration, it’s also political and it’s important we stand up and march for what we believe in.

It’s also crucial there is LGBTQ+ visibility within NHS Wales and Cardiff and Vale UHB so LGBTQ+ people are comfortable talking about experiences to healthcare providers.

Ellis Peares — Youth Board Member

As a member of the Welsh Youth Parliament, I will be taking part in the Pride Cymru alongside my Senedd colleagues. I’ve been to Essex Pride before but I’m very much looking forward to my first Pride Cymru.

I strongly believe that Pride is as important now as it was in 1972, when the first UK Pride march took place. As a young person who hasn't been 'out' for that long, Pride is also an opportunity for me to learn and discover new things.

As a Cardiff and Vale Health Youth Board member, I believe it is important for NHS Wales and Cardiff and Vale UHB to be a part of the Parade as it shows young LGBTQ+ people that they aren't alone and that the Health Board promotes inclusivity.

Lisa Cordery — Specialist Community Public Health Nurse

This year I am attending Pride Cymru as a volunteer and I have taken annual leave to help with the event. I have always seen Pride as a celebration and a protest and feel passionately that I needed to be more involved.

I became a trustee of Pride Cymru over a year ago but this will be my first time working in person as a volunteer. I am feeling the pressure already but I’m also very excited.

I am incredibly proud that the Health Board values the importance the attending Pride and marching in the parade. Visible support makes a huge difference to the many LGBTQ+ UHB staff members, patients and visitors and the wider LGBTQ+ community in Cardiff and The Vale of Glamorgan. It shows that local healthcare cares about inclusion and providing compassionate care to all.

Chandra Almeida — People and Culture Coordinator

Attending Pride Cymru is important to me as it’ll be my first Pride festival since moving to Wales and coming out as bisexual.

I attended Bristol Pride earlier this summer and it was such a cathartic and positive experience – I’m looking forward to celebrating that in the place I now call home, with some of the amazing and supportive friends I’ve made along the way.

As a member of the Health Board’s People and Culture Team, it’s important to me that NHS Wales promotes inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community and marching in the Parade is a brilliant way to show that support and solidarity.

Mitchell Jones — Equity and Inclusion Manager

I’m taking part in the Pride Cymru parade for my younger self, and for people who are in the same boat today. It took me a long time to accept that I was gay. Meeting

other LGBTQ+ people and seeing the increased visibility of the community was the catalyst for me being able to be my true self.

It is important that we march at Pride to promote Cardiff and Vale UHB and NHS Wales as an LGBTQ+ inclusive service and employer. People often need our help at their most vulnerable, it is important they trust us and feel able to be honest and authentic when in our care.