Stagecoach will support this year's Swindon and Wiltshire Pride event by providing a specially-decorated bus. The transport provider is sponsoring the celebratory community get-together on Saturday, August 10, and adorning its Service 55 vehicle with the colours of the Progress flag which represents lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary and intersex communities as well as marginalised LGBTQ+ people of colour. Stagecoach West staff will be running a stall at GWR Park to give visitors the chance to find out more about their local bus services and an opportunity to win prizes from a prize wheel.
Managing director Chris Hanson said: "Stagecoach West is an inclusive company so it is important that we show our support of the LGBTQ+ community and let everyone know that they are welcome and valued, both in the workforce and onboard our buses. "We are delighted to be involved with this year’s Swindon Pride, a fun and incredibly important event, and I hope it’s a wonderful day for all involved. “Our employee-led networks give members the freedom to push boundaries, encourage change and support colleagues – all the things that make Stagecoach West such a great place to work.
” The bus operator's employee networks available to staff - including LGBTQ+ people, veterans, parents and multicultural - were introduced to educate and promote causes within the organisation in a bid to create a more inclusive workplace and give employees a bigger voice in the future of the business and how it engages with the communities it operates in. The Pride march itself will kick off the day with everyone meeting up at 11am in the space outside Regents Circus and then setting off at 11.30am, making its way through town, heading towards the Town Hall, and finishing in GWR Park.
Highlights in this year's entertainment lineup - running from 12pm to 8pm - include performances by The Cheeky Girls, Cheryl from Canada's Drag Race and Britain's Got Talent's Fayth Ifill. West End Star Aimie Atkinson, best known for playing Katherine Howard in Six the Musical's original UK tour cast, will take to the stage, followed by the UK's best Taylor Swift tribute act Katy Ellis. Visitors can browse a wide range of food and drink stalls and children can play on fairground rides and try circus skills workshops.
Every purchase made at the Pride bar will go towards supporting the 2025 event. An afterparty for over-18s will follow at the Boom Battle Bar from 8pm..
