UNISON joins sponsors of first ever Pride parade in Caerphilly

UNISON Caerphilly branch Juan Garcia Stephen Gardiner Lianne Dallimore
Pictured above l-r: Juan Garcia, Stephen Gardiner and Lianne Dallimore of UNISON Caerphilly branch

UNISON will be a key sponsor of the first ever Pride Caerffili event in Caerphilly this summer.

The event on Saturday 24 June will take place in Caerphilly town centre.

UNISON is sponsoring a bandstand for schools, colleges and youth services as part of a parade which will start at 12pm, at the top of Caerphilly town.

The parade will lead into the Caerphilly Twyn Car Park and the surrounding lower end of the town, where the main event will be held.

Organisers are hoping to get as many of Caerphilly residents as possible on board, as well as youth services and schools in a bid to raise awareness of a diverse Caerphilly County borough.

Lianne Dallimore, branch secretary of UNISON in Caerphilly, said: “We’re getting involved because we want to give as much support to our LGBTQ+ community as we can.

“We already give a donation each year to a youth service group who call themselves ‘Guys, Gals and Non-binary Pals’.

“They do fabulous work with young people and have created a wonderful space in Blackwood Library for our young people to come together, talk, learn and share their experiences on a whole host of topics and life events.

“Sponsoring the bandstand for schools, colleges and the youth service feels like the perfect fit with the work we’ve already been doing over the years and hopefully we’ll be able to encourage more young people to get involved, not just with the branch, but with the wider trade union movement.”