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First Bristol Pride Awards

The Bristol Pride Gala Ball which took place in the Marriott Royal Hotel at the end of October brought Bristol Businesses and members of the community together to celebrate LGBT Bristol.

atBristol: Most Friendly LGBT+ Visitor Attraction
atBristol: Most Friendly LGBT+ Visitor Attraction

The event, hosted by Bristol Pride, aimed to bring those businesses doing great work in the city for their LGBT+ staff, clients, visitors and the wider community and celebrate their successes through the first ever Bristol Pride Awards.

Both Mayor of Bristol, George Ferguson and The Right Hon Lord Mayor of Bristol, Clare Campion-Smith attended the event and presented awards.

Businesses present on the night including Bristol based law firms Burges Salmon, Irwin Mitchell and DAC Beachcroft as well as the University of West of England, The Labour Party including 2016 mayoral candidate Marvin Rees, atBristol, SS Great Britain, representatives from the music industry and staff from the MOD and Environment Agency.

The night was a Halloween themed spectacle with jugglers, acrobatic performances and magicians ahead of a three 3 course dinner and masquerade after party.

The highlight of the night however were the Pride Awards which had been nominated by members of the public.

Best Employer: Watershed
Best Employer: Watershed

Mayor of Bristol, George Ferguson praised the hard work being done in the city for the LGBT community whilst presenting the award for Best Employer which was won by The Watershed, whilst The Lord Mayor, Clare Campion-Smith presented the award for Most Friendly LGBT+ Visitor Attraction which was awarded to the science centre atBristol.

The University of the West of England at Bristol picked up a special recognition award for the overwhelming support they have given Bristol Pride over the past six years as well as achieving the highest ranking educational institute in the Stonewall Workplace Equality index in 2015 coming 11th in the Top100 overall.

Their support to Bristol Pride both financially and with awareness of their events and activities amongst staff, students and Bristol as a whole has meant a great deal to staff and to students and in some cases have been one of the reasons LGBT students have chosen to come to live and study in Bristol.

Pride volunteer John Paul Bradbury was recognised for his work with the team and awarded the Outstanding Volunteer Contribution award for his dedication and hard work. John signed up to work as this year’s Volunteer Parade Manager after only being in Bristol a few short weeks.

His hard work meant that Bristol Pride’s largest parade to date, with over 5000 people, was a great success and was safely managed and coordinated as people marched through the busy city streets.

Daryn Carter
Daryn Carter

Director Daryn Carter, said: “It was a fantastic night and with great support from big local businesses, members of the public and both the Mayor and Lord Mayor of the city attended the event. I am really pleased we have been able to recognise the great work being done in the city by businesses who are visibly showcasing their support to staff and commitment to the community, be that through great equalities training, staff networks or just supporting community events like Pride.

“It was heartwarming to read some of the reasons why organisations were nominated for awards and it’s clear the work they are doing clearly means a great deal to staff and the community. In the case of UWE this extends to students who for some have been one of the reasons they have chosen to come to live and study in Bristol.”

On winning Best Law Firm Jonathan Peacock, Partner at Irwin Mitchell LLP said:  “We are absolutely delighted to have received this award, with the prize being a great tribute to the fantastic range of work undertaken by many people within our office. As well as sponsoring the Pride annual event, our caseworkers have consistently acted with empathy and understanding of the issues faced in the LGBT community and are a major credit to the firm. 

“The win is a great time to celebrate our commitment to this area and we are already thinking about the next steps we can take to improve our support even further.”

Full List of Awards and Winners

♦ Best Law Firm: Irwin Mitchell LLP

♦ Best LGBT+ Staff Network: The Co-operative

♦ Best LGBT+ Friendly Visitor Attraction: atBristol

♦ Best Employer: Watershed

♦ Best Act at Pride Day: NINA

♦ Outstanding Volunteer Contribution: John Paul Bradbury

♦ Best Stall at Pride Day: Labour

♦ Special Recognition: UWE Bristol

♦ Bristol Pride Achievement Award: The Environment Agency

For more information about Bristol Pride, click here: 

 

New research finds sex education in schools not inclusive of same-sex relationships

Researchers have found secondary schools in Britain claiming to incorporate sexual diversity into their sex and relationship education (SRE) are in fact upholding heteronormativity.

Birmingham City University

Researchers at Birmingham City University and Sheffield Hallam University discovered that same-sex practices are being positioned outside of the classroom, potentially leaving young people without a comprehensive and inclusive sex and relationships education.

Interviews conducted with SRE teachers in eight secondary schools across Yorkshire, all claiming to be inclusive of young people’s sexual diversities, almost always constructed young people as heterosexual in their discussions.

“In terms of the promotion of homosexuality and lesbianism, we don’t really get into all that”, said one teacher, who has been teaching SRE for over eight years.

“If they openly want to discuss homosexuality, I don’t think the classroom is the best place to do it”, the research participant added. “It’s something that we say if you have concerns about, we have the drop-in clinic with the school nurse.”

Current legislation for SRE in UK schools advocates inclusive provision when delivered, but isn’t obligatory.

Keeley Abbott, lecturer in Social Psychology at Birmingham City University and research lead, said: “Our findings highlight a lack of understanding amongst teachers around what constitutes real inclusivity within the context of sex and relationship education.

“Lesbian, gay and bisexual students could be being left vulnerable here with a lack of any sex education provision that is relevant for them.

“We need the Government to step in and make SRE statutory with a policy, ensuring that teachers reflect on all aspects of their SRE practice and work to an inclusive curriculum that takes account of young people’s varying sexual identities, relationships and cultural backgrounds.”

Dr Sonja Ellis, lecturer in Psychology at Sheffield Hallam University, added: “Teachers also need to be aware of the various ways of imposing heteronormalizing practices through their use of terminology, and should be using words such as ‘partner’ instead of ‘boyfriend’ or ‘girlfriend’.

“Teachers currently have no restrictions when deciding both their approach to and delivery of SRE. We hope that our research encourages individuals at a policy level to see that they play a crucial role in establishing a clear curriculum framework from which teachers can gain clarity and confidence.”

 

 

The Mayor of London’s Annual London Survey

Every year, the Greater London Authority (GLA) run an Annual London Survey to find out what Londoners think on everything from community safety to housing, health and transport.

Mayor of London: Boris Johnson
Mayor of London: Boris Johnson

The results of Londoners views are directly presented to the Mayor of London and others in December to make sure future plans for the city meet their needs.

The information people provide help develop plans that are right for London and right for the people who live and work there and means the Mayor can respond quickly to public priorities.

For example, in last year survey housing and the cost of living were Londoners’ top concerns. As a result, City Hall redoubled their efforts to build the new, affordable homes London so badly needs.

The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete and there are 5 chances to win £100 just for taking part.  It’s run through Talk London, a website set up by City Hall to listen to the views of citizens in the capital.

For complete the survey, click here:

 

PREVIEW: Fundraiser for Brighton Womens Centre tonight

Brighton Women’s Centre (BWC) has been empowering women since 1974 and tonight (November 26) they need your support to raise funds to continue delivering their important work.

WEB.600.1

As part of Brighton’s 16 Days of Action for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls the Brighton Women’s Centre are staging a Variety Fundraiser to support the work of the Centre.

Artists appearing include comedian Sameena Zehra, poet Louisa Tomlinson and music from Mariella West.

The event takes place tonight, November 26  at St George’s Church, Kemptown starting at 7.30pm.


Event: A Variety Fundraiser to benefit Brighton Women’s Centre

Where: St George’s Church, St George’s Road, Kemptown

When: Thursday, November 26

Time: 7.30pm

Tickets: £8/£5

To book tickets online, click here:

For more information about the Brighton Women’s Centre, click here:

PREVIEW: An evening of Flamenco with Álvaro Guarnido

Enjoy the purest and most traditional Flamenco dance with Álvaro Guarnido accompanied by live guitar and flamenco singer at Bar Broadway in Brighton tomorrow night, November 26.

Álvaro Guarnido
Álvaro Guarnido

The intimate performance lead by Álvaro Guarnido takes the audience on a powerful, emotional journey through a series of colourful Flamenco rhythms in a celebration of this passionate art. 


Event: An evening of Flamenco Dance with Álvaro Guarnido

Where: Bar Broadway, 10 Steine Street, Brighton

When: Friday, November 27

Time: 8pm

Tickets: £14.65

To book tickets online, click here:

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