Join GCA at Manchester march, as Thortful’s lgbgti+ range supports Brighton event
Ding ding – round 2! Manchester Pride is fast approaching and the GCA still has a few marching places available for anyone who’d like to take part.
Following the success of the Pride In London event in June when the 75-strong greetings industry contingent handed out 25,000 designs to the crowds lining the route, it’s time to do it all again oop north on Saturday, 24 August.
“It’s now just around the corner and we have a few places left,” Oh Deer md Mark Callaby, head of the GCA council diversity sub-committee, explained. “If you would like to join us, or know anyone that might be keen, then please let me know asap.
“We’ll be marching through the centre of Manchester and handing out another 25,000 greeting cards along the route. Our march time hasn’t been announced yet but it will be sometime between midday and 4pm.”
As with London, which was the second time the GCA had taken part to show to send a card with pride, places for the parade are free and allocated on a first-come first-served basis thanks to sponsors including Cath Tate Cards, Dean Morris Cards, Enveco, Fedrigoni, Hallmark, Imaging Centre, Ohh Deer, Paper Rose, Top Drawer, and UK Greetings.
Travel and accommodation costs need to be covered by individual marchers, and tickets do need to be bought for other events taking place during the celebration, entry to the Gay Village can be paid for here.
Still on the theme, today, 2 August, marks the start of Brighton Pride and online greetings marketplace Thortful is celebrating the three-day event with an exclusive card range from four lgbtqi+ artists, with 10p from each sale going to the Trans Pride Centre Brighton charity.
As the lgbtqi+ capital of the UK, Brighton hosts one of the country’s largest Pride celebrations with half a million people expected to attend, and a Thortful spokesperson said: “Giving back to the community is a core value for us. Pride embodies collectivity, unity, and celebration, and we are delighted to offer lgbtqi+ artists a platform to showcase their creativity.
“The addition of partnering with Trans Pride Brighton is significant, as we greatly admire their mission and work. We recognise the challenges minority groups face and are dedicated to supporting them in every way possible.”
Thortful is striving to show its commitment to inclusivity having discovered that online searches for lgbtq+ artists have increased by 129% over the past three months.
Independent artists Imy Lascelles, Seemal Sikander, Goncalo Alves and Ash Attzs were given complete creative freedom to design a range of cards that reflect their unique experiences within the community with the designs celebrate Pride and capturing the essence of what it means to be queer, highlighting the aspects most meaningful to them.
