Last few places available for GCA walkers to shower capital with greeting card love
Fancy being loud and proud for the greeting card industry? Then step up to grab one of the few places left in the first GCA team to march in Pride In London.
And marchers in the parade on Saturday, 1 July, will be showering bystanders with greeting card industry love as they’ll have plenty of cards to hand out thanks to the generosity of publishers who answered the call for LGBTQ+ themed designs.
The link to apply to be one of the GCA’s 50 walkers can be found here for anyone who wants to join in the first time the industry association has taken part in Pride In London, with only travel costs needing to be covered personally as the event has now been paid for by sponsors UK Greetings, Hallmark, Belly Button Designs, Cath Tate Cards, Graphite Creative, Spring & Autumn Fair, The Imaging Centre, Ohh Deer, Lucy Maggie Designs, Windles, and Ricicle Cards.
Gay-owned businesses Dean Morris Cards and Ricicle Cards are among those helping the GCA’s diversity and inclusion sub-committee to help organise the event and got together at last week’s PG Live for a chat with Mark Callaby, Ohh Deer’s co-founder and sub-committee chairman, for a picture with the very appropriately-dressed Diversity & Inclusion meeter and greeter.
Mark told PG Buzz: “We’ll be providing banners, placards and other accessories on the day, but dressing loud and proud is encouraged!
“We’re very excited about joining the Pride In London celebrations, and believe this is a fantastic opportunity for us to shout about our amazing industry and show our support to the LGBTQ+ community.
“Being a part of both the greeting card industry as well as the LGBTQ+ community I know first-hand how powerful it can be to receive a greeting card of love and support when you’re struggling to come to terms with your own identity.”
Some places have been reserved for sponsors, and others have been allocated to interested industry participants with LGBTQ+ folk given priority, and there are a few still available on a first come first served basis – to apply click here. Confirmation of secured spots will be sent over the next couple of weeks with all participants then invited to an online meeting with Mark to discuss details for the day itself. Marchers will be expected to cover their own travel costs.
This is the 51st Pride In London event with the GCA joining the 500 groups and over 30,000 participants on the day as the vibrant parade winds from Hyde Park Corner along to Piccadilly, down past the main stage at Trafalgar Square, to Whitehall Place, a distance of just over a mile.
“The Pride In London mission is to ‘unite the LGBT+ voice, amplify diversity and protest against inequality’, values that are supported by the GCA,” association ceo Amanda Fergusson explained. “We will be a 50-person walking group, supporting the LGBTQ+ community and celebrating the wonderful and diverse greeting cards that our industry produces.”
