Guest Blog: Walls 2024
At Unilever we are committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone, without exception, feels able to bring their complete and authentic self to work.
This year, Unilever supported a number of pride events around the country with a focus on local events in areas where we are proud employers. This has included Croydon Pride, Liverpool Pride, Leeds Pride and of course Pride in Gloucestershire; home to our beloved Walls Ice-Cream and production of fantastic brands such as Magnum and Ben & Jerrys.
To celebrate this year’s Pride, Unilever and Superdrug are once again partnering with Switchboard – a nationwide charity helpline at the forefront of support for the LGBTQI+ community.
Unilever’s Pride range of beauty and personal care products exclusive to Superdrug, including Vaseline, Lynx and Simple, are available all year round. Each product has Switchboard's freephone number on pack so those who need support can instantly get it. Unilever are set to donate £40,000 to support Switchboard’s vital helpline, while Superdrug are committing a further £10,000. Combined, this donation will help with training and volunteer recruitment so that no call goes unanswered.
We celebrated Liverpool Pride together with Switchboard and Superdrug also by taking the iconic pink Superdrug Bus to the event this year offer free beauty treatments to attendees and spread the word about the helpline.
Stephanie Fuller (CEO at Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline):
“Our partnership with Unilever and Superdrug enables us to reach audiences that we would never be able to reach on our own. Seeing trusted brands like Unilever and Superdrug alongside our own lends confidence to people who may need to call us, which includes people calling for themselves or perhaps about a loved one.”
Our proUd network made up of LGBTQI+ colleagues and allys is a thriving community within the UK & Ireland that supports our organisation to build the inclusive culture we strive towards.
We are supporting a milestone 5th Birthday Celebration this year which was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate with colleagues up and down the country. Since its founding, proUd has set out to be a beacon of inclusion for the LGBTQI+ community and allies, amplifying their voice in society and at Unilever. It has also grown from 250 colleagues to 1,200 worldwide.
Every one of them has access to a private membership group on Microsoft Teams, ensuring their privacy and safety. An important measure for those who live in countries where they aren’t free to be their true, authentic selves and their human rights are severely compromised.
Dafydd Farr-Jones (Event and Communication Co-Ordinator)
“Unilever’s proUd network not only offered me community, acceptance, support and understanding, it’s also felt like a friendly, safe, and inclusive space. A space that can make a difference and where I could make a difference. It made me proUd to be part of Unilever,” he says.
Angharad Stevens (Skin Care Innovation Assistant Manager)
“You cannot over-estimate how mentally freeing it is to know you don’t have to hide any aspect of yourself. And our community is an incredible group of people, I wouldn’t miss knowing and being known by them for the world,” she says.
Unilever are incredibly proud to have ranked 16th in the 2023 Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, as well as being shortlisted as a Highly Commended Network Group by Stonewall and as Large Employer of the Year at the Rainbow Honours 2023 last year.
We hope that everyone attending Pride in Gloucestershire 2024 has a fantastic day this year with lots of sunshine and ice cream!
Our Partners in Pride
Connected Through Membership
Pride in Gloucestershire is a registered charity in England and Wales (Registered Number: 1185201)