"It was wonderful to see the whole community come together in such a positive way. "
Ian Williams, LSH Auto
This year’s Pride March was the biggest in the event’s history and LSH Auto was proud to be a part of it, showing its support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Ian Williams, Head of Human Resources for LSH Auto, said: “We were really pleased to have two Mercedes-Benz cars in the parade, flanked by our colleagues, who came from Mercedes-Benz of Erdington, Solihull, Tamworth, Stockport, Macclesfield and Whitefield to take part.
“This weekend was a celebration of LGBTQ+ achievement, life and love. It was wonderful to see the whole community come together in such a positive way. Our lead parade car was a big hit. We had it liveried with a special Birmingham Pride rainbow design for the event and after the parade, thousands of people came to have selfies with it on our stand.”
Birmingham Pride aims to build a community where all people are free to live without fear or prejudice. Its team run year-round projects and partnerships to improve the lives of the LGBTQ+ community in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands.
Ian Williams added: “At LSH Auto we respect our colleagues, customers, and community, and we care about diversity, wellbeing, and mental health, so our support and involvement in Birmingham Pride is a perfect match. We hope we can grow and develop our relationship with the event and look forward to taking part again next year.”
Birmingham Pride held its first event back in 1997 so 2022 is set to be the 25th anniversary of the event. In that time, it has grown to be one of the most important LGBTQ+ festivals in the UK, attracting more than 40,000 people over the course of the weekend to the festival site and more than 75,000 to the parade.
This year’s headline acts included Eve, Riton, Katy B, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Ms Banks, Boney M with Maizie Williams, Baga Chipz, Andrea Di Giovannie, Aaron Porter and Rainbow Voices. As part of its support for the event, LSH Auto colleagues chauffeured performers from the green room to the main stage in Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
Martyn Webb, Managing Director LSH Auto, said: “Birmingham Pride 2021 was a huge success and I’m really pleased that we were able to play a small part in that. I’m so proud of our team and the way they represented our business throughout the event. Many of our customers came to say hello over the course of the weekend, and we also made new friends as festival goers popped over to our stand and took photographs with our colleagues and our Mercedes-Benz display vehicles. I would like to congratulate the Birmingham Pride team and everybody that was involved in putting on a wonderful event.”
