Over the weekend, Willmott Dixon Interiors joined forces with Building Equality to celebrate Pride on its 50th anniversary. This year saw over 30,000 people from all over the world march from Portland Place to Trafalgar Square to celebrate LGBT+ equality.
Ashleigh Crowley, Callum Barnes, Mark Bennett and members from Hitchen Construction take their place in the parade.
Members of the Willmott Dixon Interiors and WD Hitchin construction office marched as part of Building Equality with numerous other construction companies to help raise awareness on the importance of LGBT+ equality in the construction industry. Callum Barnes, who is running the Willmott Dixon Interiors Trainee Challenge this year, volunteered as a wheel marshal alongside Christina Riley and other LGBT industry leaders.
Anna Koukoullis and Ashleigh Crowley with the Building Equality JCB
Raising awareness of LGBT and championing diversity is of paramount importance particularly in the construction industry. Shockingly an LGBT Survey carried out by Construction News found that in the construction industry, 54.1 % of workers do not feel comfortable to be open about their gender identity or sexuality. Furthermore homophobia is still an issue with 59% of respondents overhearing ‘gay’ as a form of insult.
Mark Bennett and Ashleigh Crowley marching in the parade
At Interiors we are actively striving to create an environment where we, our friends and colleagues feel included and valued regardless of our sexuality. Management Trainee and LGBT Champion Callum Barnes said ‘I got goose bumps walking across the start line, seeing the crowds who had come out in support for us. Getting the chance to be at the front and lead our section representing an industry I love and for a cause that is so important to me is something I will never forget. Speaking to people in the crowds, they recognised why there is a need for us to be there, and just drove me to want to do more to bring the culture in our industry to what it should be in 2019.’
Callum Barnes, Ashleigh Crowley and Anna Koukoullis pose with the JCB
Over the upcoming week, Willmott Dixon Interiors will be hosting our own Pride Week with a variety of events educating our people on the importance of equality and diversity in the work place for the LGBT+ community.