This August Bank Holiday weekend, some of our LGBT+ colleagues and allies joined nearly 200 other organisations and groups in the 2023 Manchester Pride parade.

The theme for this year's parade was 'Queerly Beloved' in celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the Marriage Equality Act. Our group included LGBT+ colleagues who have shown their love for their partners through marriage and civil partnership, and our playlist included inspirational and LGBT+ love songs.

Ged, one of our internal communications officers, identifies as a cis gay man and is a member of our LGBT+ colleague group: "It's great that my husband and I have been able to show our commitment for one another and our son through marriage, and it's great that we've reached the 10-year anniversary for marriage equality in the UK.

"But we march to protect that equality and to show other people and places that love is love and everyone should have the right to love who they want, how they want."

A big thank you goes out to our LGBT+ colleague-led group for arranging for us to take part in our first ever pride parade, and for our colleague-allies that marched alongside them.

For us, embracing our differences is what makes us stronger.