Ahead of this weekend’s Pride event in Birmingham, West Midlands, Railway Staff have spoken about what Pride means to them.

The train operator will have its biggest presence yet at Birmingham Pride, and will be acting as a sponsor.

During the event, there will be over 25 staff members taking part in the parade.

Pride starts on Friday, 23rd May, with the annual Pride Parade leaving Centenary Square on Saturday, 24th May at 12 pm.

Below are what some of the employees had to say:

“I’m really pleased to be heading up the parade march for London Northwestern and West Midlands Railways along with colleagues across our business. We are marching to show that as a company we strive to be inclusive and be active allies. With our other inclusion groups, we are committed to making our company welcoming, inclusive and diverse, just like the communities we serve every day.

“We want to stand with the whole community to say that everyone is loved, and love comes in all shapes and sizes. As this year’s theme says, love has no limits.”

Ryan Mason, Aspect LGBTQ+ Inclusion Group lead at West Midlands Railway

“For me, Pride is about celebrating the unique and beautiful family I have and embracing my identity and the identity of my family. It is important for my wife and I to be proud of who we are, and to teach our child to be proud too. I want to be part of building a supportive community and provide strength for others to be able to live and work without fear and judgement.”

Hannah Cotton-Diederich, accessibility strategy and projects manager at West Midlands Railway

“For me, the idea of Pride isn’t just members of the LGBTQIA+ community being okay and proud of their own identity – it’s the coming together as a collective community to support each other.”

James Rogers, social media manager at West Midlands Railways