Over 700 Stonewall supporters hit the streets of Brighton for the charity’s eleventh annual Equality Walk on Sunday. The annual fundraiser – supported by American Express and Square Peg Media – was part of Stonewall’s 25th anniversary celebrations and raised over £55,000 to tackle homophobic language in Britain’s schools.
Radio 1Xtra DJ Adele Roberts and Great British Bake Off’s John Whaite hosted this year’s walk which included live entertainment and a picnic in the Royal Pavilion Gardens for the hundreds of families and fundraising teams. MPs Caroline Lucas and Simon Kirby, and the Mayor of Brighton & Hove Denise Cobb, also attended the 10k walk. After the walk Adele and John handed out prizes to the top fundraising team – PwC who took the title for the third year running – and the best individual fundraiser, Kate Harris, who raised over £1,400 and won a weekend in Paris courtesy of American Express.
‘I can’t think of a more fantastic way for so many people to help celebrate our 25th anniversary. It was inspiring to be joined by individuals, teams and families whose hard work means we’ve raised a remarkable £55,000 to help tackle homophobic language in Britain’s schools.’
Catherine Bosworth, Stonewall’s Director of Fundraising
Research conducted by Stonewall shows that 99 per cent of young people regularly hear phrases like ‘that’s so gay’ or ‘you’re so gay’ in school. These insults can have a devastating impact on lesbian, gay and bisexual young people’s self-esteem and confidence. Stonewall’s campaign, Gay: Let’s Get the Meaning Straight, is helping schools and young people tackle this abuse and put a stop to homophobic language.
More information can be found at www.stonewall.org.uk/getoverit