1 July 2025

Here’s a look back at how our community celebrated Pride Month together.

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As June comes to a close, we’re taking a moment to reflect on how our community came together to celebrate Pride Month.

But first...

What is Pride Month?

Pride Month, observed in June, is a month dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ communities and raising awareness of the issues they face.

Throughout the month, LGBTQ+ individuals, organisations, and charities host events like parades, concerts, and educational initiatives to promote equality, honour LGBTQ+ history, and spotlight ongoing challenges.

Recognising Pride Month in the workplace demonstrates a meaningful commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion and helps create a welcoming, respectful environment for everyone. Whether you put out decorations or host events with colleagues, these celebrations help boost employee engagement and morale, while also contributing to a more positive, productive workplace culture.

Equal Experts - Pride: How to Be an Ally - Colony One Silk St Co-lounge

Manchester Pride

Manchester has a rich history of social progress and LGBTQ+ activism, making it a natural home for Pride.

From the formation of the North West Homosexual Law Reform Committee in 1964 which later evolved into the national Campaign for Homosexual Equality and played a key role in the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality to the creation of the Manchester Gay Alliance by the University of Manchester's Lesbian and Gay Society in 1973, and through hosting one of the UK’s largest anti Section 28 protests in 1988 where over 20,000 people marched in Manchester, the city has consistently stood up for queer rights.

Support has continued in recent decades. In 1994 BiPhoria, one of the UK’s first bi specific support groups, was launched; in 2005 Sparkle charity began the UK’s longest running trans celebration weekend in Manchester; and in 2010 Gaydio became the UK’s first full time LGBTQ+ FM radio station based in Manchester.

Although Pride Month is marked globally in June, Manchester Pride takes place in August. What began in 1985 as a fundraising event in the Gay Village to support those affected by the AIDS crisis has since evolved into one of the UK’s most iconic Pride festivals, complete with a parade, parties, and a candlelit vigil. Today it continues to grow with the support of Manchester City Council and LGBTQ+ allies across the region.

Equal Experts - Pride: How to Be an Ally - Colony One Silk St Co-lounge

Pride at Colony

This June, the Colony community came together to celebrate Pride through a series of events across our workspaces.

The highlight of the month was The Pride Hive: Action & Awareness with Colony - What It Means to Be an Ally Today, held at One Silk Street in partnership with the LGBT Foundation. Attendees heard from a local expert on LGBTQ+ activism in Manchester and left with practical, actionable ways to promote inclusion in their workplaces and communities. A huge thank you to Nell’s Pizza for providing the delicious food and to everyone who joined us for a night of music, learning, and connection.

Elsewhere across our spaces, Pride was celebrated in community-driven ways:

• Jactin House and Piccadilly hosted Pride-themed brunches, bringing members together to socialise and celebrate. Jactin House went all out with a disco-themed brunch featuring mimosas and a glitter station.
• Piccadilly also joined the LGBT Foundation’s Public Art Trail, proudly displaying LGBTQ+ artwork in our windows as part of a citywide celebration of queer creativity.
• One Silk Street brought members together again for a Pride cocktail social evening.
• We were delighted to welcome Equal Experts to One Silk Street for their coworking event, Pride: How to Be an Ally. The day featured workshops like How to Be an Ally and The Awesome Power of Visibility, finishing the day with a rooftop social overlooking the city.

While Pride Month gives us a moment to celebrate and champion equality, both in the workspace and beyond, our support doesn’t end in June. Many of our staff and members are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and at Colony, we stand with them every day of the year.

Colony & LGBT Foundation - The Pride Hive: Action & Awareness with Colony - What it Means to be an Ally Today - Colony One Silk St Co-lounge

Pride continued

Colony Pride isn’t over, in fact, it’s just getting started. We have more celebrations planned for July and August, including Drag Disco Bingo, more Pride-themed brunches, and much more to come.