Wellington Place has teamed up with Out Together – Friends of Dorothy, a local charity that champions social inclusion for older LGBTQ+ people by hosting a range of events that aim to raise awareness, and money, for the cause
The partnership kickstarted at the beginning of June in celebration of Pride Month and included a 5k ‘Pride Stride’. Employees based at Wellington Place, alongside the local community, donned rainbow colours in support of the cause and participated in a fundraising walk and run to raise money for the charity.
As part of the celebrations, Wellington Place also welcomed members of Friends of Dorothy to the development for a friendly meet-up, giving occupiers on site the chance to find out more about the charity and how they can get involved.
Wellington Place also sponsored Friends of Dorothy’s regular Sunday social at local bar and kitchen, Mad Frans.
Friends of Dorothy hosts regular activities and events that aim to tackle issues of loneliness and social isolation within the LGBTQ+ community by providing a network group that encourages members – and particularly older members – to participate more in the wider community.
On the partnership, Dominique Murray, marketing manager and head of customer experience at MEPC, the developer and asset manager behind Wellington Place, said: “We pride ourselves on being an inclusive neighbourhood that is supportive and welcoming to all, which is why partnering with Friends of Dorothy is a great fit for the Wellington Place community. We’ve had lots of great feedback from the events we’ve held so far, especially our Pride Stride, and we hope to host many more in the future.
Ambassador at Friends of Dorothy, Matthew Jameson, added: “It’s been fantastic to work with Wellington Place this Pride Month, and it’s certainly a partnership we see continuing to develop and thrive. Wellington Place really stood out to us as it felt a super inclusive and safe space, which is very important for our members. The support we’ve received from those based at the development and the community has been overwhelmingly positive, and we look forward to continuing to raise the profile of the charity and support more LGBTQ+ people experiencing isolation and loneliness through our work with Wellington Place.”
You can read more about Matt’s story in our People of Wellington Place blog here.
On the Pride Stride, Richard Warren, leader of Wellington Place’s running group, Wellington Pacers, said: “We first took the Wellington Pacers out for a colourful Pride Stride back in 2019. It’s always a very popular event and even better that this year it was in aid of Friends of Dorothy. It was fantastic to see many new faces joining the group, especially as it was such a hot day, but everyone supported each other and really enjoyed themselves. One of the key differentiators of Wellington Place is the true focus on inclusivity and supporting charities such as Friends of Dorothy helps the community flourish.”
