Rolls-Royce Motor Cars are new sponsors of Chichester Pride

Stuart Burrows, Chichester Pride chair, parade lead and trustee, is delighted that Pride are working with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, one of a number of new sponsors this year.

“They are debuting their Pride car decked out in a Pride design, and then they will be taking it to Prides around the country. But they felt it was important to debut it in their local Pride.”

This year’s Chichester Pride will be the fourth, and the parade will be the second, following on from the parade debut last year which proved a huge success: “This year's Pride parade will be bigger and better. We have extended the route for a start. We're going from Priory Park to the grounds of Chichester College. Last year we stopped at the cathedral. This year we felt it was really important to parade all the way. The parade leaves from Priory Park at 10.45 (on May 24) and arrives around 50 minutes later and then Chichester Pride itself (tickets on www.chichesterpride.co.uk) runs on the front lawn at Chichester College between 12-7pm.

“For the parade this year we have got more organisations taking part than ever. The parade was very high profile last year and very well received and the result is that people have asked if they could take part. It has been great.”

It all adds up to a significant year for Chichester Pride: “It is the first time that Rolls-Royce Motor Cars are amongst our sponsors, and for Chichester Pride that's a fantastic statement for us as an organisation because Rolls-Royce Motor Cars are such a major employer. They are an international company and a large employer and they have committed to having a workspace that is open to all. Part of their equality, diversity and inclusion is to support Prides and the community around the country.

“And I think that support is a sign of how far Chichester Pride has come. In the early days we struggled a lot to let the businesses know that we even existed but now with the addition of the parade last year we have raised our profile. We were invited to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and it just so happened that it was during Pride month. We developed a relationship with them over the last year and they very kindly offered to sponsor us and to give us an (undisclosed) charitable donation. They are amongst a raft of new sponsors for us. It is a very significant contribution. They are part of around 20 sponsors in all. There are businesses that have supported us right from the beginning, and there are others that come back year after year and now this year we have got four new sponsors which is great.

“I'm aware that businesses are suffering in various ways and I am also aware that Prides around the country are also suffering and having difficulty attracting new sponsorship. But we are doing well. Without this kind of sponsorship we would struggle to mount an event on the scale that we are wanting to put on for our community and our allies.

“We are a charity and we are run by volunteers and business sponsorship is very important for us. I think the sponsorship that we get shows that Chichester Pride has proved itself worth its place in the local community. It shows how important we are within that community and it also sends a strong message that our local employers are open to all people, no matter their sexuality or gender or race. Employers want to be seen as all-encompassing.”

Chichester Pride sponsors this year are: Chichester College, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, The Richard Tildesley Practice, Gold Arts Jewellers, The Hyde Group, Wiley, Fontwell Park Racecourse, Covers, The Bell Inn, Barratt Homes, University of Chichester, Aspire Pharma, Bennett-Griffin LLP, Kreston Reeves LLP, Chichester BID, Stagecoach Buses, MS Services and Showmen Events.

Matthias Treubel, director of human resources, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said: “Rolls-Royce Motor Cars is delighted to support Chichester Pride 2025. For us, it is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our 2,500-strong family, working together inclusively as one team at the home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood. It also reflects our deep roots within our local community in Chichester and the surrounding area, which we have nurtured and cherished for over 20 years.”