LONDON, UK – Costa Coffee, is proud to announce today a range of activities for 2022 to continue its support and love of Pride, including a UK wide fundraising partnership with Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline through the sale of a Pride inspired reusable cup. And for the first time, a partnership with Brighton & Hove Pride 2022.
This year Costa Coffee will be flying its true colours with pride and teaming up with Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline, one of the UK’s oldest LGBT+ charities, to create a special limited-edition designed reusable waffle cup. Available in selected Costa Coffee stores and online, £1 from every sale will be donated to Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline. Since 2019, Costa Coffee has raised over £130,000 for Switchboard, which has helped their support service be there for over 48,000 conversations across phone, instant messenger and email.
What’s more, for the first time, Costa Coffee will also be an official partner of Brighton & Hove Pride 2022, which runs from 5 to 7 August. Costa Coffee will have a pop-up store situated in Preston Park alongside their own tent, which will host several community experiences and other entertainment throughout the day. Costa Coffee will be bringing the fun with photo opportunities, Espresso Martini happy hours and their full summer drinks menu of Frappes and iced coffees, ready to drink range and all new Costa Express self-service ice machines. In addition to the main arena activity, members of the Costa Coffee LGBT+ Shine network will also take part in the Brighton & Hove Pride Parade on 6 August.
Costa Coffee actively supports LGBT+ team members, both during Pride month in June but also throughout the year and is led by an internal team member network – Shine. Created by Costa Coffee team members, Shine’s aims to champion an inclusive environment and help shape the future of Costa Coffee’s inclusion agenda, so that the business can keep listening, learning and holding itself accountable. Costa Coffee is passionate that all team members get to be themselves and thrive both at work and within the wider community.
Niki Coppard-Brooks, Costa Coffee UK & Ireland People Director said: “At Costa Coffee, we pride ourselves on creating a work environment where all our team members feel a sense of belonging and are supported to be themselves and our customers feel represented. Diversity helps us all thrive both in and out of work and gives us the opportunity to think and do things differently and influence positive change.
“We are thrilled to be continuing our partnership with Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline, supporting the amazing work they do and honoured to be an official partner of Brighton & Hove Pride 2022. The Pride Parade is an incredible experience and an important moment for our Costa Coffee team members to celebrate what makes each of us unique and showcase the inclusive environment we have built.”
Stephanie Fuller, General Manager at Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline, comments: “For many LGBTQIA+ people living in the UK there are still many challenges and fears to be faced on a daily basis. Each year Switchboard has more than 15,000 conversations with people in need of someone to talk to. Costa Coffee shares our belief that everyone should feel comfortable to be their true self, whether in the workplace or elsewhere, and we are incredibly excited to partner with them to raise funds to help us continue our work.”
To find out more about Costa Coffee’s inclusion and diversity work and Shine network visit www.costa.co.uk/behind-the-beans/people/inclusion-and-diversity
To see more of Costa Coffee activity around pride search for #CostaLovesPride on social media.
