Costa Coffee, is flying its true colours with pride as it announces 13 stores along the Manchester Pride March route will stock reusable Pride cups, with 100% of proceeds going to Switchboard, one of the UK’s oldest LGBTQ+ charities.
From the 17 – 31 August the Market Street store has even had a special Pride makeover with the store sign being replaced with a vibrant rainbow logo in celebration of the festivities.
The limited-edition reusable cup, which is only up for grabs in a select number of locations including Manchester, is available on the day of the Pride March on 24 August when thousands will take to the streets to enjoy the lively celebrations. Also returning will be Costa Coffee’s iconic rainbow paper cups, fully recyclable and Instagram-ready.
This is the fourth consecutive year that Costa Coffee has taken part in Pride events, with its newly created team member network SHINE, working with over 80 stores from across the country to bring the network’s initiatives to life.
SHINE is a network formed of Costa Coffee team members that champions an inclusive environment for all team members to thrive. Members of the SHINE network in Manchester will be joining the Pride parade on 24 August to celebrate diversity and inclusion in all its forms across the local community.
Russell Braterman, Global Innovation Director at Costa Coffee and co-chair of the Shine network commented: “We are delighted to bring our immensely popular rainbow cups back for another year, and even happier to be supporting Switchboard, one the UK’s oldest LGBTQ+ charities by donating all proceeds of the reusable travel cups to an incredibly important cause.
At Costa Coffee, we strive to provide opportunities for people to connect and let their true colours shine, to be inclusive in our thoughts and actions and to influence positive change in a way that genuinely reflects our culture and values. We are proud to see so many of our SHINE network members marching with their local communities across the country.”
New for 2019, the reusable Pride travel cups will provide Costa Coffee customers with a way to show their support beyond the Pride march while doing their bit for the environment. SHINE members taking part in marches across the country will also be assisting the community in the clean-up operation to ensure splashes of rainbow remain in the sky and not on the pavements.
Jude Brackstone, Regional Operations Director for the North at Costa Coffee added: “The Pride march in Manchester is always an incredible experience and we are thrilled to be supporting again this year. It’s an important moment for my team to watch the sign being changed to the vibrant rainbow logo and we will be celebrating what makes each of us unique and showcase the amazing, inclusive environment that we have built here in Manchester for employees and customers alike.”
Natasha Walker, Co-Chair of Switchboard, commented: “While it can be said that there have been significant changes in the path to equality for LGBTQ+ people living in the UK, Switchboard takes around 15,000 calls a year from people in need of someone to talk to. Costa Coffee share our belief that everyone should feel comfortable to be their true self, whether in the work place or elsewhere, and we are incredibly excited to partner with them this Pride to raise funds to carry on our work.”
To learn more about SHINE, Costa Coffee’s LGBTQ+ network, please visit – https://www.costa.co.uk/behind-the-beans/our-people/shine/
