Time To Be Proud

Here at Castrads we’re so excited to be partnering with The Proud Trust this Pride Season in their goal to raise £78,000 towards the vital work they do with LGBT+ young people.

One hour of support costs £52, so we are helping the charity to raise 1500 hours of support for LGBT+ young people.

Castrads has pledged to donate 5% of profits for the month of June to The Proud Trust’s Time to Be Proud campaign to help them reach their target.

The Proud Trust is an LGBT+ youth charity empowering LGBT+ young people to be proud of who they are. The Proud Trust delivers youth work and one-to-one support across Greater Manchester.

Also, the charity runs The Rainbow Flag Award national training and inclusion programme for schools, Proud Connections Live Chat, and manages Manchester’s LGBT+ Centre, The Proud Place.

To celebrate our partnership with this wonderful Manchester charity, we’ve transported a little slice of Manchester to London with a window display inspired by Sackville Gardens.

This small park at the heart of Manchester’s LGBTQ+ community, is a place of celebration, reflection and remembrance at various points throughout the year, notably the annual candle-lit vigil to mark World Aids Day.

Our Fulham Road window shows the first signs of spring in Sackville Gardens when the cherry blossom and the ‘Yellow Brick Road’ of daffodils burst into life. The apples represent the poignant bronze statue of mathematician Alan Turing, depicted holding an apple to symbolise both the forbidden fruit and the fruit of knowledge.

There are also bees in honour of the iconic rainbow bee sculpture and butterflies for the Trans Memorial. Currently absent from the park, the Trans Memorial has twice been vandalised, but we hope to see it returned very soon.

With one hour, The Proud Trust can support a young person who needs advice about coming out to their friends, via its digital live chat service, Proud Connections

One hour mentoring can support a young person towards their goals which could include accessing educations or employment, planning for their future or finding community.

Two hours a week at one of The Proud Trust’s youth groups can give a young person a space to be their true self, without judgement, for the first time

You’ll help support The Proud Trust with any purchase you make at Castrads during the month of June. You can also donate to them directly on their own site.