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Posted on 10 May 2022

This Wednesday (11 May) Nottinghamshire Healthcare will officially unveil its new rainbow crossing in support of LGBT+ people.  

The event will take place at 1pm at the Hopewood site and will be attended by Chief Executive John Brewin, Trust Chair Paul Devlin and Associate Director of Mental Health Services Chris Ashwell, alongside the CAMHS staff and young people involved in its inception.

The creation of the rainbow crossing has been driven by young people from the Trust’s CAMHS after a young person said they didn’t feel the site represented them as a person and wanted it to feel more inclusive.

The crossing is one of the many ways we are showing our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) to ensure the Trust is an inclusive organisation for all, and it was very important for CAMHS and Specialist Services to get right.

The hope is that young people and families who see the crossing feel more welcome and connected to the site and will be able to engage in the mental health service with more confidence.  

Young person representative, Vanessa, says: “When I first saw it, it made me feel like CAMHS was a service which was inclusive to the LGBT+ community and as something I’m part of it made me feel I could comfortably talk to the therapists here, not be afraid of my identity and instead be accepted and understood.”

CAMHS Team Manager Sarah Grainger said: “The rainbow crossing has significance for our service users, our colleagues and members of the public, and we hope it shows that we are allies and friends for every community, all sharing the same values and working together inclusive of difference.

“We also hope that future colleagues will see that Hopewood is a good place to work and that all differences will be celebrated, understood and valued.”

Tracey Gilford, General Manager of Mental Health Specialist Services, adds: “Although huge progress has been made in terms of equal rights for people from the LGBT+ community, there is often still a great sense of isolation and at times fear. By having a visible rainbow crossing at the entrance to the Hopewood site, we are saying to our LGBT+ patients, staff or visitors, you are welcome here at Hopewood and you are safe to be you.”

Catherine Conchar, Associate Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, said: “Having the rainbow on display for all staff, visitors and patients at Hopewood to see sends a strong message that Nottinghamshire Healthcare is fully committed to supporting everyone in the LGBT+ community. 

“The crossing is a bright, colourful welcome to everyone who enters the site, but is also a sign to the young people as they leave that a bright future is right in front of them at the end of their personal rainbow.”