We've launched a limited-edition Metro Pop card featuring icons from the LGBTQIA+ community to celebrate Pride 2024 and champion inclusive travel for everyone.
The dazzling design appears on the familiar Pop smartcard for this year’s Northern Pride Festival. They will be available at the event in Newcastle, 19-21 July, at the Market Village next to Grey’s Monument.
It was the work of local multi-disciplinary creative designer and visual communicator Em T Sharp, whose design features LGBTAIQ+ icons, including Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, Marsha P Johnson, Claude Cahun and Audre Lorde.
We are the official transport and accessibility partner of Northern Pride, and Rainbow Sponsor of Sunderland Pride and has brought out the LGBTQIA+ themed Pop card to support this.
Huw Lewis, Customer Services Director at Nexus, said: “Our new Pride Pop cards are a great way for us to champion inclusivity in our role our as the transport and accessibility partner for this year’s Northern Pride festival.
“The Pop card features vibrant and colourful new artwork that celebrates icons from the LGBTQIA+ community. They look great and we think they’re going to prove popular. We hope the design will spark a positive conversation as people learn more about these inspirational figures of queer culture.
“These new Pop cards are a limited edition so anyone who would like to get one will need to pick one up quickly. We’ll be giving them out on our stall at this year’s Northern Pride Festival, on the Saturday, 20 July, at the Market Village next to Monument Metro station.
“Inclusivity is the cornerstone of our brand, right across the communities that Metro serves. We want everyone to feel welcome, safe, and free from discrimination whenever they choose to travel with us. Metro is a great way to get to and from these brilliant Pride events.”
Ste Dunn, Director of Northern Pride, said: “We couldn’t do any of this without the wonderful partners we have here in the North East and further afield, who not only help us to put on a fantastic event for our vibrant and beautiful queer community, but for their insight, time and guidance into what will make an exciting, accessible and safe event in the city.”
We are also working again this year with popular performer Miss Rory in the countdown to this year’s Northen Pride festival. The popular comedian has recorded a series of special announcements for the Metro public address system to help people get to Pride events this summer.
As accessibility partner for Northern Pride, Nexus will also be providing a free shuttle bus at this year’s festival helping attendees get round the city to visit all the spaces and places the event is taken over with its new Pride in the City format.
More information about the Pride Pop Card and the icons featured, head to www.northern-pride.com/popcard