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Sir Ian McKellen joins healthcare assistants at Pride parade

Healthcare assistants had a brush with stardom when they marched with Sir Ian McKellen at Pride
HCAs with Ian McKellen

Healthcare assistants had a brush with stardom when they marched with Sir Ian McKellen at Pride.


Marie Calderbank and Gemma Willetts help Sir Ian McKellen celebrate Wigan Pride

Support workers Marie Calderbank and Gemma Willetts encountered the star of films including X-Men and Lord of the Rings at Wigan’s Pride parade on 12 August.

The colleagues had recently attended an Age Concern LGBT awareness event where they learned about offering emotional and physical support to older people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans.

Voice of experience

Sir Ian officially opened Wigan Pride, before joining the parade and taking time to talk to the healthcare assistants about growing up in Wigan and his experience of being an older LGBT activist.

Ms Calderbank, experience coordinator at Belong Wigan care village, said: ‘It was an honour to be involved. Inclusivity and diversity is very important to us and this was a perfect opportunity to celebrate our values with the Wigan LGBT community.’


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