Talking Pride: Nick Rowbotham
Tell us about yourself. What's your story?
I'm Nick Rowbotham I’m 40 years old, I am from the amazing city of Manchester and I've been flying as cabin crew for 20 years in total. I started flying at 19 for various airlines in the northwest where I learnt my craft but always aspired to work for Virgin. I moved to London at 26 and knew that was my opportunity to apply for their London based cabin crew. Needless to say, that is where my journey with Virgin began, 14 years later & I’ve never looked back.
What does pride mean to you?
Pride represents a beacon of hope, that reaches out to every walk of life and to all parts of society. For me, it conveys the important message of equality, dignity, self-affirmation & increased visibility of LBGTQ+ people as a social group.
Describe a Pride event for someone who hasn’t been there? Why should everyone attend at least one pride event in their life?
A Pride Event is a Joyous celebration of the social and self-acceptance of the LBTGQ+ community. At all Pride events, we are celebrating the achievement and obstacles that we, as the LGBTQ+ community, have had to overcome. If you have been to a Pride event there is no doubt there is one clear message. That is, 'Be proud of who you are' and that 'Love is Love no matter who you are or what you may identify as. Love is universal and knows no boundaries. So for that reason alone, I would encourage anyone who hasn’t attended a Pride event to go along let your hair down & enjoy the celebration of Love.
How important is our Pride@VirginAtlantic network?.
Our Pride@VirginAtlantic network gives us the framework and building blocks to promote inclusivity and equality within our workforce. This helps the people at virgin feel valued and included. No matter what walk of life they may be from. The result is that our people want to be at their best and take pride in the work they do.
How have things improved & what needs to happen next?
The LBGTQ+ community has achieved a lot over the years, a lot of which I never thought I'd see when I started out in my career. For example, the legal rights of same-sex marriage. But there's still a long way to go. There are many countries and governments around the world that persecute people thought to be LGBTQ+. So the need for Pride couldn’t be more important. In essence, we become the voices for those people who feel that they don’t have one.
As LGBTQ+ person, how do you find working at Virgin Atlantic?
As a company, Virgin really do promote an inclusive and valued work environment. So as an LGBTQ+ person, I don’t feel any different to anyone else that I work with. I've been lucky enough to be involved with many major events that Virgin Atlantic has hosted over the years. Many of which have been to promote equality within the workforce. I was fortunate enough to work on the worlds first Pride flight, which was a once in a lifetime experience. An airline first and huge success. Events like these are where Virgin can demonstrate and showcase that they are an equality focused company. That's why I'm so immensely proud to work for and be a part of the family.
