Diversity Triumphs
What a night for diversity across the nation, what an honour for the prizewinners, and what an experience for all who entered the magnificent Liverpool Cathedral on Friday, celebrating our differences and bringing us together for #NDA22 in an unforgettable way.
Out of a whopping 75,000 total nominees, the winners have been announced for the 11th Annual National Diversity Awards. It was an exhilarating and uplifting night on Friday, highlighting the incredible achievement and determination of everybody in the Cathedral. While there have been only a handful of winners, Friday’s message of inclusion, empathy, and generosity transcends the format of an award ceremony, and travels across the nation, inspiring diverse people far and wide.
“You challenge the status quo and make the world a better place. Be the change you want to see”
— Paul Sesay, CEO, National Diversity Awards
Here are Friday’s incredible winners:
Positive Role Model Awards:
- Age — Won by Melissa Grace McComas. Melissa has a rare genetic condition called Angelman Syndrome, which mainly affects her nervous system. She constantly inspires her 27,000 Twitter followers and shows them that disabilities need not be a barrier to achieving goals but more a challenge to discover how to get there.
- Disability — Won Sebbie Hall. Sebbie was told that he may never walk, talk, or sit up, due to a rare chromosomal anomaly causing low muscle tone and speech problems. He proved his doctors wrong, showing incredible strength, and has now completed random acts of kindness every day for over 2 years, making over 2,000 strangers smile, and raising £44,000.
- Gender — Won by Gamal Turawa. After overcoming an early life filled with adversity and trauma, Gamal served for London’s Metropolitan Police for over 26 years, becoming the first openly gay black police officer. Gamal is the founder and lead facilitator for PurpleFrog Connections, a Diversity, Dignity, and Inclusion Consultancy.
- LGBT — Won by Nate Ethan Watson. After fighting for years to be seen by the NHS gender service, Nate began his transition in 2018, and is now the UK’s first transgender rapper. He uses his platform as a musician and health care worker to inspire others and help bring transgender issues to the forefront of society.
- Race, Religion, and Faith — Won by Josh Preye Garry. Drawing from his passion to educate others, Josh currently heads up the Department of History at Platanos College, driving forward the conversation around Black History, and why it is integral to British History.
- Entrepreneur of Excellence Award — Won by James Adeleke. James founded Generation Success with the vision of empowering the young generation to excel and reach their career aspirations. As of now, Generation Success has helped over 10,000 young people through mentoring, training, and recruitment.
- Diverse Company Award — Won by NatWest Group. With 1,500 Inclusion Champions that work with Employee Led Networks (22,000 strong), NatWest’s goal is to make Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion everyone’s experience, every day. NatWest’s Choose to Challenge scheme upskills all employees how to challenge behaviour which is not inclusive.
- Celebrity of the Year Award — Won by Col Dame Kelly Holmes MBE (Mil). After receiving an MBE in 1998 for services to the military, Dame Kelly became an Olympic, World, European, and Commonwealth multi-medalist, and the first woman in Great Britain to win two Gold Medals at the same Olympic Games. She set up the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust in 2008 to help get disadvantaged young people’s lives back on track.
“Inclusion matters”
— Debbie O’Brien, founder of Al’s Arc
Community Organisation Awards
- Age — Won by Amberleigh Care. Amberleigh Care provide specialist therapeutic care and education for vulnerable young males aged from 11–18 who have gone through trauma in their early lives. Established in 2004, they have helped over 100 young people, and have achieved formal accreditation from The Royal College of Psychiatrists.
- Disability — Won by The LUNA Project. A charity run by young people for young people, The LUNA Project seeks to support and raise awareness of young people with chronic illnesses, disabilities, and long-term health conditions. Over 500 school students have participated in LUNA workshops, and over 6000 people have read their blog with pieces from over 50 contributors.
- Gender — Won by Independent Domestic Abuse Services (IDAS). The largest specialist charity in Yorkshire supporting those who have been subjected to domestic abuse or sexual violence, IDAS have over 50 years’ experience, and have been at the forefront for developing new and unique services. In 2020 alone, they worked with more than 10,000 victimes and survivors of domestic abuse across Yorkshire and responded to 22,000 helpline calls.
- LGBT — Won by Steph’s Place. Steph’s Place was founded by Steph Richards in May 2020, with the goal of heightening the visibility and acceptance of trans people in society. The Steph’s Place website, with some 600 pages, has quickly become one of the most visited websites in the trans community, with around 10,000 visits every week.
- Race, Religion, and Faith — Won by GIN UK (LGBTQIA Indian Network). With over 1,400 members, GIN UK is run by 12 volunteers, and provide a wide variety of services and groups for isolated people to connect. They have around 5 meetups per month, as well as a monthy “deeper connection” Saathi conversation group, along with the occasional day trip to cinemas, museums, and more.
- Community Organisation Award for Multi-Strand — Won by Bradford 4 Better. Formed in Spring 2019, B4B has rapidly evolved from a pressure group to highlight the many concerns of the residents of Bradford, to a citizen-led community action movement to inform, inspire, and empower the residents of Bradford to make positive changes for the betterment of Bradford and its communities.
- Lifetime Achiever Award — Won by Dr Tony Lloyd. Dr Tony Lloyd is the CEO of the ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity — the largest user-led agency of its kind in Europe. A pioneering advocate for the neurodiverse paradigm in health, education, and business in the UK, Dr Tony Lloyd is a co-author of several national reports on ADHD and Neurodiversity in the UK, and is actively involved in promoting neurodiversity in the workplace.
“From the very first award ceremony in 2012, me and my team knew there was something important about these awards representing the people who make up the backbone of the UK”
— Paul Sesay, CEO, National Diversity Awards
As the inspiring and magical events on Friday drew to a close, our thoughts are drawn once again to the extraordinary Liverpool Cathedral, and to the history behind it. Giles Gilbert Scott, the Cathedral’s designer, never saw it completed, having died almost 20 years before it was finally revealed in all its glory. Scott had a vision for the future, one that he accepted he may or may not live to see, and worked towards making it a reality — not for himself, but in the hope that those who came after him would live better lives because of it, and therefore in some way, he would contribute to a creating a better world in the future.
I can’t help but notice the parallels between the creation of Liverpool Cathedral, and the events of Friday’s National Diversity Awards. In every brave and determined soul tonight, we saw a willingness to sacrifice, work, fight, and inspire, all in the hopes of creating a better, more inclusive tomorrow. We saw people building on the foundation of those that came before, and providing the nation with the next step towards a truly diverse and beautiful society.
