Married at First Sight star launches Yorkshire Pride in Diversity Awards to honour ‘unsung heroes’

LGBTQ+ campaigner and presenter Matt Jameson first created the awards last year alongside events organiser Jane Clynes as a way to celebrate people and organisations driving meaningful change in their local communities.

Inspired by the National Diversity Awards which honours individuals and organisations across the UK, Matt and Jane wanted to create a Yorkshire-specific space to recognise those who are championing diversity and inclusion at a local level.

From race, religion, sexuality, gender, or disability, the Pride in Diversity Awards aim to empower the many ways individuals and organisations are working to celebrate difference and improve inclusivity.

Matt, who is known for being part of the first same-sex couple on reality TV series Married at First Sight, wants members of these communities and their allies to be commended for their work.

Matt said: “I just thought it's something that we need within the region to celebrate and really shout about the amazing things that go on in our community.

“I think it’s really important to have something where you can shout about what’s going on in Yorkshire because Yorkshire is an incredible region.

"It's about recognising the impact you have on that community you are part of.

“Each of the categories are as inclusive as possible because it’s about everybody.”

This year’s Pride in Diversity Awards will take place at the VIP Black & White Lounge at Leeds First Direct Arena on June 18.

Nominations for award categories including ‘Positive Role Model of the Year’, and ‘Yorkshire Charity of the Year’, are now open for submissions until the end of March. Anyone is able to nominate and Matt encourages people to use this as an opportunity to spotlight local changemakers.

He said: “It’s a good idea to nominate someone for a Pride in Diversity award because the people that we want to recognise are not being shouted about.

“Some of these people are unsung heroes, they’re making a massive difference and it's so important that we recognise that so that the rest of the community can see and celebrate these incredible people.”

After nominations are received, they will be discussed by a panel of judges including broadcaster Stephanie Hirst, public speaker Jono Lancaster, and Lord Mayor of Leeds Dan Cohen who will decide one winner for each category.

Last year, Matt hosted the first ever Pride in Diversity Awards and said the room was “buzzing” on the night with people celebrating each other’s achievements.

The inaugural winners of the Pride in Diversity Awards included mental health advocate Miranda Ariah and Getting Clean CIC.

Matt has high hopes that this year will see the Pride in Diversity Awards continue to grow and so more people can see more of the positive community efforts within Yorkshire.

He said: “It’s about bringing everybody together and supporting every element of every community.

“(Pride in Diversity) to me means being proud of whatever community, whatever minority, or diverse area you come from, championing other people within that and championing people in other areas as well.

“We want this to grow year on year and the more people that nominate, the more we can really raise awareness of the incredible work that is going on in our region and communities.”

To find out more about the Pride in Diversity Awards and to submit a nomination, visit their website to learn more.