Black men and women from across Nottingham have been honoured at a special awards ceremony this weekend.
The Black Achievers Awards aim to strengthen community cohesion and celebrate the roles and achievements of both black men and women in the city.
Nominations flooded in for the 10 categories, and the winners were announced at a sold out glittering black tie event at the East Midlands Conference Centre last Saturday (22 October). This year’s winners include Olympic gymnasts Becky and Ellie Downie, who took home the title in the Sports Man or Woman of the Year award.
This is the fourth year the awards have been held and every year there is an overwhelming number of nominations.
The awards not only honour those how have excelled in their chosen business field, but they celebrate people who have made a difference in health, sports, arts and music. There are also be awards for people who have made outstanding contributions to their community, or those who have transformed their lives.
The categories and winners this year were:
- Young Achievers (Male) – Darien Kennedy
- Young Achievers (Female) – Sidione Mcleod
- Health Award – Maxine Robinson
- Sports Man – Dalton Powell
- Sports Women – Becky & Ellie Downie
- Community Volunteer Award – Simon Kidane-Fessehaye
- Outstanding Parent Award – Natasha Bryan
- Cultural, Music & Arts (Female) – Norma Gregory
- Cultural, Music & Arts (Male) – Tony Kofi
- Most Transformed Life- Julian Macdonald
- Black Business Man- Alexander Richards
- Black Business Woman- Natasha Johnson-Richards
- Learning, Skills & Employment (Male) – Adrian McGregor
- Learning, Skills & Employment (Female) – Aquiline Chivinge
- Lifetime Community Contributor- Deloris Barnes
Sponsors of this year’s categories include Nottingham Trent University and The University of Nottingham, the YMCA, NCVS, Nottinghamshire Police & Crime Commissioner, Eon Energy, Futures Advice, Skills & Employment and One Nottingham
The previous Sheriff and Lord Mayor of Nottingham, Councillor Merlita Bryan started the Black Achieving Males Awards (BAM) four years ago and this year for the first time they honoured the great women of the city. Cllr Bryan, said: “These
awards aims to show that in the Black Community there are real positive role models.
“All the nominees and winners were honoured for the work they do in their profession but also for how they portray themselves in the community. We want to highlight the men and women in our city who have taken positive steps in their lives and hopefully inspire our younger generations to follow in their footsteps.”
These awards come as the city celebrates Black History Month. Across Nottingham people are marking the month with a range of events and activities at venues across the city.
Black History Month has been celebrated nationally every October since 1987. It’s a chance to celebrate and recognise the contribution that African and African-Caribbean people have made to Nottingham and the UK over the many hundreds of years they’ve been a part of the country’s social fabric.
Venues holding events include the New Art Exchange, Nottingham Contemporary, University of Nottingham, Nottingham Castle, Lakeside Arts, Nottingham Playhouse and the Theatre Royal/Royal Centre.
As part of the celebrations, Nottingham City Council will also be honouring local children and youngsters from across the city in the Black Young Achievers Awards.
This year’s youngsters will be awarded in three categories:
- Outstanding Academic Achievement
- Outstanding Achievement in Extra-curricular Activities
- Outstanding Contribution to the Community
A Black History Month events programme can be downloaded at www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/whatson
More information on the Black Achievers Awards and the award categories can be found here – https://blackachieversaward.co.uk/
To see all the images from the Black Achievers Awards – www.flickr.com/photos/nottmcitycouncil/albums/72157672188394284