Entries have opened for the 2021 Tees Valley BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) Achievement Awards and judges are asking you for your opinion who should win this year.
Now in its twelfth year, the awards ceremony will recognise the talent and achievements if the local community by honouring organisations and individuals at the event on Saturday, November 27th at Middlesbrough ’s Jurys Inn Hotel.
The Tees Valley BME Awards provides a platform for service providers and community members alike to celebrate success across the board from personal accomplishments to collective achievements for organisations which have advanced the opportunities for BME communities and demonstrated positive change.
There are nine categories that the public are being asked to vote for; the Youth award, the Apprenticeship Award and the Community Award all have sections for individuals and organisations and the Business Award has sections for business of the year and businessperson of the year.
Other awards include Woman of the Year, Education, Community Safety and Public Sector award which is recognition of public sector service in promoting equality of opportunity and BME progression.
The final award is the Lifetime Achievement Award, a special award for an individual, who has demonstrated a sustained commitment to and support of BME communities.
The judges have urged people to nominate those who have made the biggest contributions over the past year including grassroots organisations, established members of the community, newly emerging stars and dynamic youngsters.
Nazir Afzal OBE, the former chief crown prosecutor and national adviser to the Welsh Government who is returning to Teesside to host this year’s event said. “We came together, we looked after each other and there were truly magnificent displays of partnership, of innovation and of caring for our most vulnerable.”
“If ever there was a need to recognise the best of us, then it is now. Those from minority communities were disproportionately impacted by Covid, but the same communities disproportionately tended to our ill when they were hospitalised.”
“We could just clap hands for them, or we could say thank you in the spotlight of our awards ceremony – so let us congregate and congratulate,”
In recognising the disproportionate impact that the pandemic has had on the BME community Mr Afzal revealed his own family tragedy and explained how he hoped the Awards could be part of the healing process for the community. He said: “The last year has been as horrific as any in living memory. I lost my brother to Covid-19 and my mother to a broken heart, but each of us will have a personal story to tell, possibly of heartache, of sacrifice and of community.”
He added “It is the understanding and appreciation of the importance of community that makes the BME awards so important this year.”
Mr Afzal will co-host this year’s event in partnership with Tees Valley Business which was established by the Tees Valley Mayor and combined authority as part of the region’s local growth hub.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: “The past year has seen communities pull together like never before in the face of a devastating pandemic.”
“However, if one thing has come out of all the heartache and loss, it’s the brave and inspiring stories of individuals, organisations and businesses which went above and beyond to help where they could.”
In echoing Mr Afzal’s hopes for this year’s ceremony Mayor Houchen said: “This will be a BME awards like no other, and we’re very proud to be able to help highlight some of the best our region has to offer.”
“This event is incredibly important to champion heroes and help to encourage future generations as communities across Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool begin to recover from the impact of this virus.”
The Tees Valley is home to over 43,000 BME community members and their families.
A spokesperson for the Tees Valley Achievements Award said: “The Awards are a firm favourite and significant occasion which has opened up opportunities and provided a platform to spread a positive message. This year’s awards will continue to recognise those individuals and promote the phenomenal work that they do amidst a Global pandemic.”
Guests at November’s ceremony will enjoy South-Asian dining, special guest appearances and keynote speeches from leading local figures.
For further details about how to nominate your local hero and or heroine and for details about how to obtain tickets for the November ceremony follow this link: The Tees Valley BME Awards
