Here at The Northern School of Art we are honoured to win this fantastic award hosted by Hart Gables. This award is presented to an individual or organisation within the education sector who has been proactive in creating a safer learning environment for LGBT+ communities. This award is extremely important to us as an Art School and we are so pleased to be recognised for all that we do within the LGBTQ+ community. See the winners announcement at the Youtube link above!

Sarah from Hart Gables says, “Congratulations to all our finalists and winners – you all very much deserve to be recognised for the fantastic work being delivered in the Teesside area.

The LGBT Alliance Awards was established in 2020 to celebrate the work and achievements of local services and individuals, the aim of the tonight’s event was to bring communities together and recognise those who are making a difference.

When a person’s sexuality or gender identity is validated with kindness and acceptance by someone else, it can be the reason someone goes home from school or work with a smile on their face. Imagine what could happen if LGBT+ inclusion was normalised into more work spaces. A bit of understanding can go a long way in combating many things, including poor mental health, that sadly today, we see too much of.

The finalists, winners and applicants have gone above and beyond to encourage and implement an inclusive and accessible environment for LGBT+ people whatever their setting. From schools and universities, to local authorities and larger corporations, we really should be proud of our area and the work that’s been delivered to create progressive, understanding, and inclusive environments.

Nationally, we see that almost one in five LGBT+ people have been the target of negative comments or conduct from work colleagues in the last year because they’re LGBT+ and according to a recent YouGov poll rolled out in 2019, ‘LGBT bullying is the most prevalent type of bullying in UK schools’ today.

At a local level, we too see these challenges and that is essentially why our service exists, but what tonight has demonstrated, is that in our area we are trying to combat these issues and change the statistics by promoting inclusion and challenging bullying and discrimination. Everyone in Teesside matters and it’s brilliant to see local services getting behind that.

We hope that this years LGBT Alliance Awards was the first of many, and that next year, the event will be in person, allowing us to celebrate all your achievements together.

I would like to thank Christopher, Ronnie, Josie and Auntie Blanche for doing a fantastic job of the presentation videos, a big shout out to staff for their kind words about finalists and of course a thank you to our wonderful service users for taking part in the closing video.

Goodnight everyone, awards and certificates will be with you soon.

Sarah – Service Lead”

Be sure to visit their website for more information: http://www.hartgables.org.uk/lgbt-alliance-seminar-and-award-ceremony