Bradford

For the last 30 years, Nigel has been a community advocate and political activist. Over the last 4 years and throughout the Covid crisis, he has been advocating very strongly for the Windrush Generation by lobbying and challenging the UK Government’s ‘Hostile Environment’. He is a director of Windrush Generations UK and also Windrush National Organisation who are both ‘Advocating Today For a Better Future’.

Never afraid to speak out for the rights of members of the Windrush generation and their descendants, Nigel has been a stalwart of the community for years.

Nigel’s favourite saying is ‘Better to give than to receive‘ and works with a team of volunteers in order to provide local services to elderly members of the Windrush community. He is also a Radio presenter on BCB106.6fm and hosts amongst other programmes the popular Reggae Roots & Culture Show which he also uses as a platform to educate the public about the rich cultural diversity of our music.

Nigel’s aim is to inspire and raise his and everyone’s aspirations, especially those of his beautiful wife and three children, his biggest fans!

Huddersfield

Cycle of Life is an initiative that was set up in August 2013 in Huddersfield to encourage ‘middle-aged’ Black men to engage in some moderate physical activity once a week on a Sunday morning.

Within weeks of launching, it had over 40 black men signed up for membership. Since that time, it has attracted a few younger black males and as such there are varying levels of ability and numbers participating each week on the ride.

Although it started out purely as a physical activity initiative -it has become so much more over the last 8 years. It offers an opportunity for black men to get out in the fresh air, visit locations that often take in scenery and nature as well as enabling ‘social fellowship’ amongst the men that regularly attend. This contributes to a more holistic nature of ‘wellbeing’ over and beyond just the realm of physical activity.

Cycle of Life also prides itself on having supported many charitable causes by raising money for: Sickle Cell, Epilepsy, Prostate Cancer and more recently the St Vincent and Grenadines Volcano Disaster Appeal…to name a few.

The group have collaborated with other black riders across the region (Leeds, Bradford, Manchester) for fundraising and other occasions (eg recently supported an annual ride in Manchester to a place Haile Selassie was reported to have stayed when visiting England). Cycle of Life is using exercise as a platform to also be ‘Culturally Conscious’

Leeds

Leeds born and bred, Brother Urban Muhammad, has been working in the Black/African community for 26 years. He is a husband of 19 years and a father to 2 teenage daughters.

Brother Urban came into consciousness in the Nation of Islam and still an active member to this day. He has helped organise and host many programmes in Leeds, Huddersfield and Bradford. He’s also participated in African Liberation Day, Kwanzaa, March 10,000, Black Men’s Forum, Nubian Men, Leeds Islamic Forum, Chapeltown Independent After School CIAS, Black Achievers Wings Award, Afrikan Market plus various social and political events all under the name of Northern Region Study Guide Group and now Unity Does MAATer or UDM.

Upon hearing of his nomination, Brother Urban said: “No man is an island. There are 20, 30, maybe hundreds of Brothers and Sisters behind the scenes who are working, whom the public has never seen… Sometimes we carry titles in our groups and organisations but I like to be known as BROTHER URBAN”.