Jackie nominated again

Jackie Crozier for Stonewall Award
Manchester has seen an extremely successful summer.
Having hosted Olympic football (as well as Brazilian Paralympic athletes and Australian swimmers), continuing to put on some fantastic large events and concerts and thrown a successful Food and Drink Festival – it’s fair to say we’re a city of many talents.
Even in the midst of sad events – the deaths of two extremely brave members of the Greater Manchester Police – we have watched as our city has come together to pay respects. That is because Manchester is a city that prides itself on respect.
In return, every now and again we are recognised for it, whether as a city, as a group or as individuals.

This time has come once again as Jackie Crozier has been honoured with a 2012 Stonewall Award nomination. Crozier is nominated for Hero of the Year, alongside pop singer Jessie J, ice cream giants Ben (Cohen) and Jerry (Greenfield)’s, Reverend Giles Fraser and Tim Franks.
The word ‘hero’ is an interesting one, and is often used very light heartedly for people who are idolised by fans – be it film stars, models or even soap characters. What is so great about the Hero of the Year award that Stonewall give out is that it seeks to praise people who have truly made a difference.
For many, it was Jackie Crozier who really took Manchester Pride to dizzying new heights – in a good way.

Under her helm as Festival Director the annual celebration of LGBT culture and lifestyle was awarded ‘Best UK Pride’ for five consecutive years. It was also nominated as one of the world’s five best prides – being the only UK city in that category.
It was Jackie who enforced the Pride Fringe programme should stay and be treated with just as much importance, and it was Jackie who helped Manchester Pride hit its £1M profit mark for charity in 2011.
Alongside this, Crozier has always given herself to the charity sector, previously working with Marie Curie and constantly fundraising for Alzheimer’s Society. She most recently became a patron of charitable organisation Outpost Housing Project. She also does work with Oxfam – in particular International Women’s Day.
All of these achievements do not go unrecognised however.
Crozier was most recently named Community Champion at the Lesbian and Gay Foundation’s ‘Homo Hero’ Awards (2011). In addition to this, she made the Independent on Sunday’s ‘Pink List’, which honours the 100 most important LGBT individuals in the United Kingdom, and Attitude magazine’s ‘Top 40 LGBT people to be inspired by’.
Since leaving Manchester Pride, Crozier has worked on the London 2012 Olympic Games and in consultancy with Leeds Pride (Jackie was born in Ripon) – who arguably enjoyed one of their most successful years to date in 2012. No surprises there then!
So at a time where a lot of our newspapers and news sites are littered with sad stories, things that may get you down or examples of people who society feel ashamed of – we need not necessarily give up.
Manchester is a city full of successes, full of hope, and full of the talent to achieve fantastic things – it does not take much searching to find that. And we are a city filled with inspiration individuals who work together to do inspirational things.
That is why this announcement and nomination from Stonewall should not just be celebrated by Jackie herself, but by everyone else.

When asked about the award nomination, Jackie said: “I was absolutely astounded and shocked. Whenever I have been recognised for my work with the community I find it quite daunting – I don’t do it for selfless reasons, it’s just always been imbedded in me. But the Stonewall nomination has particularly knocked me for six; not only because of the esteem of the organisation and the title, but those who I am next to in the running for the prize.
I would like to thank Stonewall immensely – it is a complete honour – and also extend my praise to the fellow nominees who I believe are outstanding examples to society.
For now, I cannot wait for the Stonewall Awards as it is a fantastic time of year that brings people together and reminds them that there is a lot of good out there, we just don’t often hear about it.”

The 2012 Stonewall Awards take place on 1 November 2012. For more information on the other awards and nominees, or how to purchase tickets to the event, see here: http://www.stonewall.org.uk/

Published: 18-Oct-2012: (1569)