Ben OsborneLocal entrepreneur and founder of music magazine, Soundsphere, Dom Smith, has been nominated for an award at the prestigious National Diversity Awards.
The National Diversity Awards will be held at The Midland Hotel, Manchester on 21st September 2012, to celebrate the efforts of those who have enhanced equality, diversity and inclusion within their communities.
Nominated for the prize of Entrepreneurial of Excellence Award: Disability, Dom has overcome his disability caused by Cerebral Palsy, to become one of the region’s most innovative young entrepreneurs. Soundsphere magazine is a music and culture magazine primarily focused on the North of England but it is gaining recognition outside of the region. Aiming to be “The ultimate guide to alternative culture in the North of England and worldwide”, the magazine is a wonderful guide to the non-mainstream and is available online here, in various venues in York, as well as in London, Manchester and America.
Dom told us his joy at being nominated for the award, “It’s a wonderful honour to be nominated for such an award. It’s definitely a proud moment in both my personal and professional life, and whatever happens, I am really, really grateful to the people who have (and will) vote for me – thank you so much!”
In an earlier interview with Dom he told us how he has managed to get to where he his now, “Persistence and enthusiasm are the two main things. Unless you show people you really want to do it, nobody’s going to pay attention.
“Go on placements, be generous and stand out. Be nice but show your passion. People will remember you and give you the time of day. It’s about making contacts and about being as passionate as you can.”
Dom’s work with the Disabled EntrepreneursYork group is inspirational, and the group aim to inspire and support disabled people across the United Kingdom to become successful entrepreneurs.
The four categories are Community Organisation Awards, Entrepreneurial of Excellence Awards, Diverse Company Awards, and Lifetime Achiever Awards. Each category is then divided into the following nomination categories for each award; Age, Disability, Gender, LGBT, and Race.
Former Big Brother winner Brian Dowling, who is to host this year’s event and said, “I am privileged to be hosting The National Diversity Awards and to be given the chance to witness so many positive role models and charities across the nation being rewarded for their efforts. I feel honoured to be representing an awards ceremony that is recognising diversity at so many levels.”
The awards will be judged by a panel of four from the business world and 3rd sector; Dr. Rob Berkeley, Director of the Runnymeade Trust (the UK’s leading race equality trust), Paul Sesay, Chief Executive of The Diversity Group, Denise Keating, Chief Executive of the Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion, and Mark Shrimpton, Deputy CEO of RADAR, a disability focused partnership.
The awards aim to promote equality and diversity, create role-models from all sections of societies, to eliminate discrimination on the grounds of race, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or age, and to celebrate the achievements of people,community and charity organisations and companies that strive to create a more inclusive society.
One&Other wishes Dom the best of luck and we look forward to a post-award success interview!
Read our full interview with Dom here.
