Ashley Banjo, star of the street dance troupe Diversity, has returned to his seaside roots in Southend-on-Sea to meet some of the unsung heroes featured in the Pride of Britain's new Hometown Heroes video series. The 37-year-old dad-of-two, who co-hosts the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards with P&O Cruises alongside Carol Vorderman, visited the Essex coastal town where his Diversity dance studio is based.
RNLI Volunteers: 'Casual Superhero Stuff'
First on Banjo's list were the brave volunteers of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), the largest lifeboat service operating around UK coasts. He visited the town's lifeboat station on the pier and met Chris Nicholls, a volunteer who joined the RNLI two years ago and works in insurance by day. Banjo said: 'He's a volunteer, sells insurance by day and then joins the hovercraft by night and goes out and saves people. He's just a normal guy who goes out and pulls people off of sinking ships. It reminded me of Batman, it was casual superhero stuff. Amazing.'
One Love Project: From Soup Kitchen to Community Hub
Banjo then met the team behind the One Love Project charity, a food bank and soup kitchen offering practical and emotional support to vulnerable adults and families in Southend. After chatting to CEO Nicky Ficken and volunteer Sharon Yavuz, Banjo said: 'It really touched my heart. When you see what they've built up from a humble soup kitchen to now - multiple buildings offering advice, therapy, clothes, food and real community support, with over a thousand people and families signed up and over 100 volunteers, it is just legendary.' He added: 'My next step is getting down there and doing some volunteering, I think. I'm pretty strong and I'm tall, so if there are any cans left on the top shelf, I'm your guy.'
Andy's Man Club: A Lifeline for Men
Finally, Banjo visited Andy's Man Club, a nationwide men's suicide prevention charity offering free peer-to-peer support. The Southend group, which meets at Southend United's ground, has grown to more than 75 people. Banjo spoke to co-founder Luke Ambler and volunteers like Oliver Vikse and Mark MacIver, many of whom used the group themselves before volunteering. Banjo said: 'AMC was a real eye opener - getting to meet them and just knowing how much of a problem suicide in men is. Actually speaking to some of the guys that came through the door needing help and are now workers and volunteers. Seeing that positive cycle, was so inspiring.' He added: 'I was part of the gang. I walked in and I felt like I was here at Diversity. I was getting bantered from the off and I loved it, because it was just a group of guys sitting down, passing a ball, having a coffee. It just goes to show how much a simple conversation can change your life.'
Pride of Britain: Celebrating Everyday Heroes
Banjo admitted he had no idea how much was going on in Southend. He said: 'I know Southend is full of heart. It is really vibrant and also really diverse. But to actually get to know some of the organisations and charities was a massive honour.' He explained that Hometown Heroes and Pride of Britain winners share a common trait: 'They don't feel like they're doing anything that deserves an award or an accolade of any kind. They just do it because they feel it's right. They want to and they're passionate about it. And for me, the fact that they don't want to be recognised makes them exactly the type of people then that should be recognised.'
Pride of Britain, now in its 28th year, celebrates ordinary people's extraordinary achievements. Nominations are open at prideofbritain.com. Banjo said: 'It's not about you as the host. It's not about the celebrities at the tables or the celebrities on the red carpets. It's just about these incredible people.'
Past winners include the British divers who rescued 12 boys and their coach from a flooded cave in Thailand in 2018, winning the Outstanding Bravery Award, and Max Johnson, 10, who campaigned for an opt-out organ donation system and received the Child of Courage Award that same year. In 2012, Katie Piper was honoured with the Special Recognition Award for her bravery after an acid attack, and Doreen Lawrence received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her fight for justice following the racist murder of her son Stephen.
Banjo emphasised the importance of Pride of Britain: 'I think Pride of Britain is important for so many reasons. I think it's important that it's called the Pride of Britain, because I think that you see this real cross-section of the country. If anybody wanted to know what Britain is, don't go to one particular area or listen to one particular person or sit inside one particular echo chamber. I would watch the Pride of Britain and you will see people from all different walks of life, different genders, different colours, different religions, all of it. You'll just see a real cross-section, I think, of the heroes that make up this country.'
