BRAG wins national award

BRAG have won the award for the Community Initiative of the Year at The National BAME Health & Care Awards 2023. The awards celebrate BAME staff and networks across British health and social care who are forging better healthcare initiatives for their communities.

BRAG members are community leaders who work strategically and practically to bring a focus on race equity, inclusion and effective community engagement to health research in Greater Manchester. The group is facilitated by Vocal.

Congratulations to current and previous members of BRAG.

Current members:

• Circle Steele, CEO Wai Yin Society

• Ehinor Otaigbe-Amedu, CEO Wonderfully Made Woman

• Grace McCorkle, CEO Collaborative Women

• Naheed Akhtar, Director We Matter CIC

• Stephen Tony Wright, Managing Director Socio-Economic Regeneration CIC

• Tikhala Chimpango, Director Woman Arise

Previous members:

• Adil Mohammed Javed, CEO Alchemy Arts

• Nasima Begum, Poet, Producer & Creative Practitioner

• Nusrat Ahmed, Lead Curator South Asia Gallery Manchester Museum

Congratulations and thanks also to former Vocal staff Safina Islam (BRAG co-founder) and Olivia Joseph who worked with participants to co-develop and establish the BRAG model.

BRAG is not only important but crucial if we want to see phenomenal improvements in health research because people from BAME backgrounds are often under-represented or not represented in the development and delivery of health research and they are often the ones that have the increased morbidity rates. BRAG started with a collaborative approach between the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre and the GM BME Network, chaired by Atiha Chaudry because the health of all people matters, and we want to ensure that the difference we make in research enables diverse communities to live happier and healthier lives.

Davine Forde, Associate, Manchester BME Network CIC, NHIR Manchester BRC Governance Board

The BRAG model has potential to be adopted more widely in health care.

This work…could be adopted by the NHS in formal consultation processes making their services more accessible...As a CEO of a BAME organisation...it highlights the potential of a successful engagement – co production model. As a carer, it gives a degree of confidence that there are channels to present the voice of the BAME community.

Khudeja Amer-Sharif, CEO, Shama Women’s Centre, Leicester

Receiving this award is a huge honour and helps to raise the profile of the BRAG and the crucial work it does. Well done everyone!