Brad Johnson named Regional Finalist at the Pride of Britain Awards
Updated: 12 hours ago
East Coast Pride Trustee recognised for Fundraiser of the Year in the ITV Calendar (South) region, following more than a decade of fundraising and over £100,000 raised for good causes.
East Coast Pride is delighted to share that our Trustee, Charity Secretary and Event Director, Brad Johnson, was shortlisted for Fundraiser of the Year at the Pride of Britain Awards in the ITV Calendar (South) region, run by the Daily Mirror in partnership with ITV.
Brad was named a Regional Finalist for the ITV Calendar (South) region. He did not get through to the national final, but reaching that stage of one of the country's best known awards is a proud moment for our charity and for everyone who fundraises alongside him.
His feature was broadcast on ITV Calendar South on Tuesday 8 September.
A fundraiser long before East Coast Pride
Brad has been raising money for good causes since before he went to university, and has raised more than £100,000 across his lifetime for good causes, either alone or as part of a team that he's worked with.
At university he chaired Raise and Give (RAG), leading student fundraising campaigns and raising money for ABF The Soldiers' Charity through cycling events in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.
He went on to serve as Co-Director of the National Student Fundraising Conference at the University of Hertfordshire, the national gathering that brings student fundraisers together to share ideas, train and celebrate the money they raise for charities up and down the country.
Brad is also a former volunteer RNLI crew member and a long-standing supporter of the lifeboat service, a cause that remains close to him on this stretch of coast.
Alongside fundraising, Brad has given his time to education for years. He is currently a School Governor at Skegness Grammar School, his old school, and has previously served as a governor at Chapel St Leonards Primary School and at Ralph Sadlier Middle School in Bedfordshire.
At East Coast Pride he has helped take the event from an idea to a free community Pride at Tower Gardens welcoming around 5,000 people, funded through grants, sponsorship and the generosity of local people.
In Brad's words "I was genuinely taken aback to be nominated, let alone to be named a Regional Finalist. Fundraising has never been about recognition for me. It is about the causes, and about the people who quietly give their time, their money and their energy to make something happen in their community. "Everything East Coast Pride does is free to attend, and that only works because people fundraise for it. This nomination belongs to our trustees, our committee, our volunteers and everyone who has ever bought a raffle ticket or dropped a pound in a bucket for us."
Championing every fundraiser
We want to congratulate every finalist from the Calendar South region and wish them the very best. Each of them has given something significant to their community, and we are proud that Brad has been counted among them.
More than that, we want to champion every fundraiser, whether they are shortlisted for anything or not. Most fundraising happens with no cameras and no applause, in village halls, on high streets, at quiz nights and outside supermarkets. It is worth celebrating all of it.
East Coast Pride returns to Tower Gardens, Skegness on Saturday 11 September 2027. Free entry, as always.
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