Diversity star Ashley Banjo shows that charity begins at home, as he returns to his seaside roots to meet some of Pride of Britain’s Hometown Heroes09:03, 08 Jul 2026Ashley Banjo on becoming host of Pride of BritainNew video series Hometown Heroes, from Pride of Britain, aims to celebrate the unsung heroes in communities around the country. So, dad-of-two Ashley, 37, has been to Southend-on-Sea, the Essex coastal town where his Diversity dance studio is based.‌Co-host of the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards with P&O Cruises, alongside Countdown legend Carol Vorderman, since 2021, Ashley spoke to a series of inspirational locals. The star, who found fame after winning Britain's Got Talent in 2009 with street dance troupe Diversity, says: “Hometown Heroes, for me, is literally what it says on the tin. “It's meeting people locally to me here in Southend, who have just made a real difference to the community and done some incredible things.”‌First on his list are the brave men and women who volunteer for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) - the largest of the lifeboat services operating around UK coasts. Visiting the town’s lifeboat station on the pier, he says: “They are the kind of organisation you take for granted. I know that if you're stranded out there on the water, or you wander too far from the shore, they will come out and help you. But, actually seeing them, knowing what they do for a day job, meeting them, was really humbling.”‌Chris Nicholls, a volunteer who joined the RNLI two years ago, works in insurance by day. Ashley says: “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.”Then Ashley meets the people behind the One Love Project charity, a food bank and soup kitchen offering practical and emotional support to the growing number of vulnerable adults and families in Southend.‌After chatting to CEO Nicky Ficken and volunteer Sharon Yavuz, he says: “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.“They are making such a difference to people that need it the most, which is beautiful. 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.”‌Finally, Ashley meets people who help run Andy’s Man Club, a nationwide men's suicide prevention charity, offering free to attend peer-to-peer support. He says: “AMC was a real eye opener - getting to meet them and just knowing how much of a problem suicide in men is. In the past few years, they've opened a group here in Southend, and that group has already grown to 75 plus people.”Speaking to co-founder Luke Ambler, and volunteers like Oliver Vikse and Mark MacIver, many of whom used the group themselves before lending a hand, Ashley says: “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.”‌Welcoming Ashley with open arms, he says: “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, you know?”Ashley admits that he had no idea just how much was going on in Southend. He says: “I know Southend is full of heart. It is really vibrant and also really diverse. Excuse the pun, but it is. But to actually get to know some of the organisations and charities was a massive honour”.Ashley says that Hometown Heroes and Pride of Britain winners have one thing in common. He explains: “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 celebrates ordinary people’s extraordinary achievements. In its 28th year, nominations are now open. Ashley says: “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.”Over the years, Pride of Britain winners have made an indelible impression. In 2018, British divers John Volanthen, Rick Stanton, Jason Mallinson, Chris Jewell, Josh Bratchley and Connor Roe won the Pride of Britain Outstanding Bravery Award, following the rescue of 12 boys and their football coach from the flooded Tham Luang cave in Thailand. There wasn't a dry eye in the house when all 12 boys walked on the stage to thank the men who saved them.‌The same year, Max Johnson, 10, got the Child of Courage Award after successfully campaigning for an opt-out organ donation system in England. Max met famous faces including Olly Murs, Jeremy Corbyn, Ellie Goulding and Ashley Banjo at the bash.In 2012, TV presenter Katie Piper was honoured with the Special Recognition Award for her bravery and for setting up a foundation to support burns survivors, following a horrific acid attack. Doreen Lawrence also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from actor Idris Elba that year for her fight for justice, following the racist murder of her son Stephen in 1993, and for her charity work.‌A celebration of everyday heroes, the spirit of Pride of Britain is needed now more than ever, says Ashley. He continues: “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.Article continues below“And and that's one of the reasons I'm so proud to be involved because I'm British and sometimes you kind of get not only confused in that identity but lost in so much negativity. But Pride of Britain for me is inherently about Britain and you know British people doing incredible things but also about positivity and hope.”*All the Hometown Heroes featured in the series have been nominated for a Pride of Britain Award. Do you know someone in your hometown or behind who deserves to be recognised? Nominate them now at prideofbritain.com