Newquay’s Kerry Pace Nominated For National Diversity Award

Kerry Pace thought the email was spam. She ignored it. Four days later, she realised the National Diversity Awards had actually shortlisted her, and the clock was already ticking.

That left her five days to gather votes from the people she has spent decades supporting. By the end of the first four, almost 140 had written in.

Who She Is

Pace lives in Newquay and runs Diverse Learners from home. The organisation supports neurodivergent and disabled students, professionals and workplaces through coaching, mentoring, training and consultancy. She has been an Inclusion Specialist in the Department of Nursing and Midwifery at Plymouth University for more than 10 years, and is currently an associate lecturer on the Return to Practice course, delivering sessions on resilience, wellbeing, self-care and study skills.

Across 30 years in education, healthcare and disability support, she has trained more than 20,000 nurses.

Pace lives with ADHD, dyspraxia, C-PTSD and long-term health conditions. She is also a parent and carer to neurodivergent grown-up children with complex health conditions. That lived experience shapes how Diverse Learners works with the people who come through its doors.

The Nomination

This is the third time Pace has been nominated for a National Diversity Award. This year’s category is Positive Role Model Award for Gender.

The awards, now in their 15th year and run in association with ITV News, recognise individuals, community organisations and role models working to promote diversity and inclusion across the UK.

Voting requires a written reason, and the reasons are published on the nomination page. One reads: “She supported and encouraged me to grow, learn to love parts of me I once despised.” Another describes Diverse Learners as leading “with compassion, integrity, and courage.”

What She Said

“I’m flabbergasted to have received almost 140 individual votes and comments in just 4 days,” Pace said. “I thought the email was Spam so I ignored it but found out 4 days ago it was official. That only left me 5 days to gather votes and support.”

She added that a common theme runs through the comments: the impact her work has had on the women she supports.

Pace has worked with NHS Trusts, healthcare professional bodies, dyspraxia charities, universities and employers across the UK and internationally. She previously won a We Are The City Rising Star award in the education and academia category in 2019 for pioneering research using Skype, between 2008 and 2020, to improve access to specialist support for nursing students out on placement.

Votes can be cast at the National Diversity Awards nomination page. More on her work is at linktr.ee/DiverseLearners.