Sally

She has tirelessly dedicated herself to youth work for the majority of her adult life. As a working class Northern girl leaving school with few qualifications, Sally's history is one of triumph over adversity. Coming out as a lesbian in a hostile, homophobic home in the 1980s was a traumatic experience. She is a woman who has achieved a great deal through hard craft and forming lasting connections with others. Her philosophy is one of collaboration and creating space for others to flourish. Sally was awarded a MBE in 2012 for services supporting vulnerable and isolated LGBT+ young people across the UK.  She is currently shortlisted for a Life Time Achievement Awards at the National Diversity Awards 2021 and nominated in the 2021 Inspirational Women Awards. 

In 1988, Sally started volunteering at the then gay youth group in Manchester.  She was 21 and noticeably the only woman in the space. By 1991, following her extensive lobbying efforts, the local authority agreed to put a part-time paid youth worker into the group.  In 1996, she set up and supported the Peer Support Project, a charity for intensive support of LGBT+ young people. In 2002, she set up and supported The Young Women’s Health Project, empowering young lesbian and bisexual women through feminist youth work practice. The Proud Trust was co-founded by Sally in 2005, which became the largest LGBT+ youth and community organisation in the UK.  She went on to form an international network of youth workers working in LGBT+ youth provision, and founded an annual festival of ideas and creativity in Manchester for women who love women, called Sapphormation.

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Sally is now  Director of Youth for Pride Sports, a national organisation that promotes LGBT+ inclusion in sport through research and programmes. She is also an executive coach and supervisor specialising in supporting third sector senior managers and directors.

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Sally is involved in numerous boards and committees.  She is a non-executive board member and trustee at the National Youth Agency and an advisor to the LGBT Consortium.  She is also sits on the LGBT Advisory Group for the Mayor of Greater Manchester (Andy Burnham) in her role as a Director at Pride Sports. Her other roles include:

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• member of the Greater Manchester Children and Young Peoples Partnership

• non-executive Director and Trustee at The National Youth Agency

• Trustee at Youth Focus North West

• proud  member of Soroptimist International ensuring the welfare of women globally through the people and prosperity committee

• Director of The Empowerment People providing resources, partnerships and activities to support youth work with girls and young women;

• Ambassador for Manchester Metropolitan University, supporting young people who may not otherwise consider going to University;

• Critical Friend to the Reanimating Data project, a collaboration between academics, archivists and activists interested in young women’s sexual health and empowerment

•  Patron of The Pankhurst Trust in Manchester

• Certified Pride 365 Champion.

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Sally has recently featured as a Proud LGBT+ Romany Gypsy role model for The Traveller Movement and for the Romany Arts and Culture Centre.

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