Northumberland Pride appoints link worker and trustee as part of expansion plans

Dan Zadeh has been hired as a link worker to engage with young people across the North East, and university lecturer Drew Dalton has been appointed to the LGBTQIA+ charity’s board of trustees.

Dan is studying to become a qualified counsellor, and will combine his studies with working at Northumberland Pride.

Born to an English mother and Iranian father, he struggled with his identity until he learned to accept himself while in rehabilitation for alcohol and drug addiction.

Dan said: “I was miserable for 30 years of my life and I never felt like I belonged to any group of society because I was bullied for my race due to my father’s background, but what I have learned is that you can change things and find self-acceptance.

“I feel like young people can relate to me and my experiences, and we can build strong and trusting relationships.

“I am really excited to be working with such a great charity like Northumberland Pride and supporting young people find their joy in life and accept themselves as they are, and I am grateful for the team for taking a chance on me.”

Drew is a senior lecturer in sociology and programme leader in inequality and society at the University of Sunderland, and is founder of global LGBTQIA+ human rights charity ReportOUT.

Drew said: “In my current role as chair of trustees at ReportOUT, and with my background in managing local charities focused around LGBTQIA+ issues, I am well placed to understand the challenges faced by the third sector.

“I hope to bring this wealth of learning with me as a trustee to hopefully benefit Northumberland Pride.

“It is a great honour to be part of such a growing and thriving organisation, and I hope to work with the rest of the trustees to ensure that it continues to be a success in the future.”

Northumberland Pride’s chairperson Darren Irvine-Duffy said: “Our growth has been amazing in terms of support services we now provide and our staffing levels.

“To help us grow we need exceptional people within the organisation and we are absolutely delighted to have Dan and Drew on board to keep building on the excellent reputation we have created over the years.”