'More unites us than divides us': Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh on diversity and inclusion campaign
Watch Adjoa Andoh talk to ITV News' Sam Mangat about the value of diversity, inclusion and connection in community
Cotswolds actor and Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh is backing a new campaign to help promote diversity and inclusion.
The 62-year-old, born in Bristol, says the National Lottery wants people to nominate anyone who helps to create opportunities for others.
A survey of people working in the arts found that almost 40 per cent of people from a minority ethnic background have experienced discrimination.
She’s best known for her role as Lady Danbury in the hit Netflix show Bridgerton, much of which is filmed in Bath.
Adjoa says creating opportunities for people to play sport, learn new skills, socialise, and celebrate diversity is important.
She said: “I think we really saw during the lockdown, we’re built to be together. Biologically we are meant to be together but isolation is a real problem.
“Not having access to opportunities that might transform the way you see your future, the way you feel about yourself, transform the way you feel connected with other people.
“We need those opportunities. We need somebody to step up, create those opportunities, and see them through.
“It enriches our world and makes us feel good about ourselves and it brings us closer to people we might not have otherwise known in our neighbourhoods.”
Adjoa is taking part in the National Lottery’s ‘Game Changer’ campaign which aims to find 30 “inspirational” people who’ve achieved amazing things in the past 30 years.
Adoja grew up in the Cotswolds and says her close-knit upbringing has reinforced the importance of community.
She said: “I’m a mother, I’ve got elderly parents, I live in a community, I’ve got neighbours, I understand that we need to take care of each other.
“I’m interested in the way we come together. It’s how we look out for each other and stick up for each other.
“It’s what makes the world go round. I came from a tiny village in the middle of the Cotswolds everybody knew everybody and we all took care of each other.
“We all want to be seen and heard, and that’s what does it for me.”
Nominations can be made on the National Lottery website until midday on Monday 17 June. Adjoa says those who create opportunities deserve to be celebrated.
She said: “That sense of connection, that sense that more unites us than divides us I think is a really important thing for us to think about and hold on to
“There are as many opportunities as there are grains of sand to be found. The National Lottery fund is just one way to fill those gaps.
“It’s a National shoutout over the last 30 years - if you know somebody in your local area who you think should be celebrated then we would love you to get in touch.”