Write Out Loud’s founder, Julian Jordon, has been nominated for an “unsung hero” award. The awards will be made at a fundraising gala and Christmas lunch held by Panda, the Manchester-based performing arts network and development agency on Wednesday 18 December. 

The deadline for voting was midnight on Monday 16 December. Panda define “unsung hero” as “anyone you feel has made a real difference to the performing arts sector but whose work has mostly been carried out under the radar and you would like to see recognised”.

Julian Jordon founded Write Out Loud with Dave Morgan in Bolton. Since then it has grown into a site with an ethos to support and promote grassroots poetry. People can blog their poems or take part in discussions, set up their own or group profiles, read regularly updated poetry news, make use of resources in the Poetry Directory, and scan an unsurpassed Gig Guide for what poetry events are on in their local area. In October a new record of 23,000 unique visitors to the site was notched up. Write Out Loud receives no public funding. 

As well as keeping an eye on the whole organisation, Julian runs monthly Write Out Loud evenings in his home village of Marsden, as well as the annual Poetry Jam at the Marsden jazz festival. This year an additional event, The Beat Is Back -  Beat and jazz poetry and music - was staged. Among his many talents and achievements he is a former teacher and lecturer, accomplished compere and performance poet, and scriptwriter.

Panda's director, Anne-Marie Crowther, said: "Julian has been proposed due to his lengthy and consistent commitment to encouraging poetry participation, making poetry part of every community no matter how large or small, and ensuring it’s accessible in the true sense of the word."

Other nominees are:

Lisa Conner and Gareth Kavanagh who established the Greater Manchester fringe festival. Their pub Lass O’Gowrie supported many a small company and artist until its recent closure.

Lisa Mattocks, co-founder of The Future, for her quiet leadership and devoted work motivating, supporting and producing emerging artists.

Natasha Boojihawan – co-founder of Union Street Media Arts, for the unbounded energy she brings to youth & community projects, unlocking potential for individual and social change.

Claire Symonds, Lowry studio programmer/producer, for her resilience, optimistic and generous approach towards developing others.

Graham Southall - for his commitment to the ethos of the co-operative and for unwavering support of the arts introducing and encouraging new audiences.

In a second category, "Inspirational", Panda members were asked to put forward “the person who has inspired you/you admire the most who is still alive and with a northern connection”. Three people were put forward and votes are invited for one of the following: Elizabeth Newman, Wyllie Longmore and Lisa Mattocks.

Panda is a support organisation for those working in performing arts  with a focus on the north-west and neighbouring regions. The membership network aims to encourage creative enterprise and nurture professional development through peer to peer learning, resource exchange, mentoring and coaching. 

The Panda awards have been launched "to recognise the creativity, resilience and sheer hard work the small-scale, grassroots and independent performance arts sector contributes and in particular, to show appreciation to some of the individuals that make everything possible within a largely undervalued, low-waged and invisible part of the wider ecology".