Tony Kelly BEM is a man who has turned lived experience into lasting change—building a legacy rooted in health equity, cultural pride, and lifelong public service.
Born in London and raised in Jamaica, Tony Kelly returned to the UK in 1979, bringing with him the clarity and conviction of a teacher. A Mico Teachers’ College graduate and former English and Religious Education teacher in Kingston, Tony later spent three decades in local and central government, ultimately working as a manager in equity, diversity, and inclusion. Tony Kelly also holds a master’s degree in socio-legal studies from the University of Birmingham. But it was his personal journey with type 2 diabetes that would lead him to become one of Britain’s most impactful public health advocates.
Diagnosed over 20 years ago, Tony Kelly has managed his condition entirely through lifestyle changes—no medication, just discipline, knowledge, and movement. His story is not one of quiet survival, but of public transformation. He began by sharing what he’d learned. Then he made it his mission to ensure others—particularly Black African-Caribbean and South Asian communities—had access to the same life-saving information.
Since 2012, Tony Kelly has delivered over a thousand free diabetes awareness sessions across the UK and internationally. As a former diabetes UK Community Champion and now a Diabetes Ambassador/Activist (volunteer) with Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System, and global ambassador, he has spoken on stages from Dominica to Barbados, Canada to Jamaica. His sessions reach schools, universities, places of worship, health centres, community events, and NHS organisations—wherever people gather, Tony Kelly meets them with empathy, clarity, and cultural relevance.
Tony Kelly is not only a speaker—he is a mentor, a writer, an editor, and a community force. He has judged national patient experience awards, contributed to university research panels, co-authored peer-reviewed publications, and appeared on BBC News, Break Tru TV, and national health campaigns. His writing and public commentary stretch from the pages of CaribDirect and Phoenix News to health literature across the Commonwealth.
His recognitions speak volumes: a British Empire Medal in 2024, a British Citizen Award for Health, an honorary doctorate from Warwick University, and over a dozen national and community awards for service, awareness, and education. But the real measure of Tony Kelly’s work is not the medals. It’s the conversation between friends sparked by his sessions. It’s the family whose story doesn’t end in preventable loss.
Because Tony Kelly BEM hasn’t just changed minds—he’s changed outcomes, opening doors to better health, earlier diagnosis, and longer lives for countless people here and across the Caribbean.
