A YORK woman has won a prestigious 'influencer' award for her work creating regular content on social media for thousands of followers.
Acomb resident Justine Hughes, won the ‘Inspirational Influencer of the Year’ award at the Yorkshire Blogger Awards ceremony in Leeds last week.
Nominated for her work as a content creator or ‘influencer’ via her Instagram account with the handle '@justineupnorth' - Justine won the award by a landslide of votes, according to organisers of the competition.
On winning the award, Justine said: “I’m just so grateful to every single person who voted for me. The internet can be a challenging place with a lot of negativity and if I can inspire just one person in a positive way, then I’m happy.”
Justine can regularly be found blogging her experiences in and around York and is passionate about using her digital platform for good, dispelling myths about how people usually view the ‘influencer’ industry.
She first gathered a following on Instagram, raising awareness for the plight of small businesses who had fallen through the cracks of financial support during the Covid-19 lockdown and has since led several successful campaigns in York.
One of these campaigns included a petition for former Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Philip Allott to resign from his post which gathered over 16,000 signatures and was instrumental in Allott’s eventual resignation following comments he made about the Sarah Everard and Wayne Couzens case.
She currently has more than 16,000 followers on her Instagram, who she regularly updates with posts and stories on important subjects including the cost-of-living crisis.
On her most recent post, Justine took her followers shopping with her to inform them on items they can purchase to donate to food and hygiene banks in the York area.
In the video, Justine explains: "We all know we're in a cost-of-living crisis and many of us want to help those who are struggling.
"Lot's of people aren't sure what they can and can't donate - so come shopping with me and I'll give you some ideas."
Justine then goes on to show video footage to her followers and explains what each item is.
Justine also posts fashion updates to her followers, as well as inspirational quotes, room makeovers and general updates on what she has been getting up to in and around her home city. She has different highlights reels for her followers - with titles ranging from 'Come With Me' to events and 'Workshops'.
Justine is also the host of the 'Politics and Pints' podcast - during which she interviews interesting guests and discusses their relationship with politics over a drink.
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