Eastwood drag performer in running for prestigious Pride of Britain Award

Mark Preston transforms into his drag persona Miss Zandra Pepper to perform his dazzling charity shows.

Mark Preston, also known by his alter-ego Miss Zandra Pepper, has been doing drag for the last 22 years after a battle with serious depression drove him to follow a new passion.

He said prior to becoming Zandra, he had tried to take his own life on two occasions.

Mark said: “In 1999, I had a nervous breakdown. I had given up, honestly. But my friends encouraged me to try out drag and I loved it pretty much straight away.

“By being Zandra, it started to get me out of my depression. It saved my life, really.

“That's why I started doing shows for charity.”

The quirky performer has never taken a penny for himself and instead donated all of the proceeds from his hundreds of shows to various local charities and good causes around Eastwood and wider Nottinghamshire.

Mark has won multiple awards for his work, including one from Broxtowe Borough Council and more recently a ‘highly commended’ accolade in the BBC Make a Difference Awards.

But being in the running for one of the Daily Mirror's Pride of Britain Awards is his greatest achievement yet.

“It’s just unbelievable,” the 59-year-old said.

“It’s been a whirlwind and I’m completely blown away by it. I love performing, but everything I do is always for the charities. To be recognised like this is just unreal."

The Mirror's Pride of Britain Awards was launched in 1999 to honour the UK's unsung heroes.

Pride of Britain winners come from tens of thousands of public nominations and stories of remarkable individuals discovered by a team of researchers.

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As an East Midlands ‘Fundraiser of the Year’ finalist, Mark will appear on ITV on Wednesday evening at 6.30pm to share his heartwarming story with the public.

The regional winner will be revealed at the end of the week (Friday, September 30) in ITV’s special evening programme.

All of the winners from across the country will then receive their awards at a glittering dinner, which is screened on prime time telly, in London later in the autumn.