Eleven remarkable young people and a children’s charity have been honoured at this year’s Yorkshire Children of Courage Awards, held on 10 October at New Dock Hall in Leeds.
The event welcomed more than 500 guests and raised over £100,000 with support from St. James’s Place. Founded in 2011 by the St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation, the awards recognise courage, resilience and compassion in young people across the region while raising funds for local charities.
This year’s ceremony took on a ‘Neon Jungle’ theme, with guests treated to live entertainment and musical performances. Familiar faces from sport, television and radio joined the celebrations, including Leeds Rhinos’ Ash Hanley and Jamie Jones Buchanan, Coronation Street’s Natalie Anderson and radio presenters Danny Mylo and Rosie Madison.
Hosting the evening for the first time was radio and sports presenter Rich Williams. He said: “It has been an absolute honour to host the Yorkshire Children of Courage Awards for the first time. The courage and resilience shown by these young people is nothing short of inspiring. The room was filled with so much positivity and pride; it is a night I will never forget.”
Christine Talbot returned as co-host for a sixth consecutive year.
Among the awards was the ‘Dare to Dream’ accolade, introduced in memory of Rob Burrow. This year it was presented to 12-year-old Destiny Hope Hodgson, recognised for her determination in gymnastics despite living with complex congenital heart disease. The award was presented by Rob Burrow’s wife, Lindsey and their children, Jackson, Macy and Maya.
The Children’s Charity of the Year title went to Yorkshire Children’s Charity.
Chair of the awards committee, Ewan Dowes, recognised the impact of the event. He said: “I would like to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported this year’s Yorkshire Children of Courage Awards and to all those that work so hard to make this event happen. We raised an incredible amount which will allow us to continue providing critical funding to charities across Yorkshire, and we are deeply grateful for everyone’s generous contributions.”
Headline sponsor Core Telecom also backed the event. Owner Mahmood Mazhar said: “It is a true privilege to support and celebrate the achievements of these inspiring children, their families, and their incredible resilience. We are immensely proud to be involved in such a humbling event for the region.”
