Yorkshire Young Achievers, a charity which rewards and helps young people achieve their potential, reached £1million in fundraising during its 21st annual awards ceremony attended by 400 guests at Elland Road, Leeds.
Awards chairman Peter McCormick OBE, of principal sponsors McCormicks Solicitors of Harrogate, announced the total at the end of the evening and said: ‘This was tremendous news and due in no small part to the generosity of both our sponsors and our guests at the awards.’
The money raised goes to the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation which supports young people and their projects across the region. Recent grants have included a soft play area for 200 pupils with special educational needs at a school in Leeds; helping a young Scarborough actress to attend drama school; helping to develop an Indian Music Youth Orchestra and supporting Bradford Science Festival with a grant to provide workshops.
The 2013 award winners are:
Personality of the Year, sponsored by McCormicks Solicitors
Jack Carroll, 15, of Brighouse. Jack is Britain’s best-known ‘sit-down’ stand-up comedian who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair to get around.
Youngster of the Year, sponsored by DFS Furniture Company
Cody Hartley, 11, of Thorpe near Wakefield acknowledged for her lifesaving fundraising
Achievement in the Arts, sponsored by the Yorkshire Evening Post
Singer John Newman, 23, of Settle whose music has topped the iTunes charts here and the USA
Achievement in Management and Enterprise, sponsored by The Wetherby Whaler Group
Sophie Epstone, 32, of London (but born in Leeds) who raises funds for young cancer sufferers
Achievement in Sport, sponsored by Leeds United Football Club
Joe Root, 22, of Sheffield who has had a meteoric rise to the top of English cricket and was part of the England squad taking on Australia in the Ashes
Achievement in Education, sponsored by Positive Tax Solutions
Rosie King, 15, of Horbury, Wakefield who was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome when she was nine is now an accomplished presenter studying hard for her GCSEs and planning a future career in television and film.
Unsung Hero, sponsored by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions
Will Southall, 20, of Garriston near Leyburn who suffers from the crippling Osgood Schlatter Disease, yet took on a five-day ultra marathon of 230km to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK
Special Award, sponsored by Walsh Taylor
Liz Green, BBC Radio Leeds presenter. Huddersfield-born Liz was the first-ever winner of the Yorkshire Young Achievers Personality of the Year Award and has supported and promoted the awards ever since.
