We were delighted to attend the Yorkshire Children of Courage Awards 2024 as Spark sponsored an award for the evening. The business community came together this year for the awards to celebrate the extraordinary bravery and resiliency of youngsters throughout the area. Held at the beautifully decorated New Dock Hall, Leeds, the evening was full of touching tributes, motivational stories, and breathtaking feats from some of Yorkshire’s bravest children with Spark as a sponsor for an award.
This year’s event had an elegant ‘1920s glamour’ theme and has raised over £65,000 so far. Among the guests from the Yorkshire business world were charity ambassadors: Leeds United legend Brian Deane, actress Natalie Anderson, and former Leeds Rhinos player Danika Priim. In virtual attendance was former Leeds Rhinos captain Kevin Sinfield CBE, who, due to training commitments, couldn’t be there on the evening but showcased a video message of encouragement.
Spark Help Honour Yorkshire’s Young Heroes
The evening’s aim was to raise money for the St. James’s Place (SJP) Charitable Foundation. With silent auctions, raffles, anonymous table donations, and sponsors galore on the evening, it was a night filled with celebration and recognition in full swing.
Spark was in attendance on the night to support and sponsor the award for ‘Fantastic Fundraiser Under 12’. We were immensely proud to hand on the award to winner Elliot Gunn, who was joined by our very own Elliott Burnett and Radio stars JoJo Kelly and Stephanie Hirst to collect on stage, one of the evening’s most memorable moments for us.
Elliott told us about the fundraising he has done with Candlelighters, a charity that gives back to Elliot’s local community. With a beaming smile, he talked us through his heroic efforts and the ineptly named ‘Team Elliot’. A team which includes his dad Richard and brother Joseph, age eight, who support him with his fundraising. Having recently been diagnosed with epilepsy, Elliot refuses to slow the fundraising down and still managed to walk the Scafell range, raising over £4,000 this year!
Elliott Burnett, Director of Spark, says ‘The evening was a memorable one. Hearing all the magnificent efforts of all the young brave award winners was inspirational. I’m very proud that Spark could sponsor this year’s Fantastic Fundraiser award and congratulations to Elliot for winning. We hope the money raised this evening helps and gives something back to all the brave young children struggling.’.
Motivational Narratives
In addition to showing courage in the most adverse of circumstances with life-changing illnesses and challenges, these young people also showed a great sense of empathy and community spirit, with all winners sharing the glory of winning with friends and family. It touched the heart to see how and why these young heroes have struggled, putting their recovery into the spotlight for different charity causes with tales of how, what, and where they had been achieving their momentous achievements.
A range of speeches from award winners were accompanied by video testimonials from family members about the lengths that the award winners had taken while emphasising the bravery and tenacity of each youngster nominated during their struggles. Nobody in the winner’s friends or family was left out, and recognition from the support was recognised with each award. Their endeavours, which ranged from planning charity marathons to making handmade items to sell, earned significant cash and promoted awareness for charities and the challenges some people are going through. Their tales served as more evidence that one’s age or ability be it physically or mentally should not be a barrier to having a positive influence.
The full list of winners was as follows… Sporting Superstar (0-10) – Theo Hampson, Sporting Superstar (11-18) – Lola Pinder, Fantastic Fundraiser (0-12) – Elliot Gunn, Fantastic Fundraiser (13-18) – Marty Bishop, Compassionate Carer – River Grimes Jude, Beyond Bravery (0-12) – Heidi Howson, Beyond Bravery (13-18) – Bethany Martin, Amazing Achievement (0-12) – Oscar Ali, Amazing Achievement (13-18) – Matilda Chadwick, Dare to Dream – Freddie McDonald and finally, the Children’s Charity of the Year – Candlelighters.
Dare To Dream Award
One of the most memorable and emotional parts of the night was the presentation of the ‘Dare to Dream’ award, created in memory of Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow, who, throughout his Motoneurons Disease diagnosis 4 ½ years ago, managed to tirelessly raise awareness and money for the MND Association. The award went to Freddie, a 12-year-old who has shown bravery and compassion in raising awareness and funds for Leeds Hospital Charity.
We invite everyone to consider the young heroes in their lives and the amazing things they can do as we look forward to the upcoming year. By working together, we can motivate the upcoming round of activists and fundraisers.
Find out more about the fundraising for the YCCA by visiting https://www.yorkshirechildrenofcourage.com/