News / young people
Inspiring young people recognised at annual event
The Bristol Young Heroes Awards returned for a thirteenth edition at its new home on Friday to celebrate the achievements and contributions of young people in the city.
With some 320 in attendance and 1,200 following the live stream of the awards night, the event was held at the Delta Hotel by Marriott, with newer award categories on offer.
The awards were organised by the award-winning social enterprise Community of Purpose, led by Amy Kington.
Harry Studley, winner of Fundraising Hero award, raised over £12,000 for charity after overcoming insurmountable odds
The awards recognise the extraordinary young people in the city who have gone to great lengths to support their families and communities.
This year was no different, with each nominee bringing their unique story of courage, resilience and indomitable resolve to the fore, making the job of the judges unenviable.
For example, in the Fundraising Hero category, all three nominees, with their varied and challenging journeys, raised funds for important causes: George Jarvis raised £3,000 for the Grand Appeal; Zulaikha Ahmed for children in Gaza; and Harry Studley for Bristol Children’s Hospital.
Harry Studley won the Fundraising Hero award after overcoming insurmountable odds. He suffered life-altering head injury from an air rifle shot and was given a one per cent chance of survival. By beating the odds, Harry raised more than £12,000 for charity.
Professor Steve West, vice-chancellor at UWE Bristol, with Learning Hero Jacob Court-Chandler
And then there was Kayla Henderson, who was taking care of her brother while juggling two jobs.
Environmental Hero Tico Costar planted 100 trees during the school holidays, raising the profile of local ecology.
Creative Hero Scarlett Clarke played an active role in a project highlighting the harmful impact of pornography on young people, while Team Award winners Urban Pursuit, through their approach as an alternative learning provider, help young people struggling with conventional education to develop their skills.
Community worker and youth mentor Tyreke Morgan, who was shortlisted for Bristol24/7’s overall Bristol Legend award, won the coveted High Sheriff’s Award.
Since the inception of the awards, GKN Aerospace and UWE Bristol have provided vital support as the principal sponsors. This year they were joined by Bristol Water as a key sponsor.
This year, the Community of Purpose programme has collaborated with 47 schools, more than 85 businesses and created 13,000 opportunities for 2,091 young people.
Amy Kington, co-founder and chief executive of Community of Purpose, hailed the nominees as a “constellation of stars that will guide the city in future”.
She said: “I want to talk for a moment about stars.
Winner of the Super Hero category, Deon Johnson on his way to collect his award
“When we look up at the night sky, we see individual points of light, each beautiful in its own right. But something extraordinary happens when we connect them – they become constellations.
“For centuries, people have used constellations to navigate, find direction and guide them through uncertainty.
“Tonight, the young people in this room are those stars: bright, unique and full of potential.
“But Bristol’s Young Heroes is about much more than recognising individual stars. It’s about connecting them. Connecting talent to opportunity, potential to possibility, communities to resources, businesses to purpose, and young people with the people who believe in them.”
The TV presenter and former Bake Off star Briony May Williams led the proceedings, joined by co-host Noah Peart, himself a former nominee.
Speaking to Bristol24/7, professor Steve West, vice-chancellor at UWE Bristol, pointed out the importance of the “gift of education”, irrespective of the point of entry.
Professor West said: “We’ve been sponsoring the awards for well over ten years now, and the fundamental reason is that we truly believe every young person deserves a chance.
“Sponsoring the Learning Hero award is a natural fit because it’s linked to education, and education transforms lives.
“But we recognise that learning happens at all sorts of different levels.
“Our job is to give young people the opportunity to succeed, then watch them fly, thrive and flourish as they reach their potential.
“Whether they eventually come to university is a bonus. What really matters is that, wherever life takes them, they have the best possible chances. Creating those life chances for young people is what Bristol’s Young Heroes is all about.”
The Bristol Young Heroes Awards returned for a thirteenth edition at its new home
Nick Rogers, founder of Exacta Group, who sponsored the Creative Hero award, described the awards as “putting Bristol on a pedestal”, while Adam Griffiths, managing director at UES, which sponsored the Team Award, said: “This event is always quite special to our hearts because it really does bring out the best in Bristol, and you see the effort that goes into some of these awards, so it was a no-brainer for us to get involved with it.”
All nominees will participate in the Purposeful Futures programme, powered by Dandara, T&P Regen, J G Bricklaying and GENeco, receiving learning opportunities, mentoring and skills development to help them step into the next stage of their lives.
Creative Hero Scarlett Clarke played an active role in a project highlighting the harmful impact of pornography on young people
During the event, special tributes were paid to the late Emma Britton, who not only hosted the event for many years but also championed and believed in the young people of the city.
A special award was created for a recipient, who “embodied her kindness, compassion, encouragement and commitment to lifting others up”.
Jason Menhinnitt won the inaugural Emma Britton Award for his tireless contributions in helping young people.
Among the dignitaries who attended the event were Peaches Golding, His Majesty’s lord-lieutenant of Bristol; Anne Nisbet, the high sheriff of Bristol; Yassin Mohamud, lord mayor of Bristol and actor and radio presenter Joe Sims.
Jason Menhinnitt was the winner of the inaugural Emma Britton Award
The full list of winners is as follows:
- Action Hero: Oscar Ridley (sponsored by Taranis Engineering)
- Caring Hero: Kayla Henderson (sponsored by UK Digital Marketing)
- Community Hero: Cameron Chilton (sponsored by Pro Apprenticeships)
- Creative Hero: Scarlett Clarke (sponsored by Exacta Tech)
- Environment & Sustainability Hero: Tico Costar (sponsored by Elmtree Garden Contractors)
- Fundraising Hero: Harry Studley (sponsored by Water2Business)
- High Sheriff’s Award: Tyreke Morgan (sponsored by Nebula IT)
- Learning Hero: Jacob Court-Chandler (sponsored by UWE Bristol)
- Sporting Hero: Mitchell Cormack (sponsored by Lancer Scott)
- Super Hero: Deon Johnson (sponsored by Bristol Water)
- Team Award: Urban Pursuit (sponsored by UES)
- Overall Hero: Juan (sponsored by GKN Aerospace)
All photos: Made for Impact
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