The search for the region’s rising stars got under way today with the launch of the 2012 Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards, sponsored by McCormicks Solicitors.The Awards, which celebrate their 20th anniversary this year, recognise outstanding young people in the region aged under 35 who have made an impact, whether nationally, regionally or locally. To date they have raised more than £900,000 for youngsters in Yorkshire. They are organised by the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation which supports projects for young people across the region.
Awards Chairman Peter McCormick OBE said: “We want to hear about young people who have made a difference. It doesn’t matter whether they are world famous or are known only within their own community. What is important is that they have had an impact on the lives of others because of their talent, fortitude or determination to achieve a better life.”
Two former winners, both of whom won the Youngster of the Year Award, have gone on to be Olympic torchbearers in recent weeks, with 13-year-old George Stocker carrying the flame through Wetherby on 19 June and Jack Marshall, also 13, bearing the torch in Doncaster on 26 June. George is recovering from a brain tumour while Jack has Moebius Syndrome.
The Awards are open to young people who live, work or were born in Yorkshire and celebrate achievements in the fields of business, sport, education and the arts, in overcoming adversity and achieving fame and fortune. Those with a lower profile have been brought into the limelight thanks to the Unsung Hero award, while there is always a Youngster of the Year to celebrate the achievement of a child under 12.
Nomination forms for the 2012 Yorkshire Young Achievers’ Awards are available on the Awards website at www.yorkshireyoungachievers.co.uk or by ringing Sonia Jones at McCormicks Solicitors on 01423 530630. The closing date for entries is 28 September. The winners will be announced at the Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards dinner on Thursday 29 November at the Leeds United Conference and Exhibition Centre. Tickets for the dinner are also now on sale and are available as above.
The net total raised by the 2011 Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards topped £40,000, taking the total raised over the years to more than £900,000.
A host of Yorkshire stars have taken Awards over the years, such as Girls Aloud star Kimberley Walsh, top Leeds band the Kaiser Chiefs, Leeds Rhinos captain Kevin Sinfield, and England cricketers Michael Vaughan and Tim Bresnan.
There are seven Awards as follows:
– Personality of the Year (sponsored by McCormicks Solicitors)
– Youngster of the Year (DFS)
– Unsung Hero (Lunchbox Theatrical Productions Ltd)
– Achievement in the Arts (Yorkshire Evening Post)
– Achievement in Education (Martin Penny and OHS)
– Achievement in Management and Enterprise (The Wetherby Whaler Group)
– Achievement in Sport (Leeds United Football Club)