A Night to Remember: Awards Celebrate Region's Young Champions
- clothierlaceyandco
- Feb 17
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 25
The third NE Community Champion Awards 2025, sponsored by Northern Leaders Trust (NLT) and Association of Education Advisers (AoEA), were a resounding success, celebrating some outstanding young people from the region,
The awards ceremony, held recently at Vertu Arena, home of the Newcastle Eagles basketball team saw over 200 guests including nominees, their families, friends, carers, teachers and special invitees, celebrate exceptional contributions to the community.
The event was formally launched by The Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Cllr Henry Gallagher who was accompanied by the Lady Mayoress. He said:
“It was a pleasure for me and Deborah to be at the Community Champion Awards: tear- jerking stories of the bravery and selflessness of young people in our area. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners.
“I’d like to personally thank them for making Newcastle proud, and for reminding us that positive change begins close to home.”
The event was generously supported by some of the region’s foremost companies including BAM Construction, AtkinsRealis, Brims Construction, Dep North PLC, Hart Family Accountancy, Muckle LLP, Ryder Architecture and The Education Network. Each organisation sponsored an award category.
Reflecting on the event’s success, CEO of Northern Leaders Trust, Lee Kirtley, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the nominees and attendees, stating, “This event is a testament to the incredible contributions of our young people. Their dedication and hard work are an inspiration to us all and we are proud to celebrate their achievements.
“I would like to extend my thanks to our fantastic sponsors of the evening, without whom tonight would not have been possible.”
Commenting on their sponsorship of the awards programme, Michelle Percy, CEO of Develop North, said:
“Events like this really help to shine a light on the very best of the northeast community spirit and youth development and typify everything that is truly great about this wonderful region, its history and its roots. As a northeast-based business we are honoured to present this year's Special Recognition award."
Dr Thérèse Quincey, member and chair of Northern Leaders Trust board of trustees closed the evening with a special tribute to Ian Kershaw, NLTs former CEO, who died recently after a short illness.
She added: “Sometimes in life, you meet someone who makes a huge impact and leaves a lasting impression. For me, this was Ian Kershaw, a great educationist who loved children and sadly died a few months ago. So, it gives me great pleasure to announce that he will not be forgotten because next year, there will be a new award – the Ian Kershaw award for a young person who is making a big impact.”
Joint sponsor, Les Walton CBE, founder and chair of AoEA, said:
“It’s exciting to see the success of these awards for a third year and we already look forward to next year. "Young people are capable of great things and it is wonderful to have an event like this where their contributions are recognised. We hope that awareness and nominations will continue to grow. We want this event to keep getting bigger and better.”
The award celebrated achievements across eight categories:
· Community Hero Award – sponsored by The Education Network
· Young Volunteer of the Year Award – sponsored by Muckle-LLP
· Young Fundraiser of the Year Award – sponsored by Hart Family Accountancy Ltd
· Eco Ambassador Award – sponsored by BAM Construction North
· Act of Kindness Award – sponsored by AtkinsRealis
· Young Carer Award – sponsored by Brims Construction
· The Courage Award – sponsored by Ryder
· Special Recognition Award – sponsored by Develop North PLC
Each winner received a £200 high-street retail voucher, a £50 book token, an engraved trophy and a certificate.
Event video
Comments