Children of Courage event raises record amount
Sports stars including former Leeds United player Briane Deane, former England and Leeds Rugby League prop forward Danika Priim and paralympian Hannah Cockroft OBE turned out to support Yorkshire’s Children of Courage on Friday evening.
More than 700 people, including Lord Mayor, Councillor Al Garthwaite, Emmerdale soap stars Natalie J. Rob, Natalie Ann Jameson, Olivia Bromley, Dancing on Ice Star and British gymnast Nile Wilson, and radio presenter Stephanie Hirst, attended the awards ceremony at The New Dock.
The evening itself raised a record-breaking sum of £76,000, which includes St. James’s Place matching everything raised pound for pound, with donations still coming in. All proceeds, past and present make a phenomenal difference to the many charities the St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation supports in the Yorkshire region.
Ewan Dowes, chair of St James’s Place Charitable Foundation, said, “A massive thank you to all those who supported another amazing Yorkshire Children of Courage Awards. We raised a record-breaking sum of money on the night, which means. we can continue to provide vital funding through our local office grants program to charities across the Yorkshire region.
“Charities such as Leeds Children’s Charity, Support Dogs and the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund have all benefited from SJP recently, enabling them to continue their incredible work. We’re eternally grateful for every single person that chose to dig deep and help out.’’
The event can only happen due to the support of so many Yorkshire businesses including this year’s headline sponsor Mahmood Mazhar of Core Telecom. Speaking on the event, Mahmood said: “What an incredible night, it was an absolute honour to not only support but also celebrate the achievements and resilience of these children and young adults and their families”.
Other businesses that donated their time and prizes included Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Boodles, The Ivy Asia, First Direct Arena, Dakota Hotel, Rebecca Rhoades Dress Designer, and Harvey Nichols.
Yorkshire caterers Aagrah provided the 700 guests with a sumptuous Indian banquet, while Slingsby Gin kindly donated the drinks reception. Leeds-based jeweller, Philip Stoner, kindly donated a 3-carat diamond necklace worth £5000 for the main charity prize.
Jon Ellis, Regional Director of St James Place, said, “Another amazing night celebrating some truly inspirational Children of Yorkshire, an amazing amount of money raised for St James Charitable Foundation which will allow us to support more local charities and good causes in 2024.”
The evening was hosted by Yorkshire favourite Christine Talbot and presenter Jon Hammond. It was Christine’s fourth year hosting the Yorkshire Children of Courage Awards. She said, “It’s such an emotional but uplifting event, one of my favourites of the year, and the love shown to the winners and nominees by the brilliant audience was incredible. The stories of courage and bravery we hear never fail to astonish and move me.’’
Winners on the night included Maya and Macy Burrow, daughters of Leeds Legend Rob Burrow. They won the award for Compassionate Carer of the Year, with both mum and dad in attendance to see them collect their award.
Lindsey Burrow, wife of Rob, said, “They are so kind, loving, brave, and never have self-pity which is what Rob has still instilled in them. They are really strong and resilient, and we are so proud to call them our girls.”
There was also a touching tribute to award nominee Oliver Howe, who sadly passed away earlier this year. Oliver’s parents were there on the night to honour his memory and legacy.
Songwriter and supporter of the charity, Rebecca Di Giorgio, wrote a charity song called Hero, accompanied by musicians from The Queen Elizabeth Grammar School which was performed on the night. The song will be released later in the year with proceeds going to the St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation.
The 2024 event is already being planned as we speak, so be sure to look out for news on how you can get involved. To find out more about all the amazing work the charity does and see how your support can make a real difference to so many lives, please visit www.yorkshirechildren.co.uk.
