THE winners have been declared at the first Young Champions awards.
Since January, we have been searching for the best of Barnsley’s young people; anyone aged 21 and under who has stood out from the crowd and made a difference in one of 15 different categories. Through the paper and online, people got in touch to make sure worthy candidates from across the borough had a chance at some recognition.
The winners were all announced in a ceremony at the Holiday Inn, Dodworth, this evening.
All of the videos introducing the nominees in each category can be found here.
Here's how the evening unfolded...
18:10pm: Welcome to our coverage of the first Barnsley Chronicle Young Champions Awards.
18:33pm: Welcome Dan Jarvis, who is opening tonight's ceremony
18:40pm: Dan Jarvis MP wishes all nominees the best of luck!
18:48pm: Tucking into Bangers and Mash!
19:28pm: Brownie and ice cream to follow... delicious!
19:49pm: The Barnsley Chronicle Young Champions Awards will begin in 15 minutes
19:49pm: The Barnsley Chronicle Young Champions Awards will begin in 15 minutes
19:58pm: The Barnsley Chronicle Young Champions Awards will begin in a few minutes
20:01pm: Izzy Watson is now live on stage singing
20:08pm: The Barnsley Chronicle Young Champions Awards have begun. Steve White is now on Stage
20:12pm: Young Fundraiser - the nominees are: Luke Grainger Jessica Hempshall Joshua Maloney
20:16pm: And the winner is... Luke Grainger - Luke is a student at Wombwell’s Real Music Centre and part of the RMC Theatre Company there. Using his theatrical contacts, he has helped organise several flash mobs in Sheffield and Barnsley to raise money for Weston Park Cancer Hospital. The 19-year-old also volunteers helping in musical direction and arrangement and leading rehearsals.
20:17pm: Young Apprentice - the nominees are: Thanat Meesri Lauren Hillam Tommy Mansell The winner is...
20:20pm: Tommy Mansell - Tommy, 17, helped create student newspaper The Grapevine and double the number of stalls at the college’s My Markets initative since he joined the Enterprise Department as an apprentice.
20:22pm: Young Carer - the nominees are: Stevie Orridge Chloe Young Macy Stocks The winner is...
20:25pm: Stevie Orridge. Stevie helped care for her mum, who sufered with COPD, until her death in 2016. She still helps care for her younger brother Lucas, who suffers from Cerebral Palsy, and her older sister and guardian Terri Hirst’s young children. Alongside all this, the 14- year-old volunteers for Barnardos supporting other young carers.
20:27pm: Young Community Hero - the nominees are: Charlotte Hollingworth, Rebecca Constable and Brandon Green. The winner is...
20:29pm: Charlotte Hollingworth - Sixteen-year-old Charlotte spends her time working with and volunteering for the scouts and created award-winning colouring book Colour Barnsley to help promote the town as part of the I Know I Can challenge.
20:31pm: Young Sportsperson - the nominees are: Billy Wilson French, Jordan Barnett and Morgan Emi Jones. The winner is...
20:35pm: Billy Wilson French! 14-year-old Billy has six British titles in ice skating. He has qualified for the GB development squad for the past two years in both free skating and ice dance. And his talent saw him chosen to perform with Disney On Ice at Sheffield Arena in December. His ultimate dream is to make it to the Olympics.
20:37pm: Young Musician - the nominees are: Alice Johnson, Ellen Auckland and Brandon Ward The winner is...
20:39pm: Ellen Auckland! Ellen has been part of the Barnsley Jazz Association since she was ten. The 20-year-old is now proficient with trumpet, piano and trombone and has even set up her own smaller offshoot of the larger main band, to encourage younger members to feel comfortable playing before joining the bigger group.
20:41pm: Young Team of the Year (Sport) - the nominees are: Barnsley Sports Academy Female First Team Barnsley Leaders Lacewood Primary
20:41pm: The winner is...
20:44pm: Lacewood Primary The school football team earned a place at the northern finals of the EFL kids cup, representing Barnsley FC after winning two tournaments at Oakwell Stadium.
20:47pm: Young Team of the Year (Community) - the nominees are: Upperwood Primary Academy, Charlie, Harry-James, Joe and Lisa Nicholson, JD Juniors. The winner is...
20:49pm: JD Juniors Football team J D Juniors Under Tens is run by Jason Dingle! The team finds success on the pitch but has also been praised for its effect on the community too. The boys have been described as a ‘band of brothers’ and their professionalism has been praised on and off the pitch.
20:51pm: Young Team of the Year (Entertainment) Barnsley Percussion Ensemble, Barnsley College Electric Theatre Students and Take 2 Theatre School. The winner is...
20:55pm: Take 2 Theatre School! A cast made up of entirely under 16s and including Britain’s Got Talent alumni Kyle Tomlinson staged classic musical Les Miserables to commercial and critical success at Birdwell’s Academy Theatre, where the group is also based.
20:57pm: Student of the Year - the nominees are: Jack Nunn, Victoria Simpson and Charlie Steeples, The winner is...
21:00pm: Charlie Steeples! 12-year-old Charlie visited Parliament after putting together an impressive project promoting the benefits of nuclear power. He is also a regular Outwood Academy Shafton’s science club.
21:02pm: Young Adventurer - the nominees are: Emily Swaby Megann Oakley Henry Mann. The winner is...
21:04pm: Henry Mann! Henry, ten, suffers from cystic fibrosis but he does not allow the life-limiting disease to stop him from attending Penistone Scout group. He balances daily physio with outdoor pursuits and is a very popular member.
21:05pm: Young Volunteer - the nominees are: Joshua Shelley, Wil Trash and Hannah Carnell. The winner is...
21:08pm: Wil Trash! 15-year-old Wil attends Lisa Thornley’s School of Dance on Stocks Lane. He only took up dancing just over a year ago but since then has bagged a place at the national Dance Master competition, and volunteers his time helping out Lisa teaching classes and younger pupils.
21:10pm: Young Entrepreneur - the nominees are: All Saints Academy Darfield, Barnsley Academy and Jen Hammonds. The winner is...
21:12pm: All Saints Academy Darfield! A team from the Darfield school were the overall winners at the St Mary’s Academy Trust and Louder Than Life enterprise challenge. They had a budget of £5,000 to design a musical instrument station to be used by a group of children, and came in at £4,200.
21:13pm: Young Conqueror (Triumph Over Adversity) - the nominees are: Louis Shakespeare Shannon Shaw Aalish Naylor. The winner is...
21:17pm: Aalish Naylor! Eight-year-old Aalish was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in December 2015 and underwent gruelling treatments. Her parents have been told Aalish’s chances of survival are slim, but both they and Aalish are determined to live life as fully and as best as they can. Her resilience is inspiring and has even seen her return to school.
21:20pm: This next award is for Special Achievement
21:22pm: The award goes to Alfie Ledgeway! A huge congratulations
21:26pm: Thank you all for tuning in tonight. We hope you have enjoyed it.
21:26pm: That's all the winners announced!
21:27pm: Please look out for next week's Chronicle for pictures, comments and a round up of the night
21:28pm: Goodnight!
