The achievements of young people will be celebrated at the Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland (RIBI) Annual Conference in Harrogate on Saturday April 13th. Winners of the RIBI Young Citizen Awards will receive their accolades from the BBC’s Ellie Crisell live on the BBC News Channel at 11.30am.
The RIBI Young Citizen Awards, in association with the BBC News Channel, celebrate the positive citizenship and vital responsibilities shown by many young people. The winners are nominated by Rotary clubs across Great Britain and Ireland and all of them are youngsters who have gone to great lengths to help others, often overcoming adversity themselves.
The winners will receive a trophy and a donation of £500 to their project. Programmes about their achievements are being broadcast on the BBC News Channel throughout this week.
John Minhinick, President of RIBI said: “The achievements of these youngsters are a lesson to us all. They have all earned their RIBI Young Citizen Awards through hard work, selfless actions and by demonstrating that age and adversity need not be obstacles in the pursuit of helping others.
“Rotary is committed to helping young people develop life skills through various youth opportunities which include our RIBI Young Chef, RIBI Young Photographer and RIBI Youth Speaks competitions. Interact and Rotaract clubs open the door for our younger members to try new experiences and work together on community projects while having fun in the process. I am very proud of all our winners and look forward to hearing about their successes in future.”
The winners are:
Grace O’Malley, nominated by the Rotary Club of Padiham, Lancashire.
The 15 year old soprano singing sensation from Rossendale started singing lessons at the age of six and now uses her talent to help others. Grace has raised over £50,000 for various charities, including the Royal British Legion and has made a CD for Pendleside Hospice in Burnley, which has so far raised £5,000. She is also supporting Ribble Valley and White Rose Ladies in their quest to raise £1m for research into childhood cancer.
Lauren Jones, nominated by the Rotary Club of Worthing Steyne.
Lauren is 17 years old and is world number one junior wheelchair champion. In June 2009, she was left paralysed from the waist down after she fell from a tree and broke her back. She has made impressive progress in tennis in a short time since her accident. Lauren just missed out on getting into London 2012 but is hoping to bring back medals from the Paralympics in Rio in 2016. She visits schools to talk about disability sport and in some cases takes PE lessons. Lauren has also helped patients at Stoke Mandeville with wheelchair skills and introduced injured servicemen to sport at Hedley Court. Despite her disability, she abseiled down the side of Arundel Castle to raise money for Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign.
CJ Nation and Becki Holder, nominated by the Rotary Club of Cardiff East.
Two 15 year old Young Carers, CJ Nation and Becki Holder, present a weekly radio programme for BBC Cardiff and a Young Carers show during Carers Week. CJ became a Young Carer at the age of six for his mother who has fibromyalgia, a chronic pain and fatigue syndrome. Becki is a Young Carer for her twin brother Ethan who is autistic. CJ and Becki use their radio platform as a voice for Young Carers to build awareness of their plight. They are both members of Cardiff and Vale Young Carers Interact Club which is supported by the Rotary Club of Cardiff East.
Billie Meldrum, nominated by the Rotary Club of Corstorphine.
18 year old Billie Meldrum from Edinburgh began attending the Big Project at the age of ten when her mother’s breast cancer was diagnosed as terminal. When her mother died, her three older sisters went to live with other relatives but Billie and her younger sister remained in the house with their father, a local drug user and dealer. Her father was eventually sent to prison and Billie and her sister were taken in by relatives. At this time, Billie was prone to outbursts and aggressive behaviour, but despite these early difficulties, she has managed to turn her life around. Billie is now a trainee music tutor with the Big Project Choir, has sung in the Children in Need Choir and at the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Sweatbox Union, nominated by the Rotary Club of Wantage.
The Sweatbox has been the only youth centre in Wantage for many years and serves a wide community beyond the town. It has survived and thrived due to the enthusiasm and commitment of the Sweatbox Union; a forum of 15 young people of school age, that organises and runs it. It has raised more than £97,000 for local youth projects over the past 8 years. Despite its initial enforced closure due to local government spending cuts, the Sweatbox reopened after securing alternative local funding and has over 500 members between the ages of 11 and 18. Each year the Sweatbox Union selects and trains 15 young volunteers who help run the club.
Special BBC features about the RIBI Young Citizen Award winners are available to watch on the BBC News Channel.
Published: 10th April 2013
