Fifty-five children living in extreme poverty in Dewsbury may sleep more soundly this Christmas thanks to a grant from the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation.

The grant will benefit children living without a bed by providing a bed bundle, made up of a brand new bed, mattress, duvet, pillow, sheets, pyjamas and hygiene kit.

The Foundation has made the grant to Leeds-based Zarach, which works with more than 50 schools and partner organisations to identify children in need, delivers the bundles and supports families in crisis.

Zarach founder, Rebekah Wilson, said: “Our project started in Leeds where there were more than 5,000 children living without a bed, with many more going to bed hungry or cold in bedbug-infested or damp conditions, often sharing with parents or siblings. Not only do these families lack somewhere to sleep but the houses they are living in do not meet the most basic of standards.

“Poverty is a real problem that has a significant effect on a child’s education. Children are arriving at school unable to concentrate or engage due to a severe lack of sleep or food – and Dewsbury is one of the 20 constituencies with the fastest growing child poverty rates in the country.

“The grant from the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation has helped us to make sure that 55 children now have beds for a decent night’s sleep.”

Foundation Vice Chairman Richard Stroud said: ““For us, the thought of a child not having a bed, mattress, pyjamas and clean bedding is horrendous and we are delighted to have been able to make a difference to more than 50 children this Christmas and in the longer term overcome one of the biggest barriers to learning - children who arrive at school tired and hungry.”

Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation grants are made to young people aged under 35 and organisations which work with them across the whole of Yorkshire and anyone who would like to apply can find details at http://www.yorkshireyoungachievers.co.uk/how-to-apply.html
 
The main fundraiser for the grants is the annual Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards, sponsored by McCormicks Solicitors. The 28th Awards take place on Thursday 19 November 2020.

Following the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation’s support of St Michael's Hospice Just ‘B’ children’s bereavement support service this year They wanted to share  Katie’s story. Katie  has had support over the past year following the death of her grandma, and shares the impact of the project the Foundation has funded.
 
Thank you to everyone who supports us to help to make a difference to the lives of local children and young people at a difficult time in their lives.

Click here for Katie's Story

Seven young people who help to make Yorkshire a better place were recognised for their talent and determination at the 27th Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards at Leeds United’s Centenary Pavilion.
 
Undefeated Leeds boxer Josh Warrington stepped up to take the Personality of the Year title in front of almost 400 guests, while the Youngster of the Year title went to another Leeds lad making his mark in the ring with three gold medals to his name aged just ten, Archie Boyne.
 
The Awards, sponsored by McCormicks Solicitors, mark the achievements of young people in seven categories, from the Arts to Sport, and are organised by the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation which has now raised more than £1.3m to support young people in Yorkshire.
 
The Chairman of the Awards, Peter McCormick OBE, said: “It was a very special evening where we heard some amazing stories, ranging from Lauren Doherty spreading the road safety message to other young people after she was paralysed in an accident, to Katie Mountain doing some amazing work with children and families in need in Leeds.
 
“These Awards are also our main fundraiser of the year and none of this would be possible without the support of our sponsors and our guests, many of whom have been with us almost since the beginning, and we marked the commitment of one of these supporters, Simon Nabarro, with our Special Award.”
 
The full line up of winners was:
Personality of the Year, sponsored by Rudding Park
Josh Warrington of Leeds
 
Josh has had a remarkable career in professional boxing, with 30 wins out of 30 to date.
His latest came just a month ago when he beat Sofiane Takoucht to retain the IBF Featherweight World Championship, ending the fight in the second round to take the belt for the fourth time.
 
Many of his professional bouts have taken place in Yorkshire, with his first fight at Elland Road in 2010.
 
He is well known as a Leeds United fan and a number of former players, including Lucas Radebe, Vinnie Jones and Jermaine Beckford, have appeared on his ring walks.
 
He took his first English featherweight in 2012, the Commonwealth title the following year and the British and European titles in 2014. 2015 saw him win the WBC International featherweight title.
 
Elland Road was also the venue for his next big title, when he beat Lee Selby to win his first IBF belt in May 2018. He retained the title in October the same year when he beat Carl Frampton and again in June this year when he took on Kid Galahad.
 
Youngster of the Year, sponsored by Nabarro McAllister
Archie Boyne, ten, of Leeds
 
Archie set himself the target of being world champion in Thai boxing by the time he was ten – and achieved it aged nine, winning three gold medals at the World Championships in Italy.
 
Fighting under the name “Archie The Barbarian Boyne”, the youngster has won a series of titles, including his first, the Five Nations title, aged five.
Archie is keen on all sport but started Thai boxing when he was just four and has thrown himself into achieving his world title goal. Away from the ring, he also takes part in cross-country, athletics and football and will willingly take on any sporting challenge, as well as maintaining good marks in his school work. He is also mentoring younger pupils at school and in Thai boxing.
He is now keen to keep his titles as he moves up the weight classifications.
 
Achievement in the Arts, sponsored by Barclays
Daisy Watt of Doncaster.
 
Daisy, aged ten, wanted to raise money for cancer charities after her grandparents were diagnosed with the disease when she was just six. She decided to paint a picture for them and donate it to the Equinox Ball which raises funds for Doncaster-based Firefly Cancer Awareness and Support, which provides transport to medical appointments for cancer patients, and for Cancer Research UK.
 
Her extraordinary talent meant it was far more than just a pretty picture. The auction of the painting, together with prints of it, raised a massive £25,000, more than a wheel for a Firefly vehicle which was Daisy’s aim.
 
Since then, Daisy’s work has gone on to raise nearly £50,000 so far. Her paintings of flowers and nature include daffodils, used to represent people who are fighting cancer.
Her designs are being incorporated into a range of jewellery by Orbis Jewellery in Bawtry and a one-off piece will be auctioned at the next Equinox Ball on 16 November. Her first painting has also been used as a thank you card for bequests by Cancer Research UK.
 
She has exhibited in the Don Valley Festival Art Competition, winning first prize in each of the four annual competitions she has entered.
 
Achievement in Management and Enterprise, sponsored by The Wetherby Whaler Group
Katie Mountain, of Adel, Leeds
 
Katie began her career as a primary school teacher but the last two years have seen her become the youngster director of a community nursery in the UK.
 
She set up and runs the Sunshine Community Nursery in Harehills and, in the first year, she was tasked with attracting 15 children. She actually attracted 58, reaching her three-year business plan goal in the first year.
 
The nursery caters for children aged from babies to five and, as well as supporting families in the local community, also provides child care for 20 students learning English for speakers of other languages at Leeds City College
 
She has recruited her own staff from the local community, which has proved valuable in a setting where 15 languages are spoken and where many of the children are refugees and asylum seekers. Among the staff are some who left school with no qualifications and Katie has worked with them through their apprenticeships to gain their Level 3 childcare qualifications.
 
As well as providing developmental skills and easing the transition to school for the children, the nursery works closely with the families, for example accompanying those with children with special needs on hospital visits to iron out any language difficulties.
 
Katie has plans to expand the nursery still further in coming months, increasing capacity to 70 places and introducing a sensory area along with more outdoor play.
 
Achievement in Sport, sponsored by Leeds United Football Club
Courtney Hill of Leeds Rhinos Women
 
Courtney captained Leeds Rhinos Women in a hugely successful season, culminating in them becoming the Betfred Women’s Super League champions for the first time.
 
Born in Australia but qualifying for the Award because she lives and works in Yorkshire, Courtney led the team to the domestic double, also taking the Coral Women’s Challenge Cup, in which the scrum half scored the winning try.
 
Despite her talent on the rugby pitch, her professional sporting life saw her begin as a cricketer in Australia where she was a fast pace bowler. She emigrated to England in 2018 and, despite not having played Rugby League since junior level, set her sights on a new career.
 
She was an integral member of the Leeds squad that won the 2018 Challenge Cup and the League Leaders Shield in the 2018 Women's Super League, a season in which she missed just one game, crossed the line for seven tries and registered 65 goals as the team’s first choice kicker. 
 
She was appointed Captain this year and, at the end of the season was named named as the 2019 Telegraph Woman of Steel at the Super League Awards.
 
Achievement in Education, sponsored by Positive Tax Solutions
Taylor Hogan of Leeds
 
Taylor experienced a difficult childhood which resulted in her struggling in mainstream education and moving schools eight times.
 
But a major moment of change came when she was introduced to MAP Charity in Leeds, which works with young people at risk of being excluded, and she found an outlet for her creativeness and talent, becoming engaged in education for the first time in her young life.
 
Taylor has never looked back since and is now studying Film and Screen Media at University Centre, Leeds College.
 
She studied a BTEC course in Creative Media and Music at MAP Charity, starting to produce her own short films and then getting into film production work. Her films have helped spread MAP Charity’s message to other young people.
 
She is now a valued ambassador and frequently visits to inspire more young people in their engagement with education and the arts.
 
She has also had work commissioned by organisations such as Leeds International Festival, Art Hostel, Music: Leeds and Equaliser.
Taylor sits on the fundraising committee for MAP Charity and speaks at awareness events. In June she was a panel member at the Arts and Health conference organised by the University of Leeds Cultural Institute.
 
Unsung Hero, sponsored by McCormicks Solicitors
Lauren Doherty of Knaresborough
 
When Lauren was 20 she was involved in a life-changing road accident. Walking home after a night out with friends, she crossed a road without checking for traffic, was hit by a van and is now completely paralysed.
 
She has had several operations on her pelvis, vertebrae, wrist and aorta and has had skin grafts on her legs, spending 16 months in different hospitals. Lauren was determined she would breathe again without the use of a ventilator – something she achieved after two years of effort. She is now living independently in her own purpose-built bungalow.
 
Lauren also wanted to spread the road safety message to children of all ages and this has become her focus. In 2016 she visited her first primary school, speaking to a group of ten children, and this led on to other schools and organisations in the area. She has now spoken to more than 3,000 children and young adults across the region.
 
She is also working with a group of organisations, including the police and fire services, on their Learn and Live Campaign for young drivers and their passengers.
 
The importance of her work was recognised just two weeks ago when she received a Chief Constable’s Commendation from North Yorkshire Police for her Road Safety work in the Community.
 
Special Award, sponsored by Walsh Taylor
Simon Nabarro of Leeds
 
The Special Award is made to friends and supporters of the Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards who have gone the extra mile to help raise funds to support young people in the region.
 
Awards Chairman Peter McCormick said: “Simon has proved to be a brilliant ambassador for both the Awards and the Foundation over the last 25 years. He celebrated his 25th anniversary of taking a table at the dinner and marked that achievement by sponsoring the Youngster of the Year award.
 
“We have been lucky enough to have some fantastic supporters over the years and we are delighted to recognise Simon’s contribution with this Award.” 

We've received a lovely update from Carers Resource who received a grant to help support young carers in the community, here's what they had to say....

Summer is nearly over and our young carers are back at school.  I wanted to get in touch to say how grateful we are for the support of Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation for our service for young carers.  We’ve had a very busy summer and have organised 8 trips over the 6 weeks totalling 104 days out for local children.  This is probably the only break from caring that they will get and we know it really makes a difference.
 
Our service for young carers in the Harrogate and Craven Districts is still entirely dependent upon donations and your support means we can give one to one support at times of crisis, organise after-school clubs in term time and organise trips and activities in the school holidays.
 
I thought you’d like to  hear what difference it can make and the benefit to the children.
 
The Escape Rooms were fabulous and attracted a group of young carers that don't come on other trips as this was something different. One we would like to repeat. The challenges needed resilience and team work. One group escaped the other didn't but this didn't stop them wishing to return. Two of our young carers in one group struggle with their self esteem and working in a small team they got to share their strengths. They were ' buzzing' at the end!
 
Bear Planet involved designing a T shirt for their teddy which was great as art therapy is something our young people love. They chose and made their soft toy, gave it a heart and made a wish. This was a really accessible trip as was a short one which made it popular with ones that struggle to be away from their cared-for for long.
Again they love having a soft toy of theirs as a comfort when away from young carers. They were all so proud of them.
​
Marrick Priory was a real adventure as the children were stranded overnight in the floods, certainly a trip to remember and thankfully they all got home safe the next day.
 
          
With very best wishes and our sincere thanks for your support.

The search has begun for nominations for the Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards with the launch of the 27th annual event.

The Awards, sponsored by McCormicks Solicitors of Harrogate, mark the achievements of outstanding young people aged under 35 and we are looking for nominations from across the region. To nominate a potential winner, just visit the nominations page on this site.

Taking part in the launch were nine-year-old Maisie Catt, of Mirfield, last year’s Youngster of the Year, and Cameron Osburn of Harrogate who was the Unsung Hero of 2018.

Despite losing both her legs at just five months old, Maisie was picked for a national GB Taekwondo Para-Poomsae academy squad, an elite training programme, after taking up the sport. Cameron Osburn set up Adversity United, a Harrogate-based football team for disabled under 12s, and has himself been selected for the national Cerebral Palsy football team.
Awards Chairman Peter McCormick OBE said: “We are keen to hear from anyone who knows a young person who deserves an award. Nominating someone is very simple but we need your help to find the most deserving winners.”

The Awards are organised by the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation and have raised more than £1.25 million to support young people in Yorkshire, with grants made to both individuals and organisations supporting them, including sportspeople, those involved in the arts and disabled youngsters.

Anyone can nominate a potential winner and the closing date for entries is Friday 13 September. The winners will be announced at the Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards dinner on Thursday 7 November at the Leeds United Centenary Pavilion. Tickets for the dinner are also now on sale and are available through the website.
There are eight categories as follows:
 

• Personality of the Year (sponsored by Rudding Park)
• Youngster of the Year (Nabarro McAllister)
• Unsung Hero (Lunchbox Theatrical Productions Ltd)
• Achievement in the Arts (Barclays)
• Achievement in Education (Positive Tax Solutions LLP)
• Achievement in Management and Enterprise (The Wetherby Whaler Group)
• Achievement in Sport (Leeds United Football Club)
• Special Award (Walsh Taylor)

Eight young stars from across the region were recognised for their talent and determination last night (8 November) at the 26th Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards at Leeds United’s Centenary Pavilion.
 
Multi medal- winning Leeds gymnast Nile Wilson was named Personality of the Year in front of more than 330 guests, while the Youngster of the Year title went to a young Mirfield girl triumphing in taekwondo after losing both legs as a baby.
 
The Awards, sponsored by McCormicks Solicitors, mark the achievements of young people in eight categories, from the Arts to Sport, and are organised by the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation which has now raised more than £1.25m to support young people in Yorkshire.
 
The Chairman of the Awards, Peter McCormick OBE, said: “By complete chance, we had five different sports recognised across the eight categories of the Awards which shows how important sport can be in terms of helping young people to achieve their full potential in a variety of different ways. We heard some great stories about all our winners, including what it takes to be a young achiever in the arts and in business and about how overcoming adversity helps to produce some truly inspiring winners.
 
“These Awards are also our main fundraiser of the year and none of this would be possible without the support of our sponsors and our guests, many of whom have been with us almost since the beginning.”
 
The full line up of winners was:
Personality of the Year, sponsored by Rudding Park
Nile Wilson of Leeds
 
Nile was selected for the artistic gymnastics 2018 World Championships in Qatar last week but injured a finger so had to pull out with only weeks to go.
 
He has a host of medals to his name, starting even before he graduated to senior level. He was crowned British Junior Champion in March 2014 and received the Young Sportsman male award at the Leeds Sports Awards. He competed at the 2014 European Championships in Sofia in May, winning five gold medals to become the first British gymnast ever to win five gold medals at the European Junior Gymnastics Championships.
 
His move to senior level for the 2014 Commonwealth Games saw him take a total of four medals, including his first individual gold medal in the horizontal bar.
 
At the Rio Olympics in 2016, he became the first British gymnast to win bronze in the horizontal bar.
 
This year has seen his add to his tally with five more medals at the Commonwealth Games in Australia, with gold in the men’s artistic team all-around, the individual all-around and the horizontal bar and silver on the rings and parallel bars.
 
Youngster of the Year, sponsored by GMI Property
Maisie Catt, nine, of Mirfield
 
When Maisie was just five months old, she contracted meningitis and then septicaemia, meaning she had to have both of her legs amputated, one above the knee and one below.
She was fitted with prosthetic legs at ten months and learned to walk with them. Since then, she has never looked back, learning to swim, going to Brownies, using a hand cycle through an organisation called Streetbikes and learning to ride with Riding for the Disabled.
 
But it was when she saw her brother Finlay at his Taekwondo classes that a new passion took hold. She was keen to have a go and his club agreed that she could try.
She has done so well in her new sport that she has been picked for a national GB Taekwondo Para-Poomsae academy squad, an elite training programme, and recently received her green belt.
 
Just three weeks ago, she was invited to show off her skills during the Manchester Grand Prix in front of World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue and a packed crowd.
 
Achievement in the Arts, sponsored by Barclays
Amara Okereke Of Adel, Leeds
 
Amara has made history by becoming the first black actress to play the role of Cosette in Les Misérables and is currently starring in the production at the Queen’s Theatre West End of London.
 
So successful has she been that in September she won Best Actress in a Musical in the Stage Debut Awards and she has just been shortlisted for the Broadway World award for Best Actress in a Musical.
 
Amara first showed an interest in music while still at nursery school where there was a struggle to get her away from the piano! She also showed her talent for dance and took up the clarinet.
 
But it wasn’t until Year 6 when her mother realised she also had a wonderful voice after seeing her play the narrator in a school production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
 
A former straight-As Leeds Grammar School pupil, she went on to train at Arts Educational Schools in London and the National Young Music Theatre.
 
She played a range of roles while at drama school in a variety of productions, including Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Private Lives and Sweeny Todd, including the title role of Amy Winehouse in Winehouse. Her subsequent theatre roles have included Maria in West Side Story and Cassie in 13 The Musical.
 
Achievement in Management and Enterprise, sponsored by The Wetherby Whaler Group
Rose Dyson of Silkstone, Barnsley
 
Rose started her own business, Pura Cosmetics, at the age of 15 and now, just three years later, she has been recognised as one of the most promising CEOs in the country.
 
She set up the business as part of the I Know I Can Barnsley Big Challenge when she was still doing her GCSEs at Horizon College in Barnsley because she wanted to create ethical lip care products at an affordable price.
 
She started out with investment of just £25, creating a recipe for a natural, cruelty-free, vegan lip scrub and balm and producing it at home, which she then sold at local craft fairs and Barnsley market.
 
She now produces a range of lip care products, with the strapline “Perfect Pout”, including cocktail-inspired lines.
 
She sells at events across Yorkshire and beyond, has an e-commerce site of her own and turned over £50,000 in 2017. And, as if she is not busy enough already, she also encourages other teenagers to become entrepreneurs, speaking at events and at schools.
 
She won the UK Young Trader of the Year title last year and was named the top young entrepreneur by Transferwise this year.
 
Achievement in Sport, sponsored by Leeds United Football Club
Ellen Buttrick of Leeds
 
Ellen was inspired to take up her sport by seeing people rowing on Roundhay Park Lake, close to her home in Leeds. She joined a “learn to row” course during the opening week of the London 2012 Olympics and a new love was born.
 
Her degree course in geography took her to Northumbria University where she continued to row. During her time there she was diagnosed with juvenile macular degeneration, an inherited eye disorder resulting in gradual sight loss, which is currently incurable.
 
She retains some vision but has gone through the classification process and joined the GB Para-rowing squad earlier this year, combining her training in the gym and with Leeds Rowing Club with her three-day-a-week job as office co-ordinator for the resettlement programme at the Refugee Council in Leeds. She also trains with the Para-rowing squad in Caversham near Reading.
 
Her first ever international race with the Para-rowing team in September could not have been better. They took the gold medal in the mixed coxed four in the World Rowing Championships in Bulgaria.
 
Since then she has also won the Jun Yamaguchi Sport Award, set up in honour of the late Jun Yamaguchi, a partner of Deloitte, to support developing Para athletes on their journey to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. The prize will give her with the opportunity to train more frequently at the national training centre with the senior squads in order to help achieve her goal of being selected for Tokyo 2020.
 
Achievement in Education, sponsored by Positive Tax Solutions
Devan Witter of Market Weighton
 
For Devan Witter, it was some bad experiences which set him on the path to the man he has become, working with young people to overcome their own problems.
 
He was bullied at school, both physically and verbally, with his teachers unsure how to help, and at 15 he joined the Beat Bullying Group. He also became involved in Fixers, an organisation helping young people to use their experiences to fix the future for themselves and for other young people.
 
He set up his own anti-bullying project and went on, with the help of Fixers, to create a website of information for teachers about bullying and how to tackle it. The website looks at everything from how to spot the signs of bullying to how to help, cyber bullying and bullying and the law.
 
As part of the Volunteering for Young People in East Riding scheme he achieved his Bronze, Silver and Gold awards for volunteering more than 500 hours.
He now works for East Riding Voluntary Action Services which champions and supports the voluntary and community sector and is Social Action Leader (Hull) for its Volunteen (correct) project which helps young people aged 11 to 25, as well as continuing his own volunteering, including with the police.
 
His work has been recognised not only by Fixers but also by the I Will campaign and he has received the Diana Award for his social action.
 
He is also one of the youngest recipients of the British Empire Medal and was invited to a Buckingham Palace garden party this summer.
 
Unsung Hero, sponsored by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions
Cameron Osburn of Harrogate
 
Cameron was born with Cerebral Palsy which gave him physical challenges to overcome as he grew up.
 
At eight, he joined a local junior football club, never missing a training session but rarely being selected for the team. The knock to his confidence made him turn his back on the sport for a while but he turned his determination to Silat, a martial art he had trained in since he was four. His talent shone through and he became both the first junior and adult black belt. In turn, he taught others, including adults, giving him the satisfaction of watching them improve.
 
His early love of football never left him, however, and when he was 15, he found Cerebral Palsy football and started playing for the North East and Yorkshire team. At school, he used his free time to help others requiring learning support and he provided individual and group sport sections to coach and mentor them.
 
He won a series of awards for his work and it was this that led him to set up his own project. Adversity United is a Harrogate-based football team for disabled under 12s. Cameron worked tirelessly to connect with local businesses, including Harrogate Town FC.
 
He is now a qualified FA Level 1 coach and supports his players not only in developing their sporting skills but their social skills as well.
 
Now aged 18, he has taken up a full-time post as a Sports and Fitness Teaching Assistant at Harrogate Grammar School and was recently presented the sporting achievement award at the Children of Courage Awards.
 
Special Award, sponsored by Walsh Taylor
Jessica Mayho of Cononley
 
The Special Award is made to friends and supporters of the Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards who have gone the extra mile to help raise funds to support young people in the region.
 
Jessica first came to the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation’s notice as a grant recipient, receiving support to fund her training in her aim to become Britain’s best hammer thrower.
 
Since then, she has found time in her busy training schedule to support the Foundation in a number of ways, including helping to launch the Awards on more than one occasion and always being happy to meet sponsors and supporters at events.
 
This year she took silver at the British Athletic Championships with a season’s best throw, hot on the heels of becoming the North of England Senior Hammer Throw Champion 2018.