Nominations for the 26th Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards have opened  and, as always, the organisers are looking for nominations from across the region.
 
The Awards, sponsored by McCormicks Solicitors of Harrogate, mark the achievements of outstanding young people aged under 35 from across Yorkshire. To nominate a potential winner, just visit the Awards website at www.yorkshireyoungachievers.co.uk or contact Sonia Jones at McCormicks Solicitors on 01423 530630.
 
Awards Chairman Peter McCormick OBE said: “Nominating someone is very simple and we are keen to hear about the successes of young people from wherever they live in Yorkshire. We know there is a tremendous amount of talent and determination out there so please let us hear about it!”
 
The Awards are organised by the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation and have raised more than £1.2 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.
 
On hand to launch the 2018 Awards were the 2017 Youngster of the Year, Evie Addelman of Leeds, who campaigns to raise awareness of Crohn’s disease, and grant recipient Jessica Mayho, a hammer thrower who is aiming to compete in the Olympics.
 
Anyone can nominate a potential winner and the closing date for entries is Friday 14 September. The winners will be announced at the Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards dinner on Thursday 8 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 (GMI Property)
• 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)

The launch of the 2018 Awards was celebrated with a reception for sponsors and guests at the West Park Hotel, Harrogate, with the event sponsored by the Provenance Inns and Hotels Group. Click here to view the launch photos.

A promising young snooker player has been given a grant by the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation.

Fifteen-year-old Aimee Benn, of Burley-in-Wharfedale, began playing thanks to a free ten-week course in the game which was being offered in Menston by the Paul Hunter Foundation. Paul won the Masters Championship three times before losing his battle with cancer in 2006, when he was posthumously awarded the Personality of the Year title at the Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards.

Aimee took to the sport immediately and three years on is playing in tournaments across the UK and abroad, as well as helping younger members of her club with their coaching, and is now ranked ninth in the world after just two seasons competing in the ladies’ open age tour.
She recently took part in the Ladies Festival of Snooker in Leeds, improving on her last performance, and in August is hoping to be able to travel to Germany for the Paul Hunter Classic.

She received her grant towards coaching, registration and entry fees from Foundation Vice-chairman Richard Stroud who said: “It is always exciting to meet a young person with the determination and commitment to do well in whatever field they choose and we wish Aimee the best of luck for the future.”
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The main fundraiser for the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation is the annual Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards, sponsored by McCormicks Solicitors of Harrogate. Anyone who would like to apply for a grant can find full details at www.yorkshireyoungachievers.co.uk.
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Grant recepient, Jess Mayho, has been undergoing some tough rehab in her quest to get back to competition. Here she updates us on how she's getting on.

I have just returned back from a 10 day training camp in Vila Nova de Cerviera (1 hour North of Porto). I visited this facility last year with a larger group of athletes and really got on with the coach out there and loved the set up they have created - a throws specific centre with the hotel just opposite.

After the success of last years camp at this facility (I threw my personal best there after 10 days of training) I knew it was a place where I could retreat to and really get a solid block of training done. Heading out there completely on my own was a bit daunting - my Portugese is well erm VERY questionable- but my experience in playing charades I felt would at least help me with the language barrier....

Jorge, the coach at the facility, is one of the Portugese National Throws Coaches and his knowledge of the event is so strong. It was great to be able to have him attend every session and learn so much from him. The 10 days were pretty intense as we really honed in on the technical aspects of the throw but it was the perfect time to be able to do this- not having to worry about sessions taking longer than normal as I didn't have to get back to work.

I have attached some photos for you to see what I got up to out there, the facilities and the group (consisting of Olympic and Paralympic athletes)  that I had the pleasure of training with. 

I am currently 8 weeks into throwing post rehab and Matthew- my coach in the UK - and I are really pleased with what I achieved in the training block out in Portugal  and where I currently am in my training. We are looking forward to implementing the new ideas Jorge gave to us but also consolidating on current training set by Matthew.

In 5 weeks time I will return back to the facility for another 10 days of training which will set me up to open up my season.  With your support you are helping me achieve my dreams, I feel extremely lucky to have these opportunities and I am trying to learn as much as I can  leaving no stone un-turned in the process.

Jess Mayho

Premier League referee and Foundation supporter, Martin Atkinson, is swapping his whistle for wheels this summer as he embarks on an epic 1700 mile cycle from England to Russia for the World Cup.

Martin will be flanked by fellow riders Mike Tomlinson and Darren Clark, for the duration of the ride, and as in 2016, the riders will again be supported by Chris Sanders from 1st Class Events and Barry Phillipson from Smart Therapy Studios, the trio will be joined by other riders throughout their journey, including Atkinson’s fellow professional referee Jon Moss, Jim Butters, who led the 2016 challenge and Mick McGuire from James Grant Sports.

The #WhistleStopTour2018 starts at St. George’s Park on Monday, June 11, and the team will travel through France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Poland before reaching their destination in Kaliningrad 18 days later to watch England face Belgium in their World Cup clash on Thursday, June 28.

The ride is all in the name of charity, with the money raised being split between the St David’s Hospice Care Newport, University Hospitals - Coventry & Warwickshire Charity, Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation and The Jane Tomlinson Appeal

Atkinson said: “It’s going to be a huge challenge, but it’s one I think we’re all relishing. In 2016 we cycled to all 20 Premier League grounds, which totalled around 1000 miles, so we’re really upping the ante for this one. We’ve been saying it’ll be 18 days of hurt, but it’s all for some brilliant charities, so we’re ready to go through that pain barrier! We want to raise as much money as we possibly can, so any donation, large or small would be gratefully received.”

You can keep up to date with the riders on their official Twitter handle @WhistleStopTour2018 and you can donate here.

Previous winners from down the years were among 400 guests when young people from across the region were honoured at the 25th Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards on 23 November at Leeds United’s Centenary Pavilion.
 
Halifax soprano Lizzie Jones was named Personality of the Year for her tireless campaigning and fundraising for better heart care for sportspeople after the tragic death of her Welsh International Rugby League player husband, Danny, on the pitch.
 
Huddersfield’s Alfie Clark took the Arts Award for his mature performance as Arthur Thomas in Emmerdale in a dementia storyline, which prompted him into fundraising for the Alzheimer’s Society.
 
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 £1.2m to support young people in Yorkshire.
 
Previous winners among the guests included Gaynor Faye, Kelvin Fletcher, Bailey Matthews and last year’s Youngster of the Year, Lucy Sherman, who performed at the opening reception.
 
The Chairman of the Awards, Peter McCormick OBE, said: “Once again we had some wonderful winners with some truly inspiring stories of courage and determination and it proved a very fitting way to celebrate our 25th anniversary.
 
“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 for many years.”
 
For a full line up of winners please click here.

Foundation Vice Chairman, Richard Stroud, visited the Buttershaw Business and Enterprise College in Bradford last week to present a grant from the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation. 
 
The Foundation are sponsoring Emma Graham as a teacher for 2 years. Emma is teaching a Year 10 class in the 1300 pupil secondary school. During his visit Richard attended a very creative and successful maths lesson. The Foundation would like to wish Emma every success in her role. 

​Nominations for the 25th Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards opened today with an appeal from the Chairman for entries from across the region to mark the event’s silver anniversary.
 
The Awards, sponsored by McCormicks Solicitors of Harrogate, mark the achievements of outstanding young people aged under 35 from across Yorkshire. To nominate a potential winner, just visit the Awards website at www.yorkshireyoungachievers.co.uk or contact Sonia Jones at McCormicks Solicitors on 01423 530630.
 
Awards Chairman Peter McCormick OBE said: “This is a special year for the Awards and it would be wonderful to see even more nominations from right across Yorkshire. We believe Yorkshire produces some great talent and that our young people have the grit and determination to success, whatever the challenges they face and we want to hear about them!”
 
The Awards are organised by the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation and have raised more than £1.2 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.
 
On hand to launch the 2017 Awards were the 2016 Youngster of the Year, actress Lucy Sherman, and grant recipient Jessica Mayho, a hammer thrower who is training to reach the 2018 Commonwealth Games. 
 
Anyone can nominate a potential winner and the closing date for entries is Friday 15 September. The winners will be announced at the Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards dinner on Thursday 23 November at the Leeds United Centenary Pavilion. Tickets for the dinner are also now on sale