PATRONS & AMBASSADORS
PATRONS
Christine Talbot
Christine is a multi- award winning television presenter, journalist and host and has been one of the most recognisable faces and voices in the ITV Yorkshire region for almost three decades.
Known for her warmth, empathy and authority, she has worked for both ITV and the BBC where she has fronted numerous live programmes, including the nightly ITV Calendar regional news for 20 years. She also presented the popular magazine show Tonight and was a pioneer presenter on Wellbeing, one of the first health and lifestyle digital channels. She is also a columnist in Yorkshire Life magazine and co host of the Yorkshire Talks podcast.
Duncan Wood
Duncan Wood has anchored Calendar since May 2003 after joining ITV Yorkshire from Britain’s most watched breakfast show GMTV where he was North of England correspondent and sofa presenter. His career in journalism spans almost 30 years going from cub reporter on his home town paper to his own current affairs series on ITV 1 “Wood You Believe It”.
Duncan has reported from around the world but likes nothing more than telling a good, down to earth tale about real people in real life situations. He’s hosted several prestigious events across Yorkshire, and has hosted the Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards for many years.
AMBASSADORS
Katie Gill
Katie won the Achievement in Management and Enterprise Award in 2019 and ever since has been a great supporter of the Foundation, helping out in a number of ways including media appearances.
She has always had a passion for working with children and completed a BA Hons primary education degree, graduating with a first. Whilst at university she used her summers to teach horse riding in America and also teach children in a remote village in Fiji.
She secured her first teaching job whilst in her final year of university, teaching year 3.
She then went into the family business, managing an existing nursery for a few years. The opportunity then presented to open Sunshine Community Nursery in Harehills, Leeds, which she opened and managed in September 2017.
She now oversees six nurseries, two of which opened last year.
Since winning the Award in 2019, Katie has got married and is now expecting her first baby, a little girl.
India Farmer
India has been associated with the Yorkshire Young Achievers Foundation since she was just four years old.
She was a very poorly little girl with acute myeloid leukaemia in 1998 when she won our Youngster of the Year. Her mum was searching for a bone marrow donor who fortunately was found.
India moved away from the area for a while but ever since she has been back in Yorkshire she has been a fantastic supporter of the Foundation and the Awards, coming to events even when her health has been an issue.
She is now a sought-after hair stylist in Harrogate.
Anyone who meets her is charmed by her and it is fair to say she does a fantastic job of spreading our messages!
Jack Marshall
Jack Marshall will be recognisable to many of our supporters as he has been a regular attendee at our annual awards since 2007 when he won the Youngster of the year and in 2014 went on to be awarded personality of the year.
Jack is passionate about helping people with disabilities to achieve their full potential and advocates for others at Learning Disability England. He has raised thousands of pounds by completing physical challenges which should have been impossible for him to do. But nothing is impossible for Jack.
Having completed and gained First class honours in a Law degree at Staffordshire University continuing to gain his masters in Criminology, being awarded a B.E.M and now is now in the process of writing a book whilst is becoming known for his inspirational talks which he hopes will inspire people to live life to the full.
Jack is full of energy, he is a true social butterfly and lives his life to the full.
William Renton
Will is our youngest ambassador and has already demonstrated his commitment to the Foundation.
Will has recently been made head boy at Ripon Grammar School where he is a student and is currently working hard towards his A-levels, with the aim of studying medicine at university.
He won the Unsung Hero Award at the 2025 Yorkshire Young Achievers Awards for the unstinting care he gives his younger sister, Ellie, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
As well as school, Will is a talented musician, recently appearing on Channel 4’s The Piano, where amateur pianists perform on public pianos in busy UK railway stations, with judges secretly selecting standout players to appear in a grand finale concert.
He is also a young leader with his local Scout group, a qualified wheelchair football association referee, a sport in which his sister excels, helps at a local birds of prey centre as well as working as a milkman in his home village six days a week.
We are delighted he has joined us as an ambassador as he has already shown his willingness to talk to anyone and everyone about the Foundation!