Nominations For The Awards Are Open But Close On August 11th

There is less than a month left to nominate a child for this year’s Yorkshire Children of Courage Awards, organised by St. James’s Place Foundation.

The awards were launched at a party at Headingley Experience, where the charity’s supporters, sponsors and previous winners gathered together to celebrate the good work the charity does.

Beginning in 2011, the awards have grown year upon year to have been attended by over 750 people, mark and celebrate the region’s bravest and most courageous children and young adults.

Amongst the sponsors was national law firm, Irwin Mitchell which is based in Leeds at 2 Wellington Place. The law firm, supporting the awards for the fourth year in a row, is the sponsor of the ‘Outstanding Bravery’ award, open to 0-12 year olds. The award is in recognition of a child/person who has overcome extreme adversity in their own life or the life of someone close to them.

Joanne Fraser, a Partner and Court of Protection lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s Leeds office, said: 

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“The Yorkshire Children of Courage Awards are truly an inspiration to many and a fantastic way of honouring brave youngsters who have battled serious injuries, illnesses, or shown tremendous dedication to raising money for loved ones and charity.

“At Irwin Mitchell we are honoured to support these awards and share our admiration for the incredibly brave children who are recognised, and that is why we are delighted to sponsor the Outstanding Bravery award.” Joanne Fraser - Partner

The firm’s involvement with the awards isn’t exclusively through sponsorship. Some of the firm’s young clients have been recognised at these awards for their bravery and courage, including Nathan Popple.

Nathan, from Leeds, was 16 in 2014 when he was rewarded with the Special Recognition Award for 13-18 year olds at the awards.

Nathan suffered catastrophic brain damage as a result of a delay in delivery. He developed cerebral palsy and severe disabilities which severely affect his mobility and speech and he now has to use a wheelchair and is fed by a gastronomy tube.

Irwin Mitchell’s expert medical negligence team secured him a seven-figure settlement which will provide Nathan with the care, equipment and rehabilitation he needs for the rest of his life. The settlement funds are now carefully managed by Irwin Mitchell’s specialist Court of Protection team.

The seventh Yorkshire Children of Courage Awards will be held on 13 October at New Dock Hall, Leeds, and will be compered by BBC Breakfast Journalist, Steph McGovern. Nominations close Friday, 11 August.