Inspirational winners at Make a Difference awards
A cancer survivor who has travelled the world raising money for charity and a neighbour who always goes the extra mile - just some of the worthy winners of BBC Radio Stoke's Make a Difference Awards 2024.
A glittering ceremony was held on Friday at Port Vale Football Club where the inspiring stories of finalists were told.
Other winners include an organisation matching people with pets who have changed the lives of their owners, an inspirational young carer and a brave teenager helping others despite his own health problems.
Among the guests were Olympians Emily and Tom Ford, boxer Nathan Heaney and Stoke-on-Trent Lord Mayor Lyn Sharpe.
The volunteer award was won by 80-year-old Ann Harvey from Stoke-on-Trent.
She spends time gathering donations for Step Up Stoke, a charity based in Fenton which provides clothes, nappies and other items for families who struggle to afford them.
Mrs Harvey also organises a number of events such as the local Christmas light switch-on and community meals where she gets involved in cooking and prepping the food as well as meeting and greeting guests.
"It's for everyone this award, everyone person in that room - whether you do one hour a week or 10 hours a week - every volunteer is a winner," she said.
The winner of the community award, Rebecca McGuckian, created the Leek Community Children's and Baby Library Community Interest Company (CIC) in May 2023.
The organisation operates as a baby bank to support families in need across the Staffordshire Moorlands.
Rebecca's nominator said she put her heart and soul into the venture and every family that comes to her for support.
At Christmas she made hampers, ensuring more than 100 adults and children were fed on Christmas Day who might otherwise have gone without.
Boycie's Bridge Dog Rescue, winners in the animal category, have matched hundreds of pets with loving families.
They find foster homes for dogs - or often foster the dogs themselves - before finding a permanent home for the animals.
It means the animals are spared the anxiety of going into kennels and find happy homes as soon as possible.
Layton Spiers has been a young carer for his mother, who has epilepsy, since he was a young boy.
He also cares for a friend who has physical disabilities as well as autism and mental health issues.
Winning the carers award made him feel "honoured and proud", he said.
"I didn't really believe it," he said, when his name was called out as winner.
Cheryl Adams, known as "the person everyone goes to when they are struggling" picked up the great neighbour award.
She has set up a community garden in Cheadle which has helped bring people in the town together, buying and planting about 50kg of daffodil bulbs to brighten up an area of land that was previously uncared for.
She also runs a fishing club and donates to the local food bank on a regular basis.
Her daughter Yjana Howkes said: "She's such a big part of Cheadle, everyone knows my mum, everyone sees my mum."
She added: "It's really nice, everything she does, and I want to be like that."
Ed Daly - winner of the green award - is a ranger and volunteer with Severn Trent Water at Tittesworth Water, near Leek.
His manager described him as a force of nature, someone who loves the outdoors and has a passion for wildlife.
Mr Daly has Down's Syndrome and has faced numerous challenges throughout his life but has not let this limit him.
He is now a facilitator to the National Down Syndrome Policy advice group and has spoken in the House of Commons.
"It is inspiring to see Ed's perseverance result in his dream job," his manager said.
Andrea Sheardown, winner of the fundraiser award, was diagnosed with a very rare form of bile duct cancer called Cholangiocarcinoma in 2015 and doctors said she would not survive beyond six weeks.
Against the odds, she survived with intensive surgery and chemotherapy and has since raised over £100,000 for AMMF, the only UK charity researching the disease.
She has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, cycled from Vietnam to Cambodia, climbed to Everest Base Camp and walked the Inca Trail.
Earlier this year she went to House of Commons to lobby for changes in the treatment and management of Cholangiocarcinoma.
"She really is such a special, caring, unselfish person who despite all the odds has survived and spends most of her time and energy fighting to support other people who have this type of cancer," her nominee said.
Jake Cassidy, who spent much of his life in and out of hospital, won the bravery award.
He has had two major surgeries on his bowels, resulting in him having his large bowel removed and having an ileostomy stoma.
He also has coeliac disease and is a young champion for the charity Coeliac UK.
"Jake is one of the bravest children I know and what he goes through daily with many hospital appointments adults couldn't cope with," his nominee said.
"He is a very special person with heart of gold. No matter how he's feeling he will always say he's ok."
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