Spennymoor honours exceptional Young People!

Spennymoor Town Council honoured its area’s outstanding young people, as a much-loved awards ceremony made a welcome return.

The Council’s “Young People Awards 2023” was held in a packed Town Hall, as the amazing achievements and dedication of incredible young people were celebrated.

Six honours were awarded in total, with the achievements of runners-up also recognised in the ceremony, compered by radio host Paul “Goffy” Gough.

Spennymoor Mayor, Cllr Dean Ranyard, said: “It was an absolute delight to be able to honour our community’s exceptional young people, who range from incredible athletes to junior thespians and dedicated community volunteers.

“It feels like an age since we were able to hold this event, with the pandemic forcing us to reduce our schedule in recent years, and I think I speak for everyone in the room when I say the awards were a huge success.”

Spennymoor Town Council asked for adults, young leaders, and volunteers to nominate a special someone who should be recognised for their hard work, exceptional talent, or caring efforts, and the nominations rolled in.

The winners are:

Art, Music and Dance Award: Chloe Armstrong, 15

Part of the Spennymoor Youth Theatre Group since age seven, Chloe acts and helps with the tuck shop every week. She supports younger children during productions. She is a talented artist, actor and loves music and recently completed her Duke of Edinburgh Bronze, helping with litter picks and Park Runs.

Sports Award: Ross Thomas Emery, 12

Ross finished his first Jubilee Park Run in August 2021 and has completed 48 runs since. Kind, friendly and supportive, he encourages other participants and always supports events such as foodbank collections. Ross also secured school records for 100, 400 and 1,500m, with commitment and determination that’s second to none.

People’s Choice Award: Marion Dunn

A volunteer for over nine years, Marion volunteers at Ox Close Primary, making production costumes and knitting hats and scarves. Always positive, enthusiastic and inspirational, Marion also helps at church or Spennymoor Stage and Song, where she’s worked for over 50 years. Her weekends involve helping elderly friends, chaperoning for the Operatic Society or cooking and shopping for those in need.

Community Champion Award: Leon Burns 13

Part of the ‘Student Leaders’ programme at Ferryhill School, Leon works in the school and wider community. An anti-bullying ambassador, he helps at foodbanks and charities, including That Bread & Butter Thing. Leon also helped secure Safer Streets funding and was part of a team that met Durham Police and Crime Commissioner and Chief Constable to address anti-social behaviour issues.

School Award: Cody Hulbert, 8

Cody has settled into Year 4 and is an excellent role model, helping his peers, Cody has Developmental Language Disorder, finding learning and understanding language difficult. Due to this, Cody sometimes struggles to comprehend instruction and requires support. With practise Cody developed strategies to be an independent learner by asking questions and making comparisons to overcome language barriers.

Extra Special Award: Jude Grayson, 11

Jude was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in 2019 and has shown immense courage and determination to battle through and be no different to other children. His fighting spirit is inspiring and everyone at Ox Close Primary is delighted to have Judge in remission and back in class.

Cllr Ranyard, added: “Spennymoor is blessed with a small army of young people doing incredible things and the Town Council takes great pleasure in recognising and celebrating their efforts.

“It was emotional and inspirational to hear the incredible stories of this year’s winners and runners-up. I’d also like to praise the effort of the Town Council team in making sure that this year’s awards were such a huge success and I’m already looking forward to next year.”