A group of 16 remarkable young people from Leicester and Leicestershire along with their families and friends joined the Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire at County Hall on 27 April 2023 for an awards ceremony to celebrate their achievements as our 2023 finalists.
Congratulations go to Joshua Bailey who received the top prize of the evening, becoming the Lord-Lieutenant’s Young Person of the Year 2023.
This years ‘red carpet’ awards evening and dinner was hosted by the Lord-Lieutenant, Mike Kapur OBE supported by his Deputy Lieutenants Professor Bob Allison CBE, Mrs Sally Bowie, Mrs Diana Brooks MBE and Mr Jonathan Agnew MBE.
The four finalists shortlisted in each of the four categories were recognised as remarkable examples of dedication, going above and beyond to help others and for their outstanding personal achievements.
The category winners were:
- Young Person of Courage - Joshua Bailey, who attends South Charnwood High School.
- Young Volunteer – Sofia Omar, who attends Crown Hills Community College.
- Young Artist of the Year – Jessica Mawby, who attends Sir Jonathan North Girls' College.
- Young Leader – Clem Beardmore, who attends the Priory Belvoir Academy.
These young people were all considered for the overall award of the Lord-Lieutenant’s Young Person of the Year which went to Joshua Bailey.
After hearing his name announced as the Young Person of the Year 2023 Joshua Bailey said, “I’m feeling shocked and amazed at how well I’ve done, I didn’t realise that I’d be chosen for both awards. This has given me more courage to carry on doing what I do best.”
“Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Mike Kapur OBE said: “It was a privilege for me to host this year’s event for our extraordinary young people in recognition of their bravery, creativity, strength of spirit and selflessness. I’m honoured to have been able to share their stories with our guests at the event and more widely within their communities – they are an inspiration to us all.
“As Lord-Lieutenant, I’m privileged to be able to meet some of our city and county’s extraordinary young people and see truly humbling examples of volunteering, community engagement, and personal achievement which require dedication and commitment of the highest order, that too often go unnoticed by the wider community.
“I hope that these awards will continue to highlight the talents and dedication of our communities’ young people and urge anyone who knows a young person they think deserves recognition and encouragement for their endeavours to look out for details of my 2024 awards later in the year.”
The awards are sponsored by a variety of organisations offering services to young people, including Leicestershire County and Leicester City Councils, together with universities and the business community, and seek to identify and reward the very best examples of achievement by young people locally. For more information visit the webpage.