Eleven recipients for 2025 were nominated by their school or college for exemplifying moral and spiritual courage in the face of difficulty.
The event was hosted at Portland College, Mansfield, in front of the young people’s families, teachers, and many special guests.
The 11 award winners were congratulated by the Mayor of Mansfield, Andy Abrahams, President of Mansfield Rotary, Rotn Phil Lyons and special guest, Mansfield Paralympic star Charlotte Henshaw.
Paracanoeist Charlotte, who won two gold medals at the 2024 Paralympics and is a world champion, gave an inspirational talk.
The 11 young winners – Nathan Baldwin, Paige Carlton, Cody Crowther, Matthew French, Maisie Hunt, Michael Morris, Dylan Staley, sisters Mia Thompson and Abbi Thompson, Maisie Wright and Yevhen Yunak – all received an engraved plaque from the Rotary president and a civic citation from the mayor.
Mr Lyons thanked staff, teachers, parents, and students from the schools and organisations represented for their time, effort, and enthusiasm for the awards.
Les Marshall, of Education Mutual, was thanked for his unstinting support in sponsoring the event for a 12th time.
Guests also included assistant district governors of Rotary District 1220, Rotn Paul Jones and Rotn Sophie Leadley, of the Rotary Club of Nottingham, members of Mansfield Inner Wheel Club and the district chairman of Inner Wheel.
Also present were several local recipients of the Paul Harris Fellowship from Mansfield Rotary.
The fellowship is awarded to people who have made a significant contribution to the community and Mr Lyons said they were wonderful examples of those who put service above self.
Kerry Vardy, of Mansfield Council was thanked for her help in organising the civic citations.
5. Yevhen Yunak
Resilient Yevhen’s journey is one of extraordinary courage and resilience. Having had to leave his home in Ukraine, due to the ongoing situation in his country, he has faced challenges that would be incredibly difficult for anyone. Yet, despite these hardships, Yevhen has shown unwavering determination to succeed and make the most of the opportunities available to him since moving to Warsop Vale and Meden School. Away from school, sport is important. He enjoys football and is a Chelsea supporter, goes gym training, and is a member of a taekwondo club in Shirebrook. In school, Yevhen loves English, discovering a new language and pushing himself to learn language and literature that make him a more articulate person. His favourite subject is geography, discussing ways to solve world issues and looking at schemes and developments that make the world a better place. For the future, Yevhen would like to be a politician who could make a huge impact on the world and history. Photo: Roger Grayson
6. Maisie Wright
Described as having a 'heart of gold', selfless Maisie has had to grow up fast as she helps her mum care for her siblings - but she never complains, and her family mean everything to her and she would do anything for them. The teenager’s siblings have a number of complex learning difficulties, but Maisie supports her mum with this on a daily basis at their Church Warsop home, even though it means she often attends sessions at West Nottinghamshire College having had very little sleep and already a challenging morning. Maisie and mum agree that Maisie has taken on responsibility that many people her age would not have done. She is not annoyed or resentful of this, but thinks of it more as her duty. Despite all this, she is always ready to start her studies with a smile on the GCSE English and maths BOOST programme In college, Maisie enjoys expressing herself in her English creative writing studies. One day she would like to be a teaching assistant in a school because she would like to help others with their learning and be supportive. Away from her studies, Maisie’s sporting interests include boxing and her favourite song is Say My Name by Destiny’s Child. Photo: Roger Grayson
7. Matthew French
Matthew has had to face many medical problems - but his can-do attitude shines through it all as he just looks for ways to overcome his disabilities and succeed. The Portland College student has started a work placement at Calke Abbey, working in the café serving customers using his rollator, clearing tables and using the till. He is always positive and looks for ways to overcome his disabilities. That outlook has never been so evident as when he embarked on his Duke of Edinburgh Silver award.Over two expeditions he displayed courage on a minute-by-minute basis, ensuring he kept himself safe at all times and complete his award - something he is very proud of. The supported internship work placement at Calke Abbey is now Matthew’s favourite part of college life and his hopes for the future include gaining employment in hospitality and catering. Away from college studies, Matthew is interested in cars, cooking, and bike riding, while his favourite songs are Roar by Katy Perry and Stronger by Kelly Clarkson. Photo: Roger Grayson
8. Paige Carlton
Resilient Paige has made everyone at Samworth Church Academy unbelievably proud because of her spectacular journey of growth and personal development since starting the sixth form. Paige struggled at the start of year 12 with high levels of anxiety and there was a point where teachers and staff thought she would not be able to continue with her studies. However, the 18-year-old has proved them all wrong and her resilience and courage have made her into a stronger person. The teenager, whose favourite song is Us by Gracie Abrams and Taylor Swift, loves spending her free time reading, and really enjoys sociology lessons. Paige enjoys the structure of the content, for example each topic has elements such as theories and social groups which she finds interesting. She is aiming to go to university to study English Literature and hopes to do something related to that in the future. Photo: Roger Grayson