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.
9. Maisie Hunt
Determined Maisie is a warm, friendly person who has been nominated for her determination and adaptability. Reach Mansfield nominated her for the award because of the way she has adapted well to all the challenges she is facing in her life. Maisie has a slight hearing loss and does need assistance when out and about in the community, but this never stops her making friends. She often struggles with anxiety issues, which can impact on her everyday life and also sometimes struggles with her emotions. She appears to get overwhelmed in some circumstances, which results in her becoming distressed, but she is finding ways to overcome negative emotions. Physically Maisie can sometimes appear to struggle with exercise and movements but she always has a ‘give-it-a-go attitude’. And she hopes to fly high in the future and go on a big aeroplane in the future. Maisie attends the computer sessions, performing arts group, and art and baking sessions at Reach Mansfield. She also enjoys watching basketball, colouring at home, listening to music, seeing all her friends and spending time with her family Photo: Roger Grayson
10. Michael Morris
Having the courage to reach out for help has enabled Michael to make positive strides towards a better future. For the majority of his childhood, Michael has been a young carer for his mum. However, he did not disclose how bad things had been for him until very recently, when he showed that courage and bravery to share his story and finally reach out for help. Now, despite going through a very turbulent time, the 14-year-old is accepting the support of adults around him and beginning to see that he can grow into adulthood and look forward to the future. R.E.A.L. Education has worked tirelessly to raise Michael’s self-esteem and he is now exploring the idea of maybe going into engineering when he leaves education. His favourite time at R.E.A.L. is when he takes part in forest school as he loves anything hands-on. He recently learned how to set fires using only items he can find in the woods and loved that activity. Ska music and playing on his PS5 is how Michael enjoys his time away from school. His favourite music track is Death of Guitar Pop’s Suburban Ska Club. Photo: Roger Grayson
11. Nathan Baldwin
Nathan has overcome so much in life already, but never complains and, instead, comments on how he likes to bring laughter into the lives of others. He is a true friend to his peers at APTCOO and they have embraced him wholeheartedly. Aged just six, Nathan was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma — a brain tumour — that was treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and cranium/spinal radiotherapy. The tumour left Nathan with an acquired brain injury. In addition to this, the long-term effects of complex treatment that Nathan received have resulted in chronic fatigue syndrome, which can make his day in school tiring. Despite these problems, however, the 16-year-old never complains and his attendance at APTCOO is exemplary and everyone is impressed by his knowledge of IT - his favourite subject - and his hobby of radio presenting. Staff at APTCOO say they are privileged to nurture Nathan because his previous school experiences have not been entirely positive. But he now talks about how he feels a sense of belonging and acceptance within the school community. Away from school, the Harworth teenager enjoys computer gaming, radio presenting, and listening to music by Nickelback. He hopes to turn his love and skill for presenting into a career with a large radio station or to become a famous YouTube content creator. Photo: Roger Grayson