Inspired Awards 2023

For five years now we have had the honour and privilege of watching young people walk through our doors and wow us with their dedication, commitment, and brilliant personalities! 2023 has not been an easy year for many organisations, families or young people, but as ever, Chorley’s community has rallied together to make sure that there is a safe space, accessible to all, where there is everything from a hot cooked meal to a world of new opportunities available.

We have seen the biggest increase in demand for our services over the past two months, but still… no matter what is going on in the outside world, young people continue to inspire us with their determination and resilience every single day.

Our CEO of Inspire Youth Zone, Janine Blythe said on Thursday 16th November at our Inspired awards night “Today is about recognising these achievements and journeys and crediting those who have made a real difference to both their own lives and others. A huge congratulations goes to each nominee, every single one of you deserves to be in this room and every single one of you should be so proud of yourselves.”

Janine continued “I’d just like to say a huge thank you to all of the award sponsors who have made tonight possible. It means so much to be able to celebrate these successes in any way, but thanks to your support we have been able to make it an extra special night for all involved.”

All our nominees for each category should be so proud of themselves. We as staff are so very proud of each one of you and are so excited for what the future holds for you.

CG Professional’s RISING STAR award - Sophie Smith

A young person who, despite having faced personal obstacles, is showing great resilience.

SOPHIE SMITH

Since starting Inspire, Sophie has continually pushed herself out of her comfort zone, from reaching the top of the climbing wall, to attending mainstream community events. Sophie is a caring, bubbly young person who makes her presence known in every environment – she adores Inspire, its activities and its staff members (almost as much as Peppa Pig!). We are so proud of Sophie and how far she has come in a short period of time.

DILLAN MYERS

Dillan always engages well at Inspire, consistently joining in with all activities, putting his all into everything even when he finds something difficult. We’re honoured to be a part of Dillan’s journey and it’s a pleasure to watch him grow.

MELISSA HARRIS

Melissa joined the mentor programme feeling a little bit unsure, but embraced every session and made great progress. Melissa had to work hard in her sessions, and even when she found elements really challenging, she made sure she gave 100%. Melissa has made great progress and is now even volunteering with another local charity. We are very proud of her!

Inglenorth’s Personality of the Year - Chloe Pennington

A young person who is always happy and upbeat, kind to everyone and a general pleasure to be around.

BLAKE PARKINSON

Blake always comes into his sessions with a positive attitude and a smile! He gets involved in everything and is a pleasure to have on session. He is supportive and encouraging to other young people and always great with staff members.

CHLOE PENNINGTON

Chloe is an outgoing and confident member of Inspire getting involved in everything we have to offer. Chloe has an amazing, positive, ‘can do’ attitude and is a great role model to other young people.

CORDELIA YATES

Cordelia has always been an amazing role model to all members that attend our SEND Sunday sessions. She is a massive help to staff members and assists them with their activities and any young people that may be struggling to join in. It’s also been wonderful to see Cordelia’s confidence and social skills improve massively as she has started to also take part in additional projects that we run.

Ryan's Accountants Extra Mile Award - Beth Farrington

A Young Person who has faced their fears and stepped out of their comfort zone.

BETH FARRINGTON

Beth has overcome so much during her time at Inspire. She is hardworking, determined, funny and always mentioned for her no nonsense attitude! She is a big character on Senior Sessions and is motivated in any challenge she faces. Beth constantly shows so much resilience to any challenge she faces and has come on leaps and bounds this past year, getting involved in a variety of activities from Snow Camp to Adlington Carnival!

MATTHEW CATTERALL

Matthew has grown in confidence so much this past year. He has developed his independent living skills and has pushed himself out of his comfort zone in so many ways. He is such a kind and caring young man and a pleasure to be around.

REBECCA MORTIMER BANKS

Rebecca’s confidence has developed immensely recently, seeing her really push herself out of her comfort zone. Having joined our SEND dance project with Dance Syndrome, Rebecca started off nervous and shy, but as the weeks went by, will now attend with a big smile on her face showing a lovely confidence shining through.

Abrams Ashton’s Inspirational Young Person of the Year - Rosalea Tong

This young person has not only had their own obstacles to overcome but are also a helping hand and a voice to other young people.

ROSALEA TONG

Rosalea is passionate about being an advocate for other young people. During the this past summer she took part in our five ways to wellbeing sessions and was an incredibly positive role model to other young people. She is always there to offer support and encourages other young people to open up and talk about how they are feeling.

AMINA NEFFJODOVA

Amina goes above and beyond in everything she does whether that is at Inspire or out in the community. Amina is a kind and caring person who will try her best to support anyone the best she can. In her spare time, Amina comes into our Sunday sessions so she can support her younger brother and make sure he has a good time too.

GRACE TICKLE

Grace has grown and flourished, she has really grown in confidence. Grace is a pleasure to have on session. Grace is always eager to help other young people, she is positive role model to other members.

Acero Construction’s Young Superstar of the Year - Ellie Kinloch

A Young Person who is always looking to help out and provides brilliant assistance to staff.

ADAM LEYLAND

Adam consistently asks if staff need any help, always looking for opportunities to make a positive contribution to sessions. No matter what is going on, Adam will always take the time to say hello to all members of staff and has transitioned really well from doing this on a Junior to a Senior session. It’s a pleasure to have Adam in the centre and to see the progress that he continues to make.

HARRIET WIGGLESWORTH

Harriet is a real pleasure to be around at Inspire, always willing to go above and beyond. You can rely on her to get involved in new activities, help show new members around, and to help tidy up at the end of a session. Her positive, happy attitude is infectious. She has been a real asset to the Enterprise Team and loves organising activities and helping the staff.

ELLIE KINLOCH

Ellie is a huge positive influence to all other members & staff at Inspire. She is the first to help out where needed as well as being the first person to offer support to anyone. Ellie is fearless and her confidence and attitude towards challenge is admirable.

CP Davidson’s Above and Beyond Award - Amber Moore

A young person who has gone above and beyond what was expected or asked of them.

AMELIA RAMSDEN

Amelia is an absolute pleasure to have at Inspire, always bringing her sunny, positive personality to sessions. She consistently goes above and beyond what is asked of her, regularly pushing herself out of her comfort zone to do so.

AMBER MOORE

Amber embodies a ‘give everything a go’ attitude and applies herself to everything she does. Not only does she use this attitude and outlook to push herself, she also uses it to support and elevate her peers. As a Young Leader, Amber is in every week volunteering with our Junior members – she is very popular amongst them and the young people relate really well to her.

OLIVER GILKES

Oliver has shown a real passion for enterprise this year. He is always thinking of new business ideas and getting involved in different Enterprise activities. Oliver’s enthusiasm for Enterprise activities encourages other young people to join in.

ESG Global’s Team Player of the Year - Grace Riley

Sports award for a young person that works really well in a team. They don’t just play well with the people already on the team, but they encourage others to get involved and try out the sport.

ISLA RATCLIFFE

Isla is always going above and beyond to help others in climbing. She is focused and determined with her progress and is going to go far if she keeps up the amazing work.

JAMES WHITTAKER

James is a valued member of the Junior boys football team and has participated in a number of matches that resulted in wins! He’s a real role model and sets a great example to the rest of the team. James encourages and supports others and performs amazing as goalkeeper. Staff members from other Youth Zones have also commented on James’s performance in goal and his commitment to the team. Keep smashing it James well done!

GRACE RILEY

Grace is a pleasure to have in the centre and is a great role model to other members, always there to support anyone that needs it. Grace is a fantastic sports player and gives any sport a go! She is amazing at encouraging others and is always there to help staff members out on session. We couldn’t ask anymore of Grace and how committed she is.

Convene IT’s Educational Achiever of the Year - Izzy Donnelly

A Young Person that has overcome barriers, developed new skills and improved their education prospects.

JACOBY SWAIN

Jacoby is taking part in Bolton School’s Flourish Programme with the hope to gain a scholarship. The programme takes place every Saturday at Bolton School with activities ranging from baking to maths. Jacoby has put in 100% effort into these sessions and he committed to revising hard for the entrance exam. Regardless of the outcome, Jacoby should be so proud of all he has achieved.

IZZY DONNELLY

Izzy completed the Flourish Programme last year, and after attending every session possible and revising really hard was awarded the scholarship! Izzy is caring, hardworking, talented and gives her all to everything she does. She will always go above and beyond, whether it’s with school, performing, or even helping us with fundraising. We’re so very proud of Izzy and all she’s achieved!

RACHEL SMITH

Rachel slowly developed her passion for dance at Inspire, which brought out a confidence in her that made her unrecognisable to staff. She then became a Young Leader and undertook a placement in dance at Inspire, planning and leading her own sessions with junior members on sessions. It’s been a pleasure watching her develop and we can’t wait to see what’s next!

Gosling Consulting’s Young Leader of the Year - Jamie Jackson

A young person who is on or has completed the young leaders programme and has really thrived.

JAMIE JACKSON

What can we say about Jamie! He is the loveliest, most thoughtful, kind and funny young man. He has grown and grown in confidence and is a real asset to not only our young people but to our staff. He is an absolute credit to his parents and we all know he is going to achieve everything he wants in life.

SAVANNAH FOGG

Savannah has shown great qualities in leadership working with our Junior members. As an all-rounder, she is happy to get involved in volunteering wherever she is needed but has been a particular strength to the staff in climbing. Savannah is such a kind and funny young lady who is just naturally supportive of others and we are sure she will go far!

JACK GREEN

Jack has been a real asset volunteering on our Junior Sessions, supporting our sports team and getting stuck into activities. He is always quick to volunteer to do extra sessions and has really come out of his shell whilst on the programme. Jack is a pleasure to work with and gets on really well with both staff and other young leaders.

Bell Group’s Community Impact Award - The Browns

Someone who’s made a really positive contribution to their local community.

THE BROWNS

The Brown children, have attended Inspire for years and as a family, really understand that we’re a charity and have made incredible efforts to fundraise to support us. Having raised both funds to go directly into the charity and to purchase an abundance of equipment for all young people to enjoy, we are incredibly grateful to them all – thank you!

S&S Northern’s Volunteer of the Year Award - Dave Metters

Someone who makes a real difference to Inspire and the work that we do.

DAVE METTERS

Where can you find Dave? Here, there and everywhere at Inspire! Not only has he volunteered on a weekly basis since we opened, he also gets involved in every event we do. He’s incredible with young people, incredible with staff and other volunteers and we are so lucky, honoured and privileged he’s a part of Inspire.

One Stop Hire’s Young Achiever of the Year - Robyn West

A young person who has gone into employment, training or education, overcoming substantial barriers to transform their lives.

ROBYN WEST

Robyn got involved in Snow Camp through Inspire and now has an apprenticeship with them. She has been ‘standout!’ on this year’s programme, supporting each young person that has needed help. She is a fantastic role model and inspiration to others with this years group aspiring to follow in her footsteps!

KATIE ASHTON

From attending Inspire and then progressing to become one of our Young Leaders we were really pleased to be able to offer Katie her very own paid part time job in our Café. Katie has show great determination in overcoming many personal issues and continues to provide valuable support both to the café team and to our young people!

KIERA SOUTHWORTH

Keira has overcome many hurdles during her Inspire journey. Her confidence and resilience has grown massively and she has maintained a fun, supportive and trusting character throughout her time at Inspire. Shows, volunteering, sports teams and young leading… Keira has done it all!

Chorley Group’s Breakthrough Award - Joe Brown

A young person who has broken through personal barriers and come out the other side.

LEE MEREDITH

Lee has achieved and overcome so much this year with Inspire. Whilst being a supportive character to others he has challenged himself by excelling in outdoor challenges in the Lake District and graduating the Snow Camp level 2 programme.

KIERAN MCCARTHY

Kieran has been a very committed sports player attending all the junior football training sessions and represented Inspire very well in all matches. Kieran’s confidence in football has grown throughout the league and he has been a great role model for the younger players. Kieran has had his own challenges to deal with, but he hasn’t let this stop him from being the best that he can be!

JOE BROWN

When Joe first started attending he didn’t really talk to many people and enjoyed coming in just to do football however, over the last couple of months Joe has started trying new things and getting involved with any extra activities. Joe has been on many trips to different youth zones to take part in football tournaments and met lots of different young people. Joe never turns anything down and enjoys sharing his knowledge around football with our younger members.

D&G Builders Youth workers choice - Cori Barnes & Alfie Plummer

A young person who is a general pleasure to have in the centre at all times. They summarise what Inspire is all about, just by being themselves!

CORI BARNES

Cori is a brilliant character to have around on Senior Session. He gets involved in everything and shows a can do attitude to anything he faces. He is calming and supportive to everyone he comes across. As an aspiring Chef, but not particularly camera confident, Cori recently pushed himself well out of his comfort zone to show off his cooking skills as part of our ‘Come Dine with Inspire’ series – he should be so proud of himself!

ALFIE PLUMMER

Alfie is always so happy and enthusiastic when he arrives at Inspire. He joins in with everything on offer on session and always with a smile on his face. Alfie has a really caring nature and is a great help to the staff team looking after and supporting new members.

A huge well done to all our nominees and a big thank you to everyone who made tonight possible. alongside the awards tonight you will also see performances from…

Izzy Donnelly

Ellie Kinloch

Joe Brown & Cordelia Yates

Savannah Fogg

Amber Moore