The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
THE call has gone out for nominations for the Stagecoach Inspiration Awards 2012.
The awards recognise and reward inspirational young people, who have faced adversity, demonstrated bravery, shown courage, cared for others or proved that they are good role models.
They were created to celebrate inspirational young people and were launched three years ago in the House of Commons.
The awards are being supported by Billy Elliot the Musical and they will be presented at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London in December.
John Lucey, principal of Stagecoach Clare said, “The awards are very humbling and a brilliant way of honouring those who have achieved or endured so much, despite adversity. We all take so much for granted and the awards remind us of the courage of young people who never complain or seek recognition.”
Last year, Billy Elliot cast member, seven-year-old Sammy Bentwood, was the recipient of a Stagecoach Award for Endeavour, despite suffering from a rare inflammatory bowel disease, which means he cannot eat most foods and is fed via a tube. He played the role of ‘Small Boy’ in the show from October 2011 to March 2012, admirably coping with the rigours of being a child performer in a West End production.
The Stagecoach Inspiration Award categories are the Award for Bravery, recognising young people who have demonstrated courage; the Good Buddy Award, recognising young people who have demonstrated leadership, innovation and community spirit and the Stagecoach Charitable Trust’s InterAct Award, which recognises outstanding achievements during adversity.
The awards are open to anyone aged between four and 18 in the UK or Ireland. For further details or to make a nomination, visit www.stagecoachawards.co.uk or www.stagecoach.ie/galway.
