Pride of St Helens Awards 2024 - nominees for Charity Champion

In Thursday's Star (November 14 edition, in shops now) we published a 16-page supplement profiling each of the shortlisted nominees for this year's ceremony.

Throughout this week ahead of the event at the Totally Wicked Stadium, we will be sharing our categories of nominees with you.

Here are your nominees for the Mikhail Hotel and Leisure Group Pride of St Helens Awards -Charity Champion award, sponsored by Brendon International.

Rainhill Gala

Rainhill Gala (Image: Submitted)

RAINHILL Gala stages an incredible community event every year that attracts thousands of people throughout the borough.

All monies raised goes towards numerous charities and good causes within Rainhill.

This year’s event saw around 5,000 turn out as a host of attractions, including a kiddies’ funfair, more than 40 stalls, a variety of food from local food outlets and a beer tent run by Rainhill Rotary Club.

The Gala also organises a transport festival in the village centre, which this year had more than 50 exhibits.

The Gala is run entirely by volunteers and since the first event in 2007, has awarded in the region of £80,000 to local good causes and charities in the area.

Also, good causes are encouraged to use the event as a platform for fundraising and promoting themselves in the community, meaning the figure raised by local good causes will be many times that figure. Causes that have benefited from the Rainhill Gala are Willowbrook Hospice, Prescot Cricket Club, Lonie Lottie Community Space, East Liverpool RDA, St Matthews Local Pantry and Pablos Place.

Steve Clarke, chair of Rainhill Gala, said: “We work as a team, everyone has an equal and important part. “We are grateful to the community for supporting what we do.

“It has been the whole community coming together. “Fifty per cent of funds went to Willowbrook Hospice and the remaining went to local groups all around Rainhill.”

Sarah and Paul Cardwell

The Cardwell family (Image: Submitted)

SARAH and Paul Cardwell have devoted themselves to raising money for the hospital that tried so hard to save their son’s life. Harry James Cardwell, from Windle, tragically died in August 2023 aged 10, after he collapsed during a family holiday in Cornwall.

The St Helens Town junior cricketer was taken to Truro Hospital where he was scanned and diagnosed with a bleed to the brain, and he was airlifted in an induced coma to Bristol where they diagnosed him with a rare blood clot in his brain. He underwent a 12-hour surgery, in which he was resuscitated twice and had a full body blood transfusion with three surgeons operating.

They successfully removed the clot, and Harry was stable for 10 days but he then got a brain infection that led to the little battler passing away. Sarah, alongside husband Paul, and Harry’s brother Oscar, wanted to do something positive in Harry’s memory for the hospital which tried so hard to save his life.

A fundraising page has seen more than £25,000 raised to date. Sarah and Paul have been an inspiration to all around them with their efforts. This included a toy appeal last Christmas helping children in hospital receive gifts and they travelled to deliver a van full of toys to Bristol while Oscar got all his friends involved in a colour run at school.

They attend the safari walk every year and Sarah has arranged numerous tribute nights, raffles and auctions.

Luke Grounds

Luke Grounds (Image: Submitted)

LUKE Grounds has been a long-time supporter of Willowbrook Hospice after witnessing the end-of-life care they gave to his dad Andrew in 2009. Andrew received round-the-clock care for around three weeks and Luke, who has 13 at the time his dad passed, has never forgotten those who went the extra mile for his family.

Luke committed to a year of fundraising for the hospice. Raising money for Willowbrook, Luke, from Blackbrook, ran 50 miles throughout one month, ran the St Helens 10k, and conquered Scafell Pike with his closest friends. He became a hospice champion in 2022, and Luke, 28, continues to volunteer and became an ambassador for the Hospice.

This involves attending events to promote the hospice charity and share stories about the amazing work that it does for patients and families in the community. Last year he organised the Andrew Grounds Memorial Match that saw FC Willowbrook take on North West Community Stars Football Club at FC St Helens, an event that was repeated again in 2024.

This year, Luke has helped to raise just shy of £2,000 from four charity matches, which will offer valuable support for the hospice.

Luke said: “When I look back at the time my dad was there it spurs me on because I think of how much someone before me raised to fund them to look after my dad.”

Luke has also carried out fundraising challenges for the British Heart Foundation.