Winners who make the Pride of Britain - and show us that anything is possible

08 October 2023 , 21:19

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Winners who make the Pride of Britain - and show us that anything is possible

Perhaps now more than ever, we all needed a night like last night. A night when, for once, the very best of humanity was on show.

A night when we were reassured there are still heroes in our midst, those ordinary yet extraordinary people who put themselves last so those who are less fortunate can come first. And how we needed to hear those uplifting stories of hope against the odds, of selfless acts of bravery and heroism that only the Pride of Britain awards, with TSB, can provide.

As guests walked up the red carpet at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, all eyes were initially on the instantly recognisable faces – like Shirley Bassey, Michael Sheen and Anthony Joshua. But once presenters Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo kicked off proceedings they became spectators, as the real Pride of Britain stars deservedly took centre stage.

The award was presented by Jordan North and Fleur East (/ Daily Mirror)

As always, it was the youngsters who moved the 1,000-strong audience the most, starting with the very first winner, Child of Courage Freya Harris. The eight-year-old was diagnosed with a rare cancer aged seven, but wanted to show others going through tough times “dreams can come true”.

The youngster, from Horncastle, Lincs, told her mum she wanted to enter Crufts with her dog Echo, and began training for the competition during bouts of chemotherapy – and then inspired millions by finishing second in her category. Receiving her award from Saturday Night Takeaway stars Jordan North and Fleur East, they told her: “Your courage and determination has shown us that anything is possible”. The pair then gave Australian Shepherd Echo, who was on stage, her own mini Pride of Britain medal.

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Ravi Adelekan wins the Child of Courage Award presented by the England Lionesses (Daily Mirror)

Another inspirational eight-year-old was Ravi Adelekan, who after brain tumour surgery had to learn to walk and feed himself again. He set an ambitious target to raise £250,000 to help other brain cancer sufferers.

The lad from Brighton, Sussex, has already raised more than £83,000, including releasing a charity single. Sister Maya, five, who joined him on stage, opened her mouth in disbelief as eight of the England Lionesses appeared to give him his Child of Courage award. Striker Alessia Russo told him: “You asked what the silver lining was, but we think that the biggest silver lining to come out of this is you.”

John Rastrick wins the Outstanding Bravery Award presented by Jay Blades and Katherine Ryan (Daily Mirror)

Duncan Tripp, 60, risked his life to save 24 climbers stranded in freezing temperatures and gale-force winds on Ben Nevis. With the air ambulance unable to reach the mountainside, winch paramedic Duncan scaled the treacherous mountain paths on foot for more than six hours, carrying 30kg of life-saving equipment. High winds forced him to lose his footing, sending him sliding down an ice slope for some 20 metres. But he soldiered on, and because of him the stricken climbers are still alive today.

Everyday hero John Rastrick thought nothing of his own safety when he ran towards a crashed car that burst into flames on the M1. Lorry driver John, 69, pulled terrified Pari Mistry, 27, to safety moments before the petrol tank exploded.

Averil Benton wins the TSB Community Award presented by James Arthur (Steve Bainbridge/Daily Mirror)

There were gasps as dash cam footage of the rescue showed the car becoming a fireball just seconds later. Hero John arrived to rapturous applause, before telling host Carol that in the face of danger: “I knew instantly what I had to do.”

Presenting the award for Outstanding Bravery, The Repair Shop’s Jay Blades told him: “What you did was unbelievable. I don’t think I’d do the same.” Alan Bates campaigned for almost 20 years to get justice for hundreds of subpostmasters wrongly convicted of theft, fraud and false accounting.

Rob Burrow’s youngest daughter Maya shows him the Pride of Britain trophy (Daily Mirror)

Thanks to his refusal to give up, he won a multimillion-pound High Court case against the Post Office, proving computer errors were to blame. He accepted a Pride of Britain award from TV judge Rob Rinder, who told him: “It’s a privilege to share a stage.”

If Rugby League legend Rob Burrow hadn’t been struck down with motor neurone disease four years ago aged just 37 he might have been among the famous faces in the audience. But instead he was honoured as a Pride of Britain hero after he, along with wife Lindsey and former teammate Kevin Sinfield, raised over £13million for MND-related causes.

Tears streamed down his face as he was brought on stage by Lindsey and daughters Maya and Macy to receive his Special Recognition award to a spontaneous standing ovation. Before receiving his award from actor Michael Sheen, Rob praised his wife: “I am amazed by Lindsey every day. She is stronger than any rugby hero I have ever played alongside.” Everyone got to their feet again, the tears flowed again. It was the most moving moment of an extraordinary night in which all of us can take pride.

Matt Roper