Sick Kids Heroes nominated for awards

SIXTEEN community heroes will vie for recognition from an inaugural awards shortlist that has been praised as an exceptional field.

The awards will be selected by judges and the public. Picture: Toby Williams

An esteemed six-person judging panel that includes Taggart and Holby City actress Siobhan Redmond today revealed the contenders for the Sick Kids Heroes awards across four categories.

Two winners will be decided by public vote in the individual sections covering staff members, young fundraisers, supporters and patients.

The remaining categories for companies that have exceeded fundraising expectations, a team that “goes the extra mile” and a hospital volunteer have been selected by the judges.

All of the winners will be announced at a gala ceremony at the Caledonian Hotel on May 10.

The awards have been launched to mark the 20th anniversary of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation (SKFF) and to recognise the thousands of heroes passing through the doors of the Sciennes hospital every year.

Particularly worthy candidates were chosen from a list of 80 nominees.

SKFF chief executive Maureen Harrison said: “I was really delighted on one hand that so many people were nominated, but on the other hand I know that there are many, many more people who could have been.

“The special thing about the hospital is the people. So I wasn’t surprised that it was as strong a field and frankly as difficult a choice as it turned out to be.”
Judges included Ms Harrison, Evening News editor Frank O’Donnell and charity trustee Isabel McCallum. Santi Traynor-Moss, from the hospital’s young peoples’ advisory group, and Sick Kids clinical manager Laura Riley rounded out the panel.

The awards have been launched as the Sick Kids enters its final years at Sciennes. A new facility, which adjoins the Royal Infirmary at Little France, is due to open its doors in 2017.

Members of the public can vote for their favourite shortlisted nominee either on the SKFF website or by using our voucher.

Tickets for the gala lunch are £40 and available from SKFF by calling 0131-668 4949.

Extraordinary patients and supporters

A PATIENT who sleeps with a ventilator to keep her alive and a young fundraiser who gave up birthday presents to raise money for charity are among those shortlisted for the Sick Kids Heroes awards.

Anna Pentony, from Davidson’s Mains, suffered trauma to her brain stem that stops signals telling her body to breathe.

She is shortlisted alongside Aine McDermott, Joy Kennedy, Lauren Bremner, Noah Duncan and Chantelle Cummings.

Callum MacLennan, from West Edinburgh, raised £10,000 for the SKFF by his tenth birthday. He leads a list of three contenders in the young fundraiser category that includes Alex Muir and Dylan Thomas.

Bebe Darling, Tom Marshall, Linda Buchanan and Thanos Tsirikos are the shortlisted staff nominees, while Tom Freeman, Olivia Francy and Jamie Laing will face the public vote for their fundraising work as Sick Kids supporters.