10 young Wulfrunians were recognised for their outstanding community service at this year’s Wolverhampton Young Citizens of the Year Rotary Awards Ceremony on Friday night.
They were Ethan Shaw, Richie Tanner, Jessica Yang, Kieran Smith-Mills, Sarah Featherstone, Harleen Nahal, Eva Abley, Aisha Mustapha, Frazer Humphreys and Haya Mehager.
The event, held at the University of Wolverhampton’s Chancellor’s Hall, was attended by Mayor of Wolverhampton, Councillor Craig Collingswood, accompanied by his daughter Mayoress Abby Collingswood, along with over 150 people including the finalists, their guests, and representatives of the Rotary clubs, headline sponsors Safran – previously Collins Aerospace – and other sponsors.
The Rotary Clubs of the City devise these annual awards which are now in their 12th year. Rotarian Mel Eves, Chairman of the Awards and judges, acted as master of ceremonies assisted by Chris Allen from WCR FM and Amanda Evans from the City of Wolverhampton Council, who read out citations for each finalist, each of whom received a Certificate of Recognition from the Mayor.
The younger age group awards were named after Roger Timbrell in recognition of his 10 years of service as chairman of the awards committee. The older age group was the Tom Warren Award, in whose memory the awards were inaugurated.
Overall winners Ethan Shaw in the 13 to 18 age group and Frazer Humphreys in the 19 to 25 age group, who were presented with a plaque and certificate and received £100 for themselves and another £100 for the charity of their choice.
There was also a Special Recognition Award to Eva Abley, a winner of these awards in 2023, for taking her community service to a national level by publishing a book, The Good the Bad and the Wobbly, with all proceeds going to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and for her BAFTA award winning documentary about provision for children with special needs.
Guest of Honour, Dr Willard Wigan MBE, who was born and raised in Ashmore Park, then gave a truly inspirational talk about his journey from a troubled childhood to becoming a world famous master of micro sculptures.
Mel said: “These young people are wonderful role models for our city’s young people. They deserve to be recognised and their achievements celebrated. It has been a privilege to have been one of the judges and to have led the organising committee for the first time this year.”