The Children's Hospital Charity Awards
Our annual awards celebrate all of the amazing people and the things they've done that support Sheffield Children's Hospital and The Children's Hospital Charity throughout the year. We are proud to announce our winners for The Children’s Hospital Charity Awards 2024.
Volunteer Award: Sarah & Jack
Our winners are a core part of Team Theo. Without their tremendous help, we wouldn’t be able to raise as many funds, or host and attend as many events as we do! Our volunteers are considered a valued member of our team, and we can’t thank each of them enough. This mother and son duo started volunteering us in 2021 during our Bears of Sheffield trail. Their dedication and commitment to the charity is astounding, they not only help at Charity events – but they are also huge advocates for us, and have even taken on fundraising themselves, with Jack raising over £800 last summer alone!
Young Supporter Award: Leah Walton
When Leah’s friend passed away in September 2023, Leah decided to start fundraising for The Children’s Hospital Charity – wanting to help other children undergoing treatment. By March 2024, Leah had raised over £10,000 – and she hasn’t stopped there! Her passion grows with each new target she sets, and we couldn’t be more grateful – or impressed!
International Impact Award: Heidi Howson
This year, we’re proud to introduce a brand-new category to The Children’s Hospital Charity Awards. One of our aims here at the Charity is to share your amazing stories far and wide. We are so lucky to have supporters who not only want to fundraise but raise awareness of Sheffield Children’s too. Diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia in 2022, Heidi has faced much more than the average seven-year-old. Despite this, she always wants to give back to Sheffield Children’s for her friends and other patients. Heidi took on a 5K challenge in 2023 and was so determined to complete it that she even took part during the most difficult times of her treatment, walking and wheeling the 5K in her wheelchair. The strength and determination of Heidi is just incredible! Helping the Charity raise awareness of her condition and her brilliant treatment at Sheffield Children’s, we were lucky enough to have one patient and her family courageously share their story with the world. Heidi Howson gained international recognition for her bravery, helping us to showcase just how amazing Sheffield Children’s is. Heidi’s story reached people worldwide, being published in America and Australia and even translated into Portuguese for Brazilian news outlets and Finnish for Swedish outlets!
Community Group Award:Penistone Round Table
Penistone Round Table truly took fundraising to a new level in 2023. They committed to raising £8,000 to fund new equipment for Sheffield Children’s. They took part in a variety of challenges, including climbing the equivalent of Mount Everest up their stairs in their own homes! They also took Team Theo on tour, taking on a Skinflint Rally, traveling from Penistone to Austria in two £500 cars. They smashed their target and raised a whopping £11,000!
Individual Supporter Award: Sarah and Benj Hemingway
Sarah and Benj Hemingway decided to fundraise throughout the year in 2023 to support Sheffield Children’s after their daughter Ivy was treated for a very rare brain tumour at the hospital. In September 2021 Ivy who was four at the time was diagnosed with a rare and dangerous brain tumour known as a Craniopharyngioma. She had three rounds of emergency surgery at Sheffield Children’s before a final craniotomy (partial skull removal) was performed in January 2022 to remove the whole tumour. Ivy’s life was saved but unfortunately, she has been left with a severe brain injury and therefore has a series of problems that will now affect her for the rest of her life. Sarah and Benj raised £20,000 for Sheffield Children’s and are committed to raising awareness of childhood illnesses and lifelong disabilities. This family is a true inspiration.
Active Challenge Supporter Award: Hollie and Sam Hanson
Hollie and Sam Hanson made an astounding commitment to Sheffield Children’s in 2023 when the whole family got involved in fundraising after their son Max, was cared for by Sheffield Children’s Embrace Ambulance service, where he was rushed to hospital for urgent surgeries. As a result, Max had part of his bowel removed and is now thankfully back on his feet. To say thank you, they got involved in running and cycling challenges, the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge and Hollie’s dad, aged 83, even took on a skydive! Hollie and Sam raised an amazing £3,900 for Embrace, making a huge difference to the services they offer.
Educational Establishment Award: Sheffield Hallam University Events Management Course
Sheffield Hallam University Events Management Course has supported The Children’s Hospital Charity for several years, with groups creating, organising and delivering a live event for their degree, whilst raising money for a chosen charity. The groups held a variety of events and the money and awareness they helped raise for Sheffield Children’s was fantastic.
New Corporate Partnership Award: Bullion Chocolate
We are incredibly proud to have done so much work with Sheffield’s very own Willy Wonka this year! Max and the team at Bullion have offered the charity a multitude of support - from chocolate snowflakes to tours of the factory for our patients, we are so grateful for the relationship that has developed over the past year.
Sheffield Children’s Trust Staff Supporter Award: Olayinka Fadahunsi-Oluwole
Each year, we recognise the achievements of a Sheffield Children's Trust staff member who has immersed themselves in the Charity. This year is no different, and we would like to award the amazing work of Olayinka Fadahunsi Oluwole, who is a key member of the community at Sheffield Children’s and the Charity. Yinka truly encapsulates not only Sheffield Children’s values, but Team Theo’s too, believing diversity of race, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation and culture should be celebrated and respected with equal opportunities for all. Yinka is incredibly passionate about giving back to Sheffield Children’s having worked there for several years now, she always encourages others to get involved in fundraising whether that be through donations or actively encouraging individuals to set themselves a challenge. To date, Yinka has raised over £4,000 for The Children’s Hospital Charity. She has since become a Charity ambassador, helping the Charity to share the incredible work of Sheffield Children’s, its patients and families. In her fifth year of supporting the Charity, Yinka has achieved so much not just in terms of fundraising but sharing her experiences and being an advocate for change with her determination and commitment to Sheffield Children’s.
Existing Corporate Partnership Award: Guardian Electrical
Guardian Electrical has supported the Charity since 2013 and has raised over £40,000! With personal experiences of Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Guardian Electrical are huge advocate for the Charity and even sponsored our Jon and Lucy & Friends Comedy Night this year.
Corporate Special Recognition Award (Individual): Kelvin Quick
Kelvin Quick, owner of China Red, has been instrumental in engaging us with various communities across the city. We were proud to be the chosen Charity for Sheffield’s Lunar Chinese New Year celebrations in both 2023 and 2024, which wouldn’t have been possible without the advocacy and passion of Kelvin. Kelvin has raised thousands of pounds for Sheffield Children’s, and we are so proud.
Corporate Special Recognition Award (Company): Firehouse Fitness
The close-knit team at Firehouse Fitness began their fundraising by taking on 24-hour fitness challenges in an incredible feat of determination, resilience, and plenty of energy drinks! Firehouse Fitness took their support even further by organising the first Firehouse Fitness Mud Run in support of Sheffield Children’s. The team put their resources and time into making this event possible and ended up raising tens of thousands of pounds!
Outstanding Contribution Award: Daffodil Ball
Beginning their fundraising journey in 1990, David and Jean Fyfe organised their first Daffodil Ball alongside friends Nigel and Sandra Worthington. The annual event became popular amongst some of Sheffield’s most prominent business figures, soon raising hundreds of thousands of pounds to support Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust. With the annual celebrations attended by over 7,000 people since its foundation in 1990, this year marked the thirtieth Daffodil Ball event, finishing their fundraising commitment with a celebration lunch. The Daffodil Balls have helped to contribute to some of The Children Hospital Charity’s largest projects, including the entirely Charity-funded cancer and leukaemia ward at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, as well as a state-of-the-art burns treatment room in the hospital's new wing. In their 30th year anniversary, the Daffodil Ball reached a total fundraising amount of over £1.2million for Sheffield Children’s. This is absolutely phenomenal, and we are thrilled to mark this achievement by awarding the Daffodil Ball with this year’s Outstanding Contribution Award.
