Lord-Lieutenant’s Awards for Young People 2024 winners announced

A group of 16 remarkable young people from Leicester and Leicestershire have been celebrating their achievements as 2024 Lord-Lieutenant’s Young Person of the Year Award finalists.

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Alyssa Tapley (15), who overcame a terminal cancer diagnosis and now works to raise awareness and funds, received the top prize, becoming the Lord-Lieutenant’s Young Person of the Year.

The ‘red carpet’ awards evening was hosted at County Hall by the Lord-Lieutenant, Mike Kapur OBE CStJ, supported by his Deputy Lieutenants Mrs Sally Bowie and Mrs Diana Brooks MBE, along with panel members Rick Moore and Barbara Chantrill MBE.

There were more than 80 nominations this year. The four finalists shortlisted in each of the four categories were recognised as remarkable examples of dedication, going above and beyond to help others, and for their outstanding personal achievements.

The category winners

• Young Person of Courage – Alyssa Tapley, who attends Brookvale Groby Learning Campus.
• Young Volunteer – Charlie Tripp, who attends Castle Rock Academy.
• Young Leader – Benjamin Shadbolt, who attends The City of Leicester College.
• Young Artist of the Year – Lina Rehab, who attends The City of Leicester College.

They were all considered for the overall award of the Lord-Lieutenant’s Young Person of the Year which this year went to Alyssa Tapley.

After hearing her name announced as the Young Person of the Year 2024, Alyssa said: “I am so proud to have been chosen as the Lord-Lieutenant’s young person of the year.

“After I was told that none of the usual treatments were working for my leukaemia I chose to carry on fighting and as well as giving myself a chance I have been able to help other children in the process.”

Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Mike Kapur OBE, said: “It is always a privilege for me to host this annual awards event and I’m honoured to have had the opportunity to recognise the individual talents and outstanding contributions of every one of our finalists.

“As Lord-Lieutenant, I have been able to share these extraordinary young people’s stories with our guests at the event and want to make sure that their bravery, creativity, strength of spirit and selflessness can be appreciated and valued more widely within their communities.

“Our city and county’s young people continue to be an inspiration to us all. I hope that these awards will continue to shine a spotlight on our communities’ young people who all too often go unnoticed by the wider community.

“I urge anyone who knows a young person they think deserves recognition and encouragement for their endeavours to look out for details of my 2025 awards later in the year.”

The awards were held on April 25 and are sponsored by a variety of organisations offering services to young people and are supported by Leicestershire County and Leicester City Councils, together with universities and the business community. They seek to identify and reward the very best examples of achievement by young people locally. For more information visit leicestershire.gov.uk/llawards.