Awards honour island’s young stars

By Jess Stevenson

Last night’s Youth Award winners: Triumph Over Adversity award winner Nicola Harrison, left, Gennie Witham, who won the Bobby Le Vasseur Award for dedicated service, and, right, Lucy Le Page, who won the Jan Renouf Award for making an outstanding contribution to the community. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0877527)

GUERNSEY’S young people shone like stars at an awards ceremony last night, when their positive achievements were recognised.

Some nominees had overcome huge obstacles, while others had taken every opportunity to volunteer at the youth groups around the island.

That commitment to live life to the full and make a positive contribution to society clearly impressed the audience at the Princess Royal Centre for the Performing Arts and the guests of honour, Bailiff Sir Geoffrey Rowland and Lady Rowland.

Nine people aged between 14 and 23 were shortlisted for the Celebration of Achievement Young People awards, organised by the Guernsey Youth Service and sponsored by Guernsey Electricity, and these were whittled down to three winners.

Nicola Harrison, 22, won the Triumph over Adversity award for turning her life around.

She fell in with the wrong crowd at 16 and was married at just 19. Three children followed but Mrs Harrison was determined to provide a better quality of life for her children – now aged one to three – and signed up for a Fresh Horizons course at the College of Further Education.

The Marsh Management employee was pregnant when she was studying for her qualifications and even gave birth to her third child, Jack, three days before passing her final exam.

‘I’m happy to have won but I think other people deserved it more than me,’ she said, adding that husband Luke had supported her all the way.

Runner-up Adam Smith, 16, who is now studying for his GCSEs, was diagnosed last year with a rare form of cancer and underwent intensive chemotherapy without pain relief. Despite the huge challenge he faced, his positive attitude was an inspiration to his family.