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Mercury celebrates achievements

The Leicester Mercury has marked the achievements of Leicestershire people with its first Achievement over Adversity Awards.

Finalists received their prizes at the ceremony at Leicester’s National Space Centre.

Winners were announced across five categories – family, two young achievers awards, carers and adult achievers. The young achievers group was split into two age groups.

The achievers were Nathan Freeman, (9), who won the young achiever’s primary school age category for his courage in dealing with Apert’s syndrome and secondary age group achiever Scott Eversfield, (17), who survived a kidney transplant only to discover he had developed non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Other winners were the Chauhan family, Anne Pridmore and Manu Pattni.

A special award was also given to the family of Julie Carroll, who was nominated for her courage in battling cancer and counselling others, but who died before the ceremony.

Each commended entrant was given a certificate, medal and £100, and prizes increased to £400 and £600 for highly commended and overall achiever in each section.

Mercury editor Nick Carter, who compered the evening, said: “This was a wonderful and humbling night to see so many people who have overcome so much. They are an example to us all.”

  • The awards are part of national campaign carried out by the Mercury and its sister papers, which started in Essex eight years ago.

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