Finalists announced for 21st You’re a Star Awards

Proactivity, practicality, care, compassion and kindness are key characteristics amongst the 42 individuals and teams announced as finalists for Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust’s You’re a Star Awards 2026.

Now in their twenty-first year, the awards celebrate the work of clinical and non-clinical staff, service users, carers and volunteers at the Care Trust across 14 categories. Common amongst the 200+ nominations received this year was a desire to work together to evolve and improve services for the benefit of communities across Bradford District and Craven.

The youngest finalists are shining examples of that. ‘Young Dynamos’ – the Young People’s Involvement and Research Advisory Group (pictured left)- bring the voice of young people to the Trust to support health and care for children and young people. They are finalists in the Service User, Carer and Volunteer category, together with long serving volunteer David Williams, who has dedicated over 1000 recorded volunteer hours with the Four Seasons Café at Lynfield Mount Hospital and Julie Evans, a breastfeeding peer supporter who also delivers essential items of baby clothing and equipment from the baby bank to dozens of families in need.

Teammate of the Year is a popular category to recognise the work of staff who go out of their way to support their colleagues. The “dazzling personality” and solution-focused approach of “kind, caring and compassionate” Community Nursery Nurse Alex Griggs in the Health Visiting West team (pictured right), led to a double nomination and place as a finalist for the Community Children’s and Administrative Services Teammate of the Year. Another double nominee is People Advisor Maryam Rehman, finalist in the Corporate Teammate of the Year category, who has embraced new challenges and opportunities with courage and positivity – an inspiration to all around her.

Unsung Hero is a popular category to recognise people who are often out of the spotlight, but whose work is crucial to the effective operation of Trust services, including Jenny Knaggs, Reception and Administration Co‑Ordinator at the Trust’s headquarters New Mill in Saltaire, a finalist for the Corporate Unsung Hero category.

Business Support Officer Josie Elliot in the Unplanned Care team is a finalist in the Community Health Services’ Unsung Hero category for her work to turn an idea into a reality, working with clinicians to create and implement an effective, reliable triage hub. Mathew Cook (pictured left) received three nominations and is a finalist for Mental Health Unsung Hero. His work on cultural change to embed more therapeutic and person-centred practice has been recognised and shared by the Care Quality Commission.

Teams that have reached the shortlist for Team of the Year include the Early Intervention in Psychosis District team, the Volunteer Service team, the Fire Safety team (pictured right) and the Adult Speech and Language Therapy team.

Commenting on the You’re a Star Awards 2026 finalists, the Care Trust’s Chair in Common Sarah Jones said: “My first You’re a Star Awards is the Trust’s twenty-first and it’s absolutely wonderful to know we have so many shining examples of staff living the Trust values in everything they do. They care, they listen, and they don’t just deliver but continually work to improve services to meet the evolving needs of our local communities. It’s inspiring to know why each individual and team was nominated, the regard in which they are held by their colleagues and the wonderful difference they make to patients and service users.”

The You’re a Star Awards ceremony will be held at the Midland Hotel in Bradford in October and is made possible by the ongoing support of long standing sponsor Sovereign Health Care, together with other key sponsors Whitaker and Leach Construction, McAvoy Group Modular Space Solutions, and the Better Lives Charity.