Care Trust celebrates shining stars at awards ceremony

A team who have literally walked over fire to support the people they care for scooped two awards at this year’s Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust’s You’re a Star Awards 2026, which took place at the Midland Hotel, Bradford on Thursday 1 October.

Hosted by sports presenter and podcaster Tanya Arnold, the awards recognise clinical and non-clinical staff, service users, carers and volunteers who have demonstrated outstanding care and innovative improvements over the last 12 months.

The Early Intervention in Psychosis team, Catherine Brown, Llani Rowe, Molly Smith and David Bennett, worked together to raise over £9,000 to fund a Voyage to Recovery 300-mile sailing adventure to support service users’ recovery. They were presented with the Working Together Award for their fundraising efforts, which included walking barefoot across red-hot embers.

Their colleagues in the Early Intervention and Psychosis District team who supported the fundraising, won Mental Health Services Team of the Year. This diverse team use their many different skills to help service users build trust in services and access events and community groups.

Fourteen You’re a Star Awards were presented in total, including separate Team of the Year, Teammate of the Year and Unsung Hero awards for Community Health Services, Community Children’s and Administration Services, Mental Health Services and Corporate Services. Three Living our Values awards were also presented to people who embody the Trust’s values – Together We Care, We Listen, We Deliver as well as a Thanks a Bunch award.

The annual celebratory event is made possible thanks to the kind support of sponsors. Key sponsors this year were long-standing supporter Sovereign Health Care, together with Whitaker and Leach Construction, and McAvoy Group Modular Space Solutions. Their support also enabled each You’re a Star, Living our Values and Thanks a Bunch winner to receive a personalised certificate and a hamper.

This year’s Service User, Carer and Volunteer Contribution Award went to Young Dynamos. These young people aged 14-25 years share their own energy, creativity and experiences, as well as the views of their peers to help shape services around what truly matters to young people.

Unplanned Care Team Business Support Officer Josie Elliot, who designed and implemented a triage hub by listening to clinicians, identifying practical solutions and challenging processes, won the Unsung Hero award for adult physical Community Health Services.

Teammate of the Year for Children’s and Administration Services was Lauren Holmes, Staff Nurse with the Vulnerable Children’s School Nurse Team who works tirelessly and relentlessly with 100 per cent dedication to support the children on her caseload.

Team of the Year is always a popular category for nominations. The Volunteer Service team won Corporate Services Team of the Year. They work with 40 teams across the Trust, collaborating with clinical and non-clinical services to create a volunteering experience that is positive and impactful for service users, staff and volunteers. Over the last year, they have supported 102 volunteers, who gave 3225 hours of their time to organise and run 989 volunteer activities.

The West Health Visiting team whose collaboration, resilience and commitment has earned them the title “Wonderful West” won the Children’s and Administrative Services Team of the Year for their work to support one another and champion up-to-date practice and continuous improvement.

Each month Trust staff nominate their colleagues for a Living our Values award and from the monthly winners an overall winner for We Care, We Listen and We Deliver was chosen.

Palliative care team Staff Nurse Emily Pepper won the We Care award. Emily creates beautiful crochet hearts in her own time, which she presents to families in a gift bag, tagged with a beautiful message.  One heart goes with the patient following their passing and the other stays with family or loved ones.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services’ Senior Practitioner Psychologist Karol Papis took home the Thanks a Bunch award. He was nominated by staff at the residential children’s home Newholme. Karol was felt to have been an integral part in the home achieving an Outstanding rating from Ofsted.

Commenting on the You’re a Star Awards 2026, Care Trust Chief Executive Therese Patten said: “When I attend our annual awards ceremony, I’m proud each and every year to hear what our finalists and winners have achieved. These shining stars highlight just some of the great work from right across our Trust that goes on day on day out to improve services and deliver the highest quality care for the benefit of our patients, service users and communities.”