Trust’s finalists announced for You’re a Star Awards 2025

Outstanding role models, passionate people who step up, and teams leading their field are amongst the 42 finalists announced for Bradford District Care Trust’s You’re a Star Awards 2025.

The awards, now in their twentieth year, honour and celebrate the work of clinical and non-clinical staff, service users, carers and volunteers at the Care Trust across 14 categories – Service user, Carer and Volunteer Contribution; Working Together; and Team of the Year, Teammate of the Year and Unsung Hero awards for Community Health services, Children’s and Administrative services, Mental Health services and Corporate services.

Helen Brackenbury, Jackie Campbell and Sue Stewart all run groups to help others. Helen uses meditation and relaxation techniques at her Cliffe Castle group in Keighley to support people living with long term conditions; Jackie’s lively musical memories groups are hugely popular at Airedale Centre for Mental Health and Sue’s therapeutic Sing 4 Joy group in Shipley brings people together to tackle social isolation and loneliness. All worthy finalists in the Service User, Carer and Volunteer contribution.

The Teammate of the Year category introduced last year received many nominations for members of staff who go out of their way to support their colleagues. Podiatry Team Leader Leeroy Golding was nominated for Community Health Services’ Teammate of the Year not only for being “an exemplary leader – honest, professional, thoughtful, reassuring and caring” but for his work with the Trust’s Aspiring Cultures Staff Network, which offers support and represents the interests of Black, Asian or minority ethnic staff. 

 North Community Mental Health team’s Assistant Psychologist Aqeela Hussain has been shortlisted in two Mental Health Services’ categories – Unsung Hero and Teammate of the Year. She’s regarded as “the teammate every team dreams of” as well as the “epitome of an unsung hero”– grounded, wise, and “quietly powerful” Aqeela is “deeply committed, endlessly compassionate and profoundly impactful”, she helps others shine because that’s what matters most to her and is fiercely committed to social justice, inclusion and the dignity of every person.

Lynfield Mount Hospital’s Deputy Director of Nursing and Professions Chris Dixon is a finalist in the Corporate Services Unsung Hero category for being an outstanding role model who “embodies everything we strive for in our leadership”. Specialist Public Health Nurse for Children in Care Becky Badon, who always volunteers for new projects, is passionate about advocating for care-experienced children and runs a journal club, tuck shop, and Betty (Because Everyone Thinks That You are fabulous) award for her colleagues is a finalist in the Community Children’s Service Unsung Hero category.

Teams that have reached the shortlist for Team of the Year include:

• the highly skilled Community Infant Feeding team that has this year achieved the UNICEF Gold Baby Friendly Award, the culmination of several years of detailed clinical work, audit and review;
• the City and South District Nursing teams who are at “the heart of community care, delivering compassion, innovation and outstanding patient outcomes every day”;
• the Community Dental Service’s General Anaesthetic team who are “an exceptional group of professionals delivering outstanding care to complex service users with remarkable dedication, adaptability, collaboration and a solution-focused approach”;.and
• the Smoke Free Steering Group and Inpatient services who have successfully implemented a comprehensive smoke-free policy across all wards and have supported over 300 patients to remain smoke-free.

Commenting on the You’re a Star Awards 2025 finalists, the Care Trust’s Chair Dr Linda Patterson said: “I congratulate all our nominees and our wonderful finalists, who are each an embodiment of our Trust values in action – they care, they listen, and they have certainly delivered well above and beyond just doing their job. It’s inspiring to know why each finalist was nominated, the regard in which they are held by their colleagues and the wonderful difference they make to patients and service users.”

You’re a Star Awards 2025 has been made possible by the kind support of the Trust’s headline sponsor this year, the Trust’s Better Lives charity and sponsor Sovereign Health Care.