AN Oscars-style ceremony has honoured the “real life heroes” who won Gold Star Awards over the last twelve months.

The twelve winners from April 2008 to March 2009, plus an employee nominated by sponsors First Devon and Cornwall, and the first recipients of the Stephanie Hammacott Gold Star Award, were presented with their trophies at the Duke of Cornwall Hotel.

All received their awards for selfless dedication to the community, to the welfare of others, and to helping those less fortunate than themselves.

Efford mother-of-four Lesley Gross won the Gold Star in April 2008 in recognition of decades of caring work.

Mrs Gross looked after her disabled mother as a child and cooked for her siblings and parents while still at school.

Since then she has combined work in the care sector with volunteering and looking after her disabled son Ryan.

Of caring, Mrs Gross said: “It just filled my heart all the time.”

In 2007 Mrs Gross had to give up her job because of health problems, but she put a positive spin on it – now she can do more voluntary work.

Two Police Community Support Officers who put themselves between fighting gangs of youths were May’s Gold Star Award winners.

When Tim Quiterio and Po Yung responded to a call about a gang fight in Plymstock’s Radford Park, they encountered a volatile situation involving about 70 teenagers.

Despite being unarmed – PCSOs carry no weapons – the two felt that they could not turn away from the situation and intervened using communication skills and basic self defence until help arrived.

A retired company rep who became a full time carer for a friend was June’s winner of a Gold Star Award.

Roger Curtis has been a full time carer for Moira Nielson, who has Type 1 Diabetes, for more than three years.

Mrs Nielson is insulin dependent, and has sciatica and asthma, and sometimes lapses into a coma, needing immediate help.

Ivybridge Boy Scout Andrew Drake won the Gold Star in July for his actions after he witnessed a car crash.

One driver was left screaming in pain after a collision between two vehicles in the busy town centre.

Andrew, 16 at the time, had learned first aid as a Young Scout Leader, took charge of the situation, calling an ambulance, making sure the driver was not moved, and even directing traffic.

A little girl who has twice fetched help when her mother had an epileptic fit was August’s Gold Star Award winner.

Mia Ruston, from West Park, was only three the first time she saw her mother collapse, but she took her little sister Rosie by the hand and went to fetch a neighbour.

Mum Jemma, who had only recently developed epilepsy, said: “I’m very, very proud of her. If it wasn’t for Mia I don’t know what would have happened.”

Pauline Whitfield won the Gold Star in September after 30 years of service to a charity that gives disabled people of all ages a chance to enjoy horse riding.

Mrs Whitfield, from Crownhill, accepted the award on behalf of all the volunteers at South Dartmoor Riding for the Disabled.

She said horse riding benefits disabled people both by building up strength and providing an experience where they can get away from their wheelchair or crutches.

The charity runs weekly classes at Bickleigh Barracks.

Dynamic fundraiser James Anderson won the Gold Star in October.

The schoolboy from Beacon Park was first inspired to start fundraising after seeing images of the Asian tsunami, when he was aged just seven.

Since then, he hasn’t stopped, raising thousands of pounds by the time he was 11 through his charity website www.mrwaxer.co.uk.

THE parents of a six-month-old boy who died after a “heroic” battle with rare multiple heart defects were November’s Gold Stars.

Daniel and Kelly Powell derived great inspiration from their son William’s short life, and have raised thousands of pounds for both the hospital where William was cared for and the charity Little Hearts Matter, which supports children with a single ventricle heart condition and their families.

William Powell, from Southway, died aged six months after 11 days on a life support machine at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.

He survived two major operations in his short life, having been given a 33 per cent chance of survival by doctors before he was even born.

A health worker who spent a month’s holiday working in a rehabilitation centre in Bangladesh was December’s Gold Star.

Sue Wayne, a speech and language therapy assistant at Mount Gould Hospital, travelled to the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) off her own back to spend her time helping at the centre.

Mrs Wayne raised money which she took with her, as goods and services that the centre needs can be bought much more cheaply in Bangladesh.

The two women who shared the Gold Star in January have been involved with the Girl Guide movement for more than 100 years between them.

Julie Steere and Mandy Palmer have both been leaders of the 15th Devonport Brownies for more than three decades.

Mrs Steere, 65, joined the Brownies aged seven, and moved up through the Guides to become a leader. In 1966 she was made Brown Owl in charge of the pack.

Mrs Palmer, 54, also joined the Brownies as a child and became a Girl Guide. After studying, she returned to Plymouth and began assisting Mrs Steere as Snowy Owl.

February’s Gold Star Award went to two young men who spent their life-changing gap years working at a children’s home in South Africa.

Harrison Nash and Chris Johnson found their time at the Maranatha children’s home in Port Elizabeth so compelling that they have since returned twice, spending their own money to help the kids and changing their career plans to fit in with their new-found passion.

Chris and Harrison, who have been friends since starting at the school aged 11, worked to raise money for the trips and took a second gap year to go back.

An Efford schoolgirl who campaigns to get obese teenagers to lose weight after shedding seven stone herself won the Gold Star Award in March.

Jess Smith dropped from a size 24 to a size 14 in a year by quitting junk food and taking up regular exercise.

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Realising the benefits of keeping fit, the 17-year-old Lipson Community College student is now a peer mentor with the NHS weight-management programme which helped her.

A bus driver who became a school governor was First’s nominee for the Gold Star Award.

Dave Connell, a driver in Plymstock, became a community governor at Coombe Dean School after being impressed by the students’ behaviour on the school bus.

Since becoming a governor, Mr Connell has been involved with building issues, as well as training students for the Ten Tors event and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.

The Stephanie Hammacott Gold Star Award, presented for the first time this year, went to two schoolgirls who have organised a huge charity fundraising event.

Torpoint twins Bethany and Ceri Astill, aged 13, (pictured right) received the surprise award at last night’s award ceremony.

Bethany and Ceri are hoping to raise funds in aid of Children’s Hospice South West with a charity evening and auction at their school.

Do you know someone who deserves a Gold Star? If so, contact Dominic Jeff at The Herald on 01752 765529.

Gold Star winner

A CITY mother of four who has spent her life caring for people has been named the overall winner of the Gold Star Awards for 2008/9.

Lesley Gross, 55, received the award last night at the end of an Oscars style ceremony to honour all the award’s winners from the last year, hosted by The Herald and Gold Star sponsors First Devon and Cornwall.

Mrs Gross invited her husband John on stage to share her award along with Kay O’Shaughnessy, chairman of trustees of the charity, Friends and Family of Special Children.

Mrs Gross said: “I just want to say thank you to everybody. Everybody here deserves their award.

“Thank you to all the carers and all the children with special needs. You inspire me.”

Mrs Gross looked after her disabled mother as a child and cooked for her siblings and parents while still at school, before training to be a nurse.

Since then she has combined work in the care sector with volunteering and looking after her disabled son Ryan, and in the ’90s fought a four-year battle to have him educated to his full potential.

Mrs Gross, who won the Gold Star in April last year, was presented with her award along with the year’s other winners at an after dinner ceremony at the Duke of Cornwall Hotel in Plymouth.

Marc Reddy, managing director of First Devon and Cornwall, said: “I was touched by all tonight’s stories and am sure you will agree that all 13 were really worthy winners. Lesley Gross, our overall Gold Star winner, is a true inspiration for the way she has used her own experience as a carer to make a difference to the lives of so many others.”

Compere for the evening David ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald, who is a BBC presenter and Herald columnist, only announced the overall winner at the very end of the glittering ceremony, after all the winners had been presented with their Gold Stars.

The overall winner announcement came as a complete surprise, and a short video celebrating Mrs Gross’ caring achievements was shown to the audience, which included The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress and the Bishop of Plymouth.

The first Stephanie Hammacott Gold Star Award, presented to a youngster who has shown particular courage, resilience or determination, also came as a complete surprise to recipients Beth and Ceri Astill, from Torpoint, who are organising a huge charity auction at their school.

Beth and Ceri had been brought to the dinner and ceremony under subterfuge by their mum Sian to ensure the announcement caught them unaware. Their award was presented by Stephanie’s parents Carol and Paul Hammacott.

Bill Martin, editor of The Herald, said the ceremony was a bit like the Oscars, except the people there were “real-life heroes who have won their accolades by doing things which have made a real difference to the lives of people around them.”

He said: “This year, as ever, we have been amazed by the stories of devotion, dedication and downright bravery shown by our Gold Star recipients.”

Mr Martin said the award winner’s stories were “so incredible, and so diverse, that we found it almost impossible to pick an overall Gold Star”.

Special Stephanie award for fundraising twins

TWO twin schoolgirls who organised a huge charity fundraising event are the first winners of the Stephanie Hammacott Gold Star Award.

Torpoint twins Beth and Ceri Astill, aged 13, received the surprise award at a glittering  ceremony to honour this year’s Gold Star winners last night.

The award, sponsored by bus company First Devon and Cornwall, was created in honour of nine-year-old Stephanie, who died in the Southway gas blast in January 2008. This is the first year it has been presented.

Beth and Ceri are hoping to raise funds in aid of Children’s Hospice South West with a charity evening and auction at their school.

Beth said: “We just thought we were coming for a nice evening out – it was a very nice surprise.”

Ceri added: “I really didn’t expect this. I’m still shaking and I’m really happy.”

The girls, who suffer from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), attend Torpoint Community

College and Children’s Hospice South West’s Little Bridge House near Barnstaple.

They will be holding a charity evening at their school  on April 25, where items up for auction include signed pictures of their idols McFly, actor Orlando Bloom and F1 champion Lewis Hamilton.

Other items kindly donated include a pair of tickets for TV show Deal Or No Deal and a signed pair of boots from Holly Willoughby.

The pair worked hard sending emails and letters appealing for more items to raffle on the night.

Their family, mum Sian, dad Paul and brothers Nick and Nathan, both in the Navy, are fully supporting the girls in their quest.

Sian said: “I’m really proud of them. They’ve worked hard.

“They check their emails on the computer and have tried to write as many letters as possible.

“The school is very good and the hospice is helping.

“We want to raise a lot of money, have fun and raise awareness of the good work of the hospice.”

Beth said: “This charity means a lot to us; we feel part of it. We need raffle prizes to help make as much money as we can.”

Ceri added: “We want to raise as much money as we can, because it’s such an important charity to us and we want to help out the children like us. It’s nice to go to the hospice and be ourselves.”

The Stephanie Hammacott Gold Star Award will be presented annually to a youngster who has shown courage, resilience or determination.

It was created after last year’s Gold Star Awards ceremony, which honoured some of the men and women who desperately tried to save the schoolgirl’s life after the gas explosion in Bulteel Gardens on January 8, 2008.

Stephanie’s parents, Carol and Paul, presented the award to Beth and Ceri. They said the award was a fitting tribute to a girl whose determination marked her out as one of life’s winners.

They revealed how Stephanie was not only kind but extremely brave and had stepped in to stop other children being bullied.

Carol said: “Stephanie was an inspiration to other children. She was kind, thoughtful and helpful. At school she was a determined worker who befriended children she feared were being isolated.”

Marc Reddy, managing director of First Devon & Cornwall, said: “Stephanie can never be replaced but it is lovely that her memory lives on in this way and that an award has been created in her name. 

“Beth and Ceri are fitting winners of this prize; they have shown courage, determination and a great deal of creativity in fundraising for this very worthwhile cause. Well done!”

Bill Martin, editor of The Herald, said: “Beth and Ceri are doing wonderful work and I hope they raise lots of money for this excellent cause.”

See video footage from last night's award ceremony by clicking here