In today’s countdown to the Examiner’s Community Awards night at the John Smith’s Stadium on Thursday, May 24, we reveal the three outstanding young people who have reached the final three in our Young Personality category. Tomorrow we will turn the spotlight on Sports Team of the Year.
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He’s a youngster showing true community spirit.
Thirteen-year-old Harvey Dawson, who attends Royds Hall Community School, has taken it upon himself to keep Longwood tidy and is often seen by neighbours and local business people sweeping the streets near his home.
Sadly he lost his dad, Graham, to heart problems when he was just five.
His mum, Jean, said: “I’m just so proud of him. He’s never in - he’s always out doing something. When we had that bad snow he was out clearing snow for people - he’ll do anything for anybody. He goes out and sweeps the street no matter what the weather. When he gets home from school he changes out of his school uniform and he’s out with the brush. He has been doing it for a couple of years.
“He cleaned the war memorial steps before the Remembrance Sunday service. He sweeps away the wet leaves so nobody can slip on them. He will help anyone.”
Harvey has his own brushes, wheelbarrow, shovels, hi-vis coat and electric leaf blower. He bags up the leaves and rubbish and takes them to a neighbour’s for collection.
Harvey also helps out at Longwood community centre where he runs a games stall to raise cash for the centre. He has also sold programmes for Longwood Sing and helped serve refreshments at the centre following the annual event.
He was nominated by Barry and Sue Firth, who have got to know Harvey over the last year and said: “We believe Harvey to be kind, thoughtful and respectful - attributes that can be rare and not always apparent in young people today. We were particularly impressed that a 12-year-old person would devote his time to sweeping up piles of leaves and generally tidying up around the local church and war memorial.”
Harvey’s efforts to keep the war memorial steps clean drew supportive comments from his Facebook followers.
Joy Black said: “Everyone should be very proud of him and it just shows that not all kids round here are up to no good.”
Sue Whitehead commented: “Well done Harvey – top geezer!”
Jennie Coxon said: “Brilliant work Harvey, you are an absolute credit to your mum - your dad would be so proud of you.”
Harvey has an older brother Anthony, 40, and sister Haley, 38.
A schoolgirl who lost both legs to meningitis is being tipped to represent the UK in the Paralympics just weeks after taking up the martial art of taekwondo.
Maisie Catt from Mirfield had to have her legs amputated as a baby - one above the knee and one below - after her blood was poisoned by septicaemia.
But the eight-year-old decided to take up the sport in January after watching her brother Finlay, five, take part in lessons.
After just three months’ training she was selected to join an elite training programme and is part of the GB Parapoomsae Squad which is part of the taekwondo squad.
She has even been contacted by the president of World Taekwondo who is based in South Korea and has personally praised Maisie for being such a wonderful role model for the sport.
Her mother Sharon, believes nothing will now hold Maisie back after her daughter’s life was transformed when she started wearing prosthetic blades a year ago.
She said: “Everybody at the club treats her exactly the same as every other child and that is all we wanted.”
Maisie has been selected for the limb deficiency category and has dreams of one day competing at the Paralympics, with the sport set to be included in the games for the first time in 2020.
Sharon added: “Maisie’s instructor was contacted by a member of the GB talent squad who had heard about her story. We went down for a lesson and at the end they came over and congratulated her. She’s a future Paralympian definitely.”
The Korean martial art requires speciality head-high, jumping and spinning kicks at high speed. The Paralympic version is adapted for athletes with impairments.
Maisie wore prosthetic legs until she was seven when funding became available through the NHS for blades.
Sharon added: “Maisie got her first set of prosthetics at nine months old and had to learn to walk with them. Last year, we got the opportunity to try the blades and they have transformed her life.
“She just wants to inspire other people. She wants others like her to go and try anything.
“Anybody can do anything they set their mind to, in spite of any difficulties.”
There really is no stopping Maisie as she is a member of Huddersfield Riding for the Disabled and now also goes cycling with Huddersfield charity Streetbikes.
She was nominated for the Examiner Award by Gill Greaves from Streetbikes, who said: “She is an inspiration to anyone she meets for her courage and determination.”
He may only be 10 but Alfie Clarke is already an established actor and charity fundraiser.
When he was almost two he was auditioned for the part of Arthur Thomas in ITV’s Emmerdale ... and landed the role which he has been in for the last eight years.
In that time he has gone on to be involved in powerful story lines and as Arthur, the on-screen son of Emmerdale vicar Ashley Thomas (actor John Middleton), watched his father slowly succumb to Alzheimer’s disease.
The experience prompted him to organise a sponsored swim in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society.
John, who had been in Emmerdale since 1996, said of Alfie: “He is a lovely little lad and really embraced the story.
“He’s very mature for his age. I have been working with him since he was two-and-a-half. He has grown up with a life in a studio and is a proper little professional. He has presence and that’s a rare thing in a child.
“He came up with the idea of the sponsored swim off his own bat. I tweeted about it, EastEnders’ Adam Woodyatt retweeted it and it more or less went viral.”
Alfie, who did a sponsored swim of 46 lengths at Huddersfield Leisure Centre, set an original target to raise £250 but in the end raised £5,400.
He also did a Memory Walk to highlight dementia in Leeds with John and has completed a Dementia Friend training course in Mirfield.
Alfie was commended for his acting in 2017 by winning the Best Young Actor award at the Inside Soap Awards.
He also won the 2017 Yorkshire Young Achievers Award for Achievement in the Arts.
Alfie is the son of Paul and Fiona Clarke and has a younger brother, Charlie, eight, and sister Ruby, four.
