Three inspirational young people whose lives have been transformed by The Diana Award feature in The Diana Award’s BBC Lifeline Appeal during October 2019.
Three inspirational young people whose lives have been transformed by The Diana Award feature in The Diana Award’s BBC Lifeline Appeal during October 2019.
The BBC Lifeline Appeal for The Diana Award airs at 14.05 on Sunday 20 October on BBC One. The appeal will be then available on BBC iPlayer. The appeal is presented by The Diana Award supporter Peter Andre.
The Diana Award is the only charity in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales and her belief that young people have the power to change the world and has the support of her sons The Duke of Cambridge and The Duke of Sussex.
The youth charity fosters, develops and inspires positive change in the lives of young people through three programmes which include; an intervention based mentoring programme for some of the UK’s most disadvantaged young people, a youth-led anti-bullying campaign and a prestigious international award which publicly recognises young changemakers – The Diana Award.
The BBC Lifeline Appeal features:
School was a place of torment for Hannah. Relentless bullying and harassment in primary and secondary school, caused severe anxiety and depression, causing her to self harm and even contemplate suicide. Hannah tells her story in her own words:
“The school bus soon enough became the place I hated the most. Where the girls would scream and shout at me and the boys would constantly tell me to kill myself. I also started getting trolled online and no matter how much my mum tried to sort it out with the school, they just called me sensitive and left it at that. I felt defeated to the point I did not even want to be alive anymore. I remember sitting in a lesson one day and writing a suicide note to my best friend and my mum. However, something drastically changed, I moved secondary schools and started to work with The Diana Award. Words cannot explain how grateful and happy I am to be a part of the Anti-Bullying programme, it honestly changed my life. Meeting young Anti-Bullying Ambassadors when I was at my lowest point made me realise my self worth. This programme inspired me to be the best I can be, to love myself and to help everyone around me for as long as I possibly can.”
Hannah Adams, The Diana Award Anti-Bullying Ambassador
Ryan completed The Mentoring Programme in July 2017. He said, “Our project was on knife crime and this is something we were really passionate about. Living in east London we often hear about knife stabbings. As a group we really wanted to do something about it.”
Ryan’s mother said that before the programme he was shy and spent all his time on PlayStation but now is outgoing, grown in confidence and has become a role model for his five younger siblings.
Ryan himself says he’s become engaged and focused whereas before he wouldn’t take on any responsibility and didn’t want any attention on him. He says he’s inspired by how Princess Diana took the chance to help others and give everyone a sense that we can change the world together. In Ryan’s own words:
“The idea of meeting new people, going to new places and actually benefitting others and helping them is life changing and The Diana Award has given me all the tools that I need to do what I want to do.”
Ryan Hicks, The Diana Award Mentee
Callum is a 22 year old Diana Award recipient. He received the award in 2010 after fundraising in memory of his late brother, Liam, who also received the award. Liam died from cancer aged 14 and after his death Callum vowed to continue his legacy.
Since receiving his Diana Award Callum has gone on to complete a multitude of fundraising activities, including setting up a charity and cycling 17,000 miles around the world. Through his charitable endeavours, which he says he was motivated to continue doing after winning his award, he has gone on to raise tens of thousands of pounds – which has been used to support over 200 families.
“Everything that came as a result of winning the Diana Award has changed my life. “From meeting a family of like-minded people who want to make a difference, to becoming a part of a network who can inspire others – The Diana Award really has changed my life.”
Callum Fairhurst, The Diana Award Recipient
Tessy Ojo, Chief Executive of The Diana Award, said:
“Hannah, Ryan and Callum demonstrate the life-changing impact The Diana Award has on the lives of young people. As we mark our 20th anniversary we are even more ambitious to meet the ever changing youth landscape and challenges that young people face. At the heart of our work is the belief that young people have the power to change the world.”
Tessy Ojo, CEO of The Diana Award
“I’m thrilled to be presenting a BBC Lifeline Appeal for The Diana Award, a truly inspirational charity founded in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales. Please tune in and help me celebrate and support this fantastic charity that does lifechanging work for young people across the UK.”
Peter Andre, TV presenter and The Diana Award supporter
Today sees a powerful coalition of organisations representing young voices, formed by The Diana Award, calling for urgent change in how we support young people impacted by racism.
Today the largest contemporary choir in the world, Rock Choir releases a very special music video for The Diana Award recorded at Althorp House in Northamptonshire.
Young people took centre stage at the ‘A Space To Be Me’ celebration event as we celebrated the Young Changemakers Programme.
