Newcastle Eagles stars Chloe Gaynor and Darius Defoe were honoured to present a prestigious Northern Leaders Trust Community Champion Award last month.

Now in its second year, the 2024 event was a resounding success, with nine honourable young people from Newcastle schools receiving an award for their exceptional contributions to the city’s community.

The ”dazzling awards” ceremony, held at Kenton School, brought together nominees, their families and friends and special guests to celebrate these incredible achievements.

The event included inspiring speeches from our Eagles players along with distinguished guests including Chi Onwurah, Labour MP for Newcastle Central and West.

Reflecting on the event’s success, CEO of Northern Leaders Trust, Lee Kirtley, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the nominees and attendees, stating: “This event is a testament to the incredible contributions of our young people.

“Their dedication and hard work inspire us all, and we are proud to celebrate their achievements.

“I would like to extend my thanks to the generous sponsors of the evening, without whom tonight would not have been possible.”

The Northern Leaders Trust – which runs Kenton and Studio West schools – gave out prizes in eight categories with each award winner on the night receiving a £150 high-street retail voucher, a £50 book token, an engraved trophy and a certificate.

Chloe and Darius presented the Community Hero Award to its winner Milo Urwin.

Dr Thérèse Quincey, chair of the board of Trustees at Northern Leaders Trust, closed the evening commenting: “It’s exciting to see the success of the Community Champion Awards for a second year and we already look forward to next year.

“We hope that awareness and nominations will continue to grow. We want it to keep getting bigger and better.”

The night was a true celebration of the spirit and dedication of Newcastle’s young community champions, leaving everyone inspired and looking forward to next year’s event.