Girl, 16, in line for national award

A 16-year-old girl from Warrington who has turned her life around after facing exclusion from school is one of just three young people from across the UK up for a prestigious Royal award.
Emily Hill has been nominated for a national award at The Prince’s Trust and L’Oréal Paris Celebrate Success Awards, to be held on March 14 at London’s Leicester Square Odeon.
The Oscar-style ceremony, now in its eighth year, recognises the achievements of young people who have succeeded against the odds. Among the celebrity guests will be award winning actors and Prince’s Trust Ambassadors Tom Hardy, Adam Deacon and Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley.
Chart topping singer, Emeli Sandé, who recently won Critics’ Choice Award at the BRITs, will also be performing at the event.
Emily is up for the Educational Achiever Award which recognises young people who have overcome barriers, developed new skills and improved their education prospects.
Her start in life was not the easiest and she and her family had to face and overcome many obstacles. As a result of such circumstances Emily became angry and disruptive at school – sometimes becoming aggressive and physical towards staff and her peers. This led to her coming close to being excluded from school.
At just 12 years old she became one of the carers for her mother following a violent crime that led to her Mum becoming permanently disabled and while this was an example of Emily’s caring and responsible side she struggled to cope with the pressures of caring at such a young age.
As she began Year 10 at school, her mother died.
Emily did not let her grief take over her life, and decided to change things for the better. She joined The Prince’s Trust xl club, which is an in-school personal development course for young people.
She used the club to deal with her mother’s death and the skills she developed helped her cope. She didn’t miss any of the course sessions, as she found a safe and nurturing environment to develop social skills, build positive relationships with staff and peers and even support other group members.
Emily said: “My future is really bright now and I have come so far thanks to The Prince’s Trust xl club. There’s so much I want to do and I believe I can do anything if I apply myself thanks to the help I got from The Trust.”
She now works with the school to help other children tackle their truancy problems, as well as organising fundraising events for charity.
Councillor Colin Froggatt, executive board member for children and young people’s services at Warrington Borough Council said: “Emily’s inspirational story shows that with the right support you can achieve, no matter what your circumstances are. I am proud to support the work The Prince’s Trust has done in supporting young people like Emily in Warrington. She is a fantastic example to other young people in the area.”
Picture: Emily at the regional Celebrate Success awards in Manchester where she won the Educational Achiever Award for the North West.