Photo Gallery: Incredible young people from Norfolk and Suffolk are honoured with special awards

The 2014 Bernard Matthews Youth Awards in association with the Eastern Daily Press took place at Open in Norwich this evening and highlighted some exceptional young people aged 11 to 18 from Norfolk and Suffolk.

Swimming star and Olympic gold medallist Rebecca Adlington hosted the event along with BBC presenter David Whiteley.

Ms Adlington, who has won two gold and two bronze Olympic medals, described the young people at the awards as 'absolutely amazing' and said all the winners and finalists should be really proud of themselves.

She also paid tribute to the great performances of music and dance put on by young people from The Garage throughout the ceremony.

Awards were presented to young people for sport, education, charity, arts, food and farming, bravery, and community, and each category winner received a £1,000 prize.

Jody Baxter, 18, from Trowse, was named the Bernard Matthews Young Person of the Year after also winning the bravery award for his immense courage in talking about his sister Maisie's death to raise awareness of suicide and bereavement.

The hero award, which sees young people nominate adults that they think are absolute stars, was given to Lindsey Turner, from the Commoners Youth Club in Gorleston.

Andrew Sherwood, Bernard Matthews HR director, said: 'We are just amazed by the quality of the achievements of the people who have been nominated and who have won awards.

'They are a real credit to themselves, they set high standards, and they are great role models for everyone, not just young people.

'We are very proud to host the awards and are delighted that after six years they continue to go from strength to strength.

'To have Rebecca Adlington - another great model - presenting the Bernard Matthews Youth Awards this year is a great honour.'

THE 2014 BERNARD MATTHEWS YOUTH AWARDS WINNERS

YOUNG PERSON OF THE YEAR AND BRAVERY

• Jody Baxter, 18, from Trowse, was named the Bernard Matthews Young Person of the Year after also being presented with the bravery award.

Jody's sister Maisie took her own life in February 2012, aged just 13, and Jody has been incredibly courageous in talking about the death of his sister to raise awareness about suicide and bereavement.

Nelson's Journey has helped Jody and his family, and he said the charity has inspired him to want to help others.

'It means everything to me to win this award, and hopefully it will help to raise a little bit of extra awareness for Nelson's Journey,' he said.

Also shortlisted:

• Rachel Graham, 17, from Attleborough, for overcoming a huge amount and achieving great things in drama.

• Olivia Lipscombe, 13, from Guist, for the inspiring way she is always cheerful despite suffering many serious health issues.

• A group of East Norfolk Sixth Form College students, for exceptional bravery in how they helped deal with the aftermath of a road crash.

COMMUNITY, AN AWARD SUPPORTED BY THE EDP

• Callum Perry, 15, from Drayton, won the community prize for being a dedicated member of Taverham Youth Club and helping to give local children a safe place to meet and take part in activities, and also being involved in the Youth Advisory Board and the YMCA Norfolk Sleep Easy Project.

Also shortlisted:

• A group of Thorpe St Andrew School and Sixth Form pupils, for helping to restore a youth shelter in a local park.

• Lasith Ranasinghe, 18, from Hethersett, for volunteering at a Norwich care home and creating a charity which helps children in Sri Lanka.

EDUCATION

• Jade Chapman, 17, from Dereham, won the education award for raising the issue of the importance of learning sign language at school with her Let Sign Shine campaign, while also studying for A-levels at Dereham Sixth Form. Jade's inspiration for her campaign is her sister Laura who is profoundly deaf.

Also shortlisted:

• Aylsham High School's Friendly Faces, for providing peer support and helping to prevent bullying.

• Emma Campbell, 17, from King's Lynn, for volunteer work at Military Experience Day and Education Centre.

FOOD AND FARMING

• Saffron Young Enterprise Group, from Norwich High School for Girls, was presented with the food and farming award.

The group of 10 students has created a book called The Little Norfolk Book of Baking which features recipes from Norfolk chefs and eateries.

The book was created as part of the Young Enterprise competition and includes 38 recipes from places such as Norfolk Saffron, the Wig and Pen, Morston Hall and Macarons and More.

The books have been sold in Jarrold department store, Blickling Hall and also at last night's awards.

ARTS

• Fadlos Kidz, based at Fakenham, won the arts award for inspiring young people with musical theatre and giving them the opportunity to be involved in full-scale musicals. The group lost one of its members, Ellie Loades, to cystic fibrosis last year and during the recent Fadlos Kidz production of Les Misérables the group raised funds for Ellie's Love, a charity set up in Ellie's memory.

Also shortlisted:

• Julia Lelewel, 12, from Norwich, for extensive achievement in performance.

• Gaia Rogers, 13, from Woodbridge, for excellence in playing the flute.

SPORT

• Norwich Canoe Club Juniors won the sport award for contributing massively to the success of the whole club's competitive achievements nationally, including many individual members winning national medals and being selected for Team GB.

Also shortlisted:

• Rhys Turnball, 14, from Bury St Edmunds, for achieving great things in sprinting; Cameron Kirby, 11, from Bawdeswell, for his commitment to freestyle

skiing;

• Isla Rush, 15, from Kelling, near Holt, for her dedication to cycling and national success;

• Owen Stannard, 15, from West Lynn, King's Lynn, for excellence in tumbling gymnastics; Chloe Rowswell, 14, from Thurton, for excellence in golf.

CHARITY

• Alicia Williamson, 16, from Thorpe St Andrew, won the charity award for doing more than 100 hours of volunteering. Alicia has supported Norwich Dragon Festival, Break, Norwich Pride, and other organisations, and is a member of Norfolk Can Inspire youth planning committee.

Also shortlisted:

• Riley Cork, 17, from Beetley, for his commitment to supporting Nelson's Journey, including swimming the English Channel in memory of his dad.

• Honor Saunders-Johnson, 13, from Wymondham, for shaving her head to support Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research UK and Little Princess Trust.

• Georgie Rosher, 14, from Kesgrave, for supporting Big C by doing a sponsored head shave in memory of her stepmother.

HERO

• Lindsey Turner, from the Commoners Youth Club in Gorleston, was given the hero accolade for setting up and running the weekly youth club for many years, giving young people lots of opportunities and always being there to support them.

Also shortlisted:

• Ally Flatman, from OPEN Youth Trust, in Norwich, for having a big impact on the lives of young people from all walks of life.

• Nicky Wells, from Equal Lives Youth Forum, for always going the extra mile to support members of the forum for young disabled people.

• For more on the Bernard Matthews Youth Awards visit www.bmyouthawards.com or follow @BMYouthAwards on Twitter.