Skye Hemmings
Skye Hemmings is just nine years old but she is already a carer for both her mum and her older sister.
She helps her mum to get dressed, including taking care of zips and buttons that her mum finds difficult.
The Bentilee schoolgirl brings her mum her medication and understands the importance of safety around this. Skye also supports her older sister who has physical disabilities.
She has been nominated in the Child of Courage category of the Your Heroes Awards by Jess Graham, a young carers wellness worker at North Staffs Carers.
Her mum, Sarah Hemmings, said: “Skye is brilliant. She’s here more or less full time with her dad helping to look after me and helping with jobs around the house.
“I can’t get out to do physical things with her so Skye and me have art and things like that we can do together in the house. With me being the way I am, it’s not easy. She helps so much.
“If we go down to her sister’s, she helps her sister as well. When Skye was aged about six her sister wasn’t well and I remember Skye going to find a blanket and a teddy and covering her sister up to help her feel better. She has been caring a lot for a long time now.
“She’s used to being around me and her older sister, and we’re both disabled. It’s what she’s used to but caring is also in her nature.
“Her auntie is also disabled and if we go there Skye will help there too. It’s just Skye being Skye.
“We are all very proud of her and we’re very proud that she’s been able to do things like Scouting, through while she recently gained her Bronze Award. I want her to be able to do those sorts of things as well, to still be able to be a child.
“Her teachers all say that she helps them in the classroom. She’s just one of those kids who wants to help.”
Skye attends Berryhill Scouts, dances and will be taking part in a gang show through Scouting.
Paige Collins
Paige Collins is awaiting an operation for a hole in her heart but that hasn’t stopped her from fundraising, volunteering and doing whatever she can to help others.
The 17-year-old, from Bentilee, has always been driven by a desire to help others which has included raising thousands of pounds and even competing in and winning a white knuckle boxing match.
The Stoke-on-Trent College Level 3 Sport student spends her summer holidays volunteering with Bee Active, a local schools’ physical education provider, helping children with disabilities to take part in activities that might otherwise have been inaccessible to them.
Although Paige had always been physically active, she began experiencing ongoing health problems linked to her heart rate. For years doctors attributed this to anxiety. However, when her fitness watch recorded her heart rate climbing above 200 bpm, she was rushed to A&E. Tests revealed a hole in her heart that would require surgery.
Instead of letting her diagnosis hold her back, Paige showed remarkable resilience. She channelled her experience into strengthening her involvement in college life and becoming a peer mentor, a role that allows students to support fellow learners struggling with stress and anxiety.
Stoke-on-Trent College Mentor Steve Taylor said: “Paige has overcome the challenges of a heart condition to complete her vocational course and progress to a Level 3 Sport course.
“A kind and supportive peer mentor, she is always there to encourage and inspire her fellow learners, both emotionally and academically.”
She teamed up with three fellow students to co-organise the college’s annual Multicultural Day, one of the biggest events in the student calendar.
Working closely with staff, she helped to plan and deliver a celebration of equality and diversity that brought the whole college community together. The event saw hundreds of students attend from across both campuses.
Her commitment to giving back continued through participation in Race for Life at Trentham Gardens in June, helping to raise more than £1,000 for a college staff member that she works closely with.
Although she could not run due to her heart condition, Paige walked the 5km course alongside fellow students and college staff.
Paige regularly volunteers at college open events where she shares what it’s like to be a student and provides guided tours.
She is an advocate for sport courses and college life and is always keen to share her enthusiasm with prospective students.
Earlier this year she joined a student-led Youth Social Action group organised through the Enrichment team and raised £2,200 for local homelessness charities Brighter Futures and The Macari Centre through Stoke City Community Trust’s Big Sleep Out.
Paige’s achievements were formally recognised in June when she was presented with the Aspirational Achiever award at Stoke-on-Trent College’s Celebrating Success recognition evening.
Paige is already planning a heart-awareness fundraiser for early 2026 to support charities such as the British Heart Foundation. The event will also provide students and staff with vital advice and free heart checks.
Mum Sharon Philpott says she couldn’t be prouder of Paige, who attended a special school before enrolling at Stoke-on-Trent College.
She said: “Paige has been bullied but she has just found her way through it. She’s even nice to her bullies and says that two wrongs don’t make a right.
“She’s very caring and always thinking about what she can do for other people and to achieve the best results she can at college. She wants to get distinctions and to have a career in the mental health industry.
“She’s still waiting for her operation, which we’re told could be just after Christmas. In the meantime she just keeps going and going and going.”
Paige Collins has been nominated in the Child of Courage category of the Your Heroes Awards.