Wynter Farthing
At just eight years old Wynter Farthing is a carer for her older brother and helps her deaf mum care for her two-year-old twin siblings.
The Bentilee schoolgirl communicates with her mum using sign language, including while they’re out and about.
When her mum is occupied with her older brother, who has autism and a global development delay, it’s Wynter who feeds and dresses the other children in the house and takes them to the toilet.
She is the voice and ears of the household, alerting her mum if the younger children are crying, if water is running, the doorbell or phone are ringing or there are visitors or deliveries at the door.
Despite all her responsibilities and the challenges life puts in her way, Wynter stays positive and always has a smile on her face.
She has been nominated as a Child of Courage in the Your Heroes Awards by Chelsie Hughes, Young Carers Support Worker at North Staffs Carers.
Chelsie said: “Wynter is a young carer who cares for her big brother, Jayden, and also supports her mum, Gemma. Jayden has autism and also global developmental delay, meaning he presents younger than he is and needs some extra support day to day.
“Wynter also has two younger siblings that live in the household. Wynter sometimes has to take on a bit of an adult role in the house to support mum with Jayden and her other siblings.
“Wynter can be the voice and the ears of the household and alerts her mum, who is deaf, to any safety issues in the home. When num is supporting Jayden, Wynter will often help her young siblings with dressing, feeding and toileting.
“Wynter is also able to sign. She can communicate with her mum well and is confident using this and does this very well.
“Wynter experiences such a lot at home and has to spend a lot of the time on alert to help out when her mum needs her to and also be the listening ear in the home, meaning she doesn’t get much time to herself or much time to switch off.
“Despite having all of this to contend with, Wynter is always very happy, smiley and lovely every time I see her. She always remains positive even when she admits to having a tough day with her caring role.
“She is so resilient and it is fantastic to see a young girl take on such responsibility, learn exciting skills such as sign language and support her family all whilst treating others with respect, positivity and love. “
Wynter’s mum, Gemma Farthing, said: “I am so happy that Wynter has been given the opportunity to be nominated and to be recognised for what a kind, caring young lady she is.
“She makes me proud every day. Her communication with me is brilliant. She’s always proud to sign with me when we’re out and about.
“She’s very loving and kind to her older brother who has autism. She always gives him cuddles, always makes him smile and laugh and encourages him do things. She guides him by holding his hand and prompting him to do things. It’s lovely to see a brother/sister bond in their own way. She’s also a fantastic big sister to her two younger siblings.”
Declan Hall
Teenager Declan Hall is a carer for his four-year-old sister who has leukaemia – carrying her if she is too tired to walk, taking her to the bathroom and getting up with her in the night so that his mum can rest.
The 13-year-old has ADHD, recently moved schools after being bullied and has had an operation to remove a tumour from his heel but he is determined to ‘be the man of the house’ for his mum and two younger sisters.
Declan, from Northwich, has been nominated as a Child of Courage in the Your Heroes Awards by family friend Jai Singh.
Jai said: “Declan is truly an inspirational young boy. For two years he has supported and cared for his little baby sister who is fighting leukaemia.
“His mum had one child was in Alder Hey Children’s Hospital fighting cancer while another was in Wrexham Maelor Hospital having a tumour removed. Declan manned up and took control, supporting his mother and looking after his other sister.
“He said he wants his family not to feel there is no man in the house to support them. He said he wants to be the best brother and son to help his baby sister and his mum.
“He gets up in the night so his mum can rest and tries to do as much as he can like getting water for his sister, helping her to go the bathroom or getting her food if she is hungry.
“He carries her as she is too tired to walk, paints with her and watches her favourite movies. Which 13-year-old would do that? Declan is truly an amazing young boy and definitely worthy of this award.”
Declan lives with his mum Toni and sisters Alivia, 11, and Holly, four.
Toni said she was moved to tears by the Your Heroes Awards nomination and the words Jai had said about her son.
She said: “Declan totally is my rock. I don’t know what I’d do without him. Holly has 12 months left of her treatment for leukaemia and Declan helps us through.
“You would expect a 13-year-old to be on their games console and Declan does still have time to do that but he always checks in on us first. He puts the rest of us first and makes sure there isn’t anything we need before he does something for himself.
“He has ADHD as well so he has his own demons to fight through as well as everything that he does for us.”
Declan is in the Air Cadets and is also working towards a Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Eden Birch
Eden Birch lives with pain most days of her life but when she opens her mouth to sing she forgets everything else and becomes a different person.
The 10-year-old was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at the age of 18 months. She has damaged joints, her ankles are weak and she needs to use a wheelchair on her bad days.
Weekly injections help to control Eden’s symptoms but her arthritis is not curable and she will be living with it her entire life.
She wants to dance, run and compete in sports events like her friends at St George and St Giles Academy in Newcastle-under-Lyme – arthritis stands in the way.
But what Eden can do is sing. She joined a choir around three years ago and discovered that it’s not only an outlet that helps with her mental health she also has a genuine talent.
She’s now in the rock band Teachers Pet Rock Show UK, a tribute act for the film School of Rock. She sings solo rock songs and is a backing singer for other soloists.
Eden was also selected to perform as a soloist on four different stages at The National Eisteddfod, the largest cultural festival in Europe.
She sings songs of every type, has no fear of performing in front of large groups of people and if there is ever the opportunity to take part in karaoke she is first in the queue.
Eden, who lives in Newcastle-under-Lyme with her parents Jo and Paul, has been nominated as a Child of Courage in the Your Heroes Awards.
Her mum, Jo, said: “Eden just wants to be a kid, to dance and run around like her friends, but she can’t. Singing helps her in so many ways. It brings out a different person in her and makes her forget about her illness. She absolutely adores singing.”
She added: “Eden is a really talented singer and the whole family are so proud of her. She turns into a different person when she sings and we always say that it’s like her voice is older than she is.”
Jake Cassidy
Teenager Jake Cassidy inspires others by overcoming obstacles and raising hundreds of pounds for charity, all while managing his own condition.
The 13-year-old has suffered from a chronic bowel condition since birth. At the age of five he was further diagnosed with coeliac disease. He was eventually fitted with an antegrade continence enema (ACE) stoma, but when complications arose he was told he would have to have his bowel removed.
Just five months after having his bowel removed he climbed Mount Snowdon to raise money for ERIC, a charity dedicated to improving children’s bowel and bladder health.
He also raised £700 for dolls fitted with stomas for those suffering from similar conditions, helping them feel less alone.
Jake’s mother, Danielle, said: “It’s really good of him. I’ve seen how this doll has helped Jake, and even if it puts a smile on a child’s face, that’s enough. It’s scary for children and they think it’s only them.”
Jake loves football and is a goalkeeper for his local team. Despite regular hospital visits he has never missed a game and was named Manager’s Player of the Year. He also loves cycling with his friends.
Sarah Jones has nominated Jake as a Child of Courage in the Your Heroes Awards.
She said: “Jake is an amazing young lad. He’s had, and still has, so many health problems and now has a stoma bag, but he never gives up.
“He’s the goalkeeper in my son’s football team and turns up for training and matches even when he’s feeling weak. On many occasions he has come straight from the hospital, discharging himself because he doesn’t want to let his team down.
“He always has a smile on his face and doesn’t show that he’s suffering. His mum and Jake have set up a page, Jake’s Stoma Journey, to highlight the highs and lows of Jake’s illnesses and how they can affect his day-to-day life.
“He is so inspirational to the other kids but also to the adults around him, showing that anything is possible.”
Jake’s mum, Danielle, said: “This is brilliant. It’s really nice for him to be nominated and recognised. He’s had such an impact on people already, so it’s amazing to hear he’s been thought of in this way.”
Ronnie Sharp
Meet Ronnie Sharp. He’s just seven years old and he’s saved his mum’s life.
Ronnie was home alone with his type one diabetic mum when she became hypoglycaemic and fell unconscious.
He sent a message to his grandma via his iPad, followed her instructions and let an ambulance crew into his Uttoxeter home.
Ronnie’s grandma, who lives a four-and-a-half-hour train journey away, is convinced that he saved his mum’s life and has nominated him as a Child of Courage in the Your Heroes Awards.
She said: “Ronnie contacted me via a message on his iPad saying I can’t wake up mummy, she’s been asleep for four hours and I’m really hungry. My daughter is a single mum and it’s just the two of them at home.
“I asked him to go and knock on the neighbour’s door but there was nobody there. He kept telling me that he was really hungry and couldn’t wake mummy.
“I told him I’d take him for the biggest McDonald’s if he could try to wake his mum. I asked him if he could see her tummy moving up and down and he said he couldn’t.
“The battery was flat on my daughter’s phone so I wasn’t able to call Ronnie on that and I also knew she must have been asleep for some time.”
While trying to reassure Ronnie via messages and encourage him to knock on the door of other neighbours his grandma, Joanne Mason, was on the phone at her home in Berkshire asking for an ambulance and the police to be sent to Ronnie and Bethanie in Staffordshire.
“Ronnie was calm and collected but he also told me that he was really, really scared. Ronnie is a big fan of the Marvel superhero Black Panther so I told him that he’s braver than Black Panther.”
He followed instructions to find his mum’s sugar tester, to let paramedics into the house and to show them a message with his grandma’s phone number so that she could talk to them directly and pass on Bethanie’s medical history.
Joanne said: “There are no words to describe how proud I am of Ronnie. He’s superb. His mum was a heartbeat away from being in a coma. I’m just bursting with pride – he saved his mum’s life.”
Ronnie is to be given a mobile phone of his own so that if his mum becomes ill again it’ll be easier for him to ask for help.
Mia Hughes
When Toni Wedgwood went into anaphylactic shock after being stung by a bee her 11-year-old daughter, Mia Hughes, literally saved her life.
The Waterhayes schoolgirl recognised what had happened, raced to get an EpiPen, injected her mum and found an adult to call an ambulance.
Primary school teacher Toni, aged 30, was administered six rounds of adrenaline, needed to be resuscitated and ended up in intensive care.
Doctors have said Toni would have died without her daughter’s quick intervention and that Mia, a pupil at St Chad’s Primary in Red Street, would make an excellent doctor one day.
Three weeks later Toni is back at work at Burnwood Community School in Chell Heath, carries an EpiPen wherever she goes and feels incredibly lucky.
She said: “Without a doubt, without Mia I wouldn’t be here. The doctors told me that without her I would have died.
“I didn’t realise I’d been stung. I thought I was out of breath because I was really unfit. It was Mia who spotted the wasp on my leggings. She saved my life.
“I’m so incredibly proud of her. I know she would have done exactly the same thing for anyone else. She does a swimming lifesaving class and when I told then what had happened they weren’t surprised.”
The incident happened during the short walk home from Toni’s mum’s house.
She recalls: “We were about two or three minutes from home when I started to feel unwell but wasn’t really sure why.
“I went to cross the road but Mia pulled me back and told me my lips were turning blue. I couldn’t breathe to answer her.
“She saw a bee had stung me through my leggings, flicked the bee off me and told me I’d been stung. I knew I’d react to a wasp sting but I’d never been stung by a bee before.
“Mia ran from where I was to our house, got an EpiPen and alerted my partner. Mia injected me and my partner rang for the ambulance.”
Mia’s school recognised her actions in an assembly and told classmates that she has attributes they should all aspire to.
On July 28 Mia will take part in the Stoke-on-Trent Pretty Muddy Kids 2024 in aid of Cancer Research UK. She has already raised £70.
Now Toni has nominated Mia in the Child of Courage category of the Your Heroes Awards.
She added: “She’s a remarkable girl. She’s so kind and wants to help everyone.”