Merseyside Woman of the Year 2019, Laura Hughes, has been named the North West Regional winner of the prestigious Pride of Britain award.
Formby-based Laura has been recognised by the Pride of Britain awards for her work establishing the charity kNOw Knife Crime and launching an anti-knife crime campaign in memory of her brother, Colin McGinty, who was murdered in a knife attack in 2001, in a shocking case of mistaken identity.
To date, Laura has raised more than £115,000 through a host of charity events and challenges, including a marathon challenge and relay with schools in Sefton earlier this year. All monies raised are used to purchase bleeding control kits and cabinets, which can be installed in schools and in areas where there is a high risk of knife crime.
Laura also undertakes knife crime prevention work across the North West, sharing her family’s story and making sure children in the region know that knife crime is not the norm.
Speaking of the win, Laura said: “Being named the Regional Fundraiser of the Year at the Pride of Britain Awards is an incredible honour. This recognition adds significant credibility to our message and campaign, fostering more conversations in educational settings and among young people. Ultimately, this will help us raise greater awareness and vital funds to purchase and donate essential bleed control equipment throughout the region.”
Laura was chosen as the North West region’s winner by Married At First Sight star Jay Howard, Olympic bronze medalist Cindy Ngamba and Granada Reports’ Gamal Fahnbulleh and Andrew Rigby. Laura will now attend the national Pride of Britain grand ceremony in London in October and be in with the chance of winning the national Fundraiser of the Year award.
Ellie Kerr, MWOTY Founding Director, said: “We knew Laura was a superstar back in 2019, when she was recognised as our ‘Woman of the Year’ for her work tackling knife crime in the region. Since then she has worked tirelessly to continue her mission and has made an impact that is changing and even saving lives.
“We would like to extend enormous congratulations to Laura for this incredibly well-deserved achievement, which we know she will use as a powerful platform for even greater change. We’ll have our fingers and toes crossed for her at the national awards, but regardless of the outcome, she’s already our winner!”
The Pride of Britain Awards are an annual event celebrating the achievements of truly remarkable people who make our world a better place. Since the first Pride of Britain awards in 1999, which are nominated by the public, royalty, prime ministers, and hundreds of leading figures from showbiz, sport, politics and the arts have all taken part.
Hosted by Carol Vorderman, the Awards attract an audience of around five million viewers every year in a primetime slot on ITV – making it the highest rated awards show of its kind on British television.
To find out more, visit: https://www.prideofbritain.com/
Image credit: ITV
