Foundation of Light Kicks participant Billie-Jo Storey picked up the Special Recognition Award at the Northern Children of Courage Awards on Friday.
Created by St James’s Place Wealth Charitable Foundation to give recognition to our region’s young heroes, Billie-Jo landed the top prize for the 13–17-year-olds category.
Hosted at the Hilton Hotel in Gateshead, celebrating its fifth anniversary, nominees and their families were left in awe after hearing Billie-Jo’s story.
Diagnosed as being autistic, Billie-Jo faces many barriers, including struggling with anxiety and depression. Despite facing adversity throughout her life, the inspirational teenager sits on the Kicks youth forum, serving as a peer mentor to younger children, especially those with a SEND need.
Speaking after the event, Billie-Jo couldn’t contain her excitement. She said: “Winning this award means a lot because it means people believe in me and believe that I can succeed.
Reflecting on how the Kicks programme has helped her development, Billie-Jo added: It has helped me become more confident and it helped me when I needed to get things off my chest.
“Kicks has given me so many opportunities that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”
Craig Martin, Kicks Lead at the Foundation of Light, commented: “Our Kicks team were extremely proud to see Billie-Jo receive this award.
“This shows that the work we do means something and it makes a difference.
Foundation of Light would like to congratulate Billie-Jo on winning the Special Recognition Award.
You can read Billie-Jo’s story here.
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