A REDDITCH teenager was one of 11 amazing winners receiving individual recognition for their bravery and achievements at the inaugural Midlands Children of Courage Awards (MCCA), organised by St. James’s Place Wealth Management at Villa Park

Following persistent stomach cramps starting in August 2013, Brooke Evans, 18, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. She was offered a place on a drug trial made possible by funds raised by Cure Leukaemia. She has now finished her latest period of chemotherapy treatment and is looking forward to taking her year 13 exams and starting to think about university.

As a result of her successful treatment she is keen to promote the work of Cure Leukaemia and has fundraised tirelessly to help other young people, raising nearly £5,000. This figure will be worth £50,000 in potentially life-saving drugs for patients across the region.

It was especially fitting that Brooke’s courage and determination were formally recognised and that The Midlands Foundation Hero Award was presented to her by James Mclaughlin, CEO of Cure Leukaemia, which also sponsored at the event.

Not only were all the courageous, brave and dedicated nominees honoured during the ceremony but the inaugural MCCA event raised £60,000 for the St. James’s Place Foundation. The monies will be going towards helping community groups and organisations in the Midlands region. The Foundation has distributed in excess of £37m to good causes over the last 22 years.

The upbeat and fast moving ceremony was presented by Steph McGovern, the BBC Breakfast journalist, who is already the resident compère of the Yorkshire Children of Courage Awards.

She said: "Being part of the Children of Courage Awards is a massive honour for me. All of the children nominated for the awards are exceptional young people and it’s great to reward their hard work and bravery. It’s all about those children that don’t normally get recognised in the community. It’s the most worthy thing I do every year and it’s really good fun – and the kids are all gorgeous!”

Proceedings were opened by X Factor finalists the boy band Kingsland Road who agreed to be the Voice of the Midlands Children of Courage Awards 2014. Presenting the awards on stage were a host of personalities and sporting stars from the region.

A special reward recognising outstanding achievement was presented in honour of the late Stephen Sutton and was won by Joseph Lockington who suffered a spinal stroke at the age of 14. Stephen’s mother Jane Sutton jointly presented the award with Sean McKillop, executive director of St. James’s Place Wealth Management.

For more details see www.midlandschildren.co.uk, follow on Twitter @MidsChildren or on Facebook at facebook.com/pages/Midlands-Children-of-Courage.

For more details about St. James's Place Wealth Management, see www1.sjp.co.uk