The Pride of Britain Awards, sponsored by TSB, were held on Monday and were hosted by Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo – with a host of stars in attendance
Actress Kym Marsh was moved to tears when she presented incredible midwife Agnes Nisbett with an award at the Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards this week.
The yearly event celebrated its 25th anniversary on Monday night, with the UK’s fundraisers, awe-inspiring children, community heroes, young achievers and brave people being recognised with well-deserved awards. The night, hosted at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Monday, saw a host of stars celebrating the achievements.
One of the winners, Agnes Nisbett, was made the Community Hero thanks to her years of dedication to grieving mothers. The 87-year-old was a young midwife when she went through the heartbreak of stillbirth in 1973 and went on to provide women who experienced the same thing a sanctuary for grieving.
When Agnes returned to work many years ago after losing her son John, she was desperate to make a change as she had no keepsakes of him. She pioneered the Born Whilst Sleeping programme at Leicester Royal Infirmary and set aside a room for women where they could grieve away from other mums and their newborns in the main maternity ward. She also encouraged mothers to take photographs and palm prints to serve as treasured keepsakes.
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Image:
Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
The entire room was in tears watching Agnes’ story, with host Carol Vorderman telling Agnes that ‘two women grateful to you’ was going to present her award. Kym Marsh and Sue Johnston walked up on stage and were emotional as they thanked Agnes for her years of hard work.
Kym, who experienced the tragic loss of her child herself, was in tears as she told Agnes: “From one mother who has experienced baby loss to another, thank you. My son would have been 16 next year and there is no doubt you made the experience more bearable so from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.”
The mum-of-three, 48, and her ex-husband Jamie Lomas were heartbroken when their baby boy died in 2009 after being born prematurely at 21 weeks. Speaking previously about her loss, she shared: “It was the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. I was absolutely devastated. It’s the most painful thing I’ve ever felt.”
Monday night saw the Pride of Britain Awards host a number of A-listers to tears as they honoured the country’s unsung heroes. Celebrating a quarter-century of touching tributes, the glittering gala spotlighted community champions, remarkable fundraisers, brave youngsters and real-life rescuers, thanks to public nominations whittled down by a panel.
The winners were held at London’s luxurious Grosvenor Hotel with dinner and accolades presented by veteran hosts Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo, who’ve teamed up for the past five years. It was a star-studded evening with guests including Pete Wicks, Sam Thompson, Strictly’s shining stars, Simon Cowell and a bevy of other celebs, all moved by the powerful occasion.