A nine-year-old girl who battled a rare blood cancer has received the Sheffield Young Hero Award “for exceptional fundraising, advocacy, and courage through illness” from the Lord Mayor.
Heidi Howson has raised thousands of pounds for charity since she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in August 2022.
The youngster who is now in remission, has campaigned to encourage people to join the stem cell register and raised money for Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
Heidi said she was “proud” after winning the award, with her mum Lucy Howson, 38, telling the BBC that it meant “everything”.
Sheffield’s Town Hall was full of the city’s very best on Thursday night, as the winners of the 2026 Lord Mayor Awards were announced.
Lord Mayor Councillor Safiya Saeed hosted the second edition of the awards celebrating “the kind of people that glue Sheffield together as a city”.
Leanne Bennett Pitts was honoured for her outstanding contribution to care, support and wellbeing for her work in acute pain management and reducing dependency on opioids.
She told Sheffield Wire receiving the award was “a massive recognition of everything we are standing for, and fighting against”.
Team GB boxer Teagn Stott was commended for his contributions to local sport after he won a silver medal in the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool last year.
“I’m not only representing our country but I’m doing it for our city as well,” said Stott.
Speaking about his World Boxing Championships final bout in September 2025, he said: “We brought a fairly good sized crowd and it was a close fight and all I could hear from the crowd was chanting ‘Yorkshire’.”
Stott works with local schools to use boxing as a tool to keep pupils “on the right path”.
The Community Award was given to Carolynn McConnell for recognition of her work bringing over £1 million from more than 449 community projects across the city.
Ms McConnell has worked to bring companies together with the council and volunteers to give back to local communities in Sheffield.
“There’s not many things I really treasure, I’m not a materialist person like that but I will treasure that trophy,” she told Sheffield Wire.
Other winners included former Sheffield Poet Laureate, Danae Wellington for her work championing African Caribbean communities in Sheffield, Karen Vickers celebrating 50 years of providing road safety education, and Christine King a founding member of the Sheffield Street Tree Partnership.
The Award Winners were:
Outstanding Contribution to Local Community – Carolynn McConnell – Sheffield Business Together. Recognised for delivering over £1m of support thttps://www.sheffield.gov.uk/news/2026/lord-mayor-awards-celebrate-contributions-sheffield-lifehrough over 449 community projects and building long‑term partnerships.
Outstanding Contribution to Environment & Science – Christine King. Celebrated for environmental leadership and pioneering sustainable urban forestry throughout Sheffield.
Outstanding Contribution to the promotion of Arts, Music & Culture – Danae Wellington. Celebrated for cultural leadership, championing African Caribbean voices, and inspiring young people.
Outstanding Contribution to Care, Support & Wellbeing – Leanne Bennett-Pitts. Recognised for transforming acute pain management, reducing opioid dependency, and improving patient care.
Outstanding Contribution to Local Sport – Teagan Stott. Recognised for historic achievements in boxing and inspiring young people through grassroots sport.
Outstanding Contribution to Education – Karen Vickers. Marked for a 50-year career in road safety education, shaping generations of safer road users.
The Young Hero – Heidi Howson. Recognised for exceptional fundraising, advocacy, and courage through illness.
