The Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards with P&O Cruises will celebrate its 27th gala tonight, honouring extraordinary individuals whose courage and compassion have inspired the nation. The two-hour ceremony, hosted by Carol Vorderman and Ashley Banjo, airs on ITV1 on Thursday at 8pm, with the Mirror exclusively revealing some of this year's winners.
Bravery in the Face of Danger
Volunteer security guard Andrew Franks, 53, from Manchester, confronted a knife-wielding terrorist during an attack on his synagogue last year, giving the congregation vital time to barricade themselves behind doors. The attacker, Jihad Al-Shamie, had already killed one bystander before Andrew was stabbed three times while warning everyone to lock the doors. Andrew, a chef, said: "He was yelling he was going to kill me. I thought I was going to die."
Twelve-year-old Zac Howells from Ebbw Vale, Wales, steered his mum's car to safety when she passed out at 60mph on a dual carriageway last December. With her foot on the accelerator, Zac bumped the car into the central reservation to slow it down, then called 999. His mum Nicola said: "It must have been really frightening for him but he knew he had to do something."
Medical Heroes and Lifesaving Action
GP Dr Eleanor Prior, 41, from Bedford, was in the front carriage of a train that crashed near Bedford in June, killing the driver and injuring 162 people. Despite her own injuries, she stayed on the train for hours treating the severely wounded before paramedics arrived. She said: "I was in tears and trying to manage things. It was like a war zone."
World-leading cardiac surgeon Asif Hasan, 70, has retired after 30 years as head of Paediatric Cardiac Surgery at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, having performed around 400 transplants and trained hundreds of children's heart surgeons. He said: "There have been big highs and big lows. I have seen human resilience and courage up close."
Fundraisers and Community Champions
Five-year-old Gregor Corse from Kirkwall, Orkney, has raised £80,000 for charity through walking challenges despite a neurological condition affecting his balance. He completed '30 loops o' the hoose' daily for 30 days and walks 1.2 miles to nursery four days a week.
Elaine Oakey, 53, from Blackpool, has spent over a decade running a junior amputee football programme inspired by her son Jamie, 23, who was born without a foot. She said: "Young people come to us at the toughest of times, believing they will never play football again. Some of them go on to represent England."
Florence Coke, 71, known as Mama Flo, has given away thousands of free meals from her Stockport Caribbean restaurant, feeding pensioners at Christmas, offering free summer lunches to children, and providing meals during the pandemic. She said: "My cooking comes from pure love. I don't like to see anyone go hungry, not in a million years."
Campaigners and Changemakers
Elaine Roberts and Luke Ambler set up Andy's Man Club after her son Andrew took his own life aged 23, creating a barrier-free space for men to talk. More than 7,000 men now attend sessions across England, Scotland and Wales. Luke, 36, from Halifax, said: "The goal has always been to stop other families going through what ours went through."
Bereaved parents Ellen Roome MBE, Esther Ghey and Ian Russell MBE have each worked for legislative change on online safety after losing their teenage children to different forms of online harm. Ian, from Northwest London, said: "If it can happen to our family then it could happen to anybody."
Kirsty Waugh, 12, from Tunbridge Wells, has raised nearly £250,000 for childhood cancer research after a brain tumour was found in 2024. Her 'My Name Is Kirsty' fundraiser found more than 14,000 namesakes worldwide. Brandon Hulcoop, 23, from Plymouth, launched All Things Dotty to create accessible products for the visually impaired after applying for over 1,000 jobs without success.
The Pride of Britain Awards air Thursday 22 October at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
