The Mirror's Pride of Britain Awards with P&O Cruises honour the courage, kindness and humanity that shine through even life's darkest moments, serving as a reminder of the goodness in the UK when anger and division dominate headlines.
At the ceremony, 19 children, many now grown, stood together, alive thanks to the skill of cardiac surgeon Asif Hasan. Each face represented a life that might have been lost, a family spared unbearable grief and precious years that could have been stolen.
A Surgeon's Legacy of Saving Lives
Now 70, Mr Hasan has retired from Newcastle's Freeman Hospital after 35 years of saving desperately ill children. Even his holidays were spent operating on youngsters and training surgeons in Pakistan.
His patients call him "God", yet this gentle, humble man insists he is ordinary. He credits his colleagues, the nurses and the NHS, and says his proudest achievement is training surgeons now better than himself.
Stories of Courage and Generosity
His story also highlights the gift of organ donation, including the selflessness of Keira Ball's family, whose decision amid unimaginable grief saved four lives.
Other remarkable stories included five-year-old Gregor Corse, who raised £80,000 for charity through sheer determination after fighting to learn to walk. Kirsty Waugh, 12, battling a brain tumour, turned her suffering into hope for others, raising hundreds of thousands of pounds. Brave Zac Howells, also 12, saved his mother's life when she collapsed at the wheel.
Celebrating Humanity
For the Mirror, the awards celebrate the courage, kindness and humanity that shine through even life's darkest moments. When anger and division dominate so many headlines, the winners remind us how much goodness exists in this country.
Their stories move us, humble us and inspire us to be better. It is our privilege to tell them, and Britain's honour to celebrate them.
