A group of 16 outstanding young people from Leicester and Leicestershire, gathered at County Hall for a special ceremony hosted by the Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire to honour their exceptional achievements.
The highlight of the evening was the announcement of Grace Dhesi as the Lord-Lieutenant’s Young Person of the Year 2025—the top accolade of the night.
Picture credit: Leicestershire County Council
This year’s prestigious red-carpet event and awards dinner, held on 7 May, was led by Lord-Lieutenant Mike Kapur OBE CStJ, with support from Vice Lord-Lieutenant Col Richard Hurwood DL, Deputy Lieutenants Mrs Sally Bowie DL and Mrs Diana Brooks MBE DL, and awards panel members Rick Moore and Byron Dixon.
Finalists in four award categories were celebrated for their extraordinary personal accomplishments and for going above and beyond to help others in their communities. The winners were:
- Young Person of Courage: Joshua Bates (Dorothy Goodman Sixth Form)
- Young Volunteer: Grace Dhesi (Leicester Grammar School)
- Young Leader: Piper Sinclair (Leicester)
- Young Artist of the Year: Alex Budding (De Lisle College)
Each category winner was considered for the overall title, which ultimately went to Grace Dhesi for her inspiring dedication to volunteering.
Speaking after receiving her awards, Grace said: “I felt really privileged to be here, celebrating my time volunteering, which isn’t something I see as a responsibility – rather just something I find a part of life, and find rewarding in itself to be giving back to the community.
To even be noticed for that volunteering, I already felt like a winner. To be awarded winner of the Young Volunteer category and then be chosen as the overall Lord-Lieutenant’s Young Person of the Year, I felt honoured and humbled simultaneously.
Honestly, I feel really privileged tonight to have been able to meet and talk to so many other incredible young people from across Leicestershire.”
Lord-Lieutenant Mike Kapur praised all the finalists, saying: “Our city and county’s young people continue to be an inspiration to us all.
It is always a privilege for me to host this annual awards event and share these extraordinary young people’s stories with our guests on the night. Their bravery, creativity, strength of spirit, and selflessness is amazing.
As Lord-Lieutenant, I want to make sure that the individual talents and outstanding contributions of every one of our finalists are recognised and appreciated more widely within our communities.
All too often, our young people go unnoticed by the wider community. I hope that these awards will continue to offer an opportunity to shine a spotlight on them. I urge anyone who knows a young person they think deserves recognition and encouragement for their endeavours to look out for details of my 2026 awards later in the year.”
