Caring cabbie and community hero up for Best of Hartlepool award

The Hartlepool taxi driver was a busy man in 2015.

He helped a little girl with leukaemia to be a princess for a day; contributed to the mercy mission to help the people of flood-hit York; and was instrumental in organising a mass balloon release in tribute to Jacob Jenkins –the Hartlepool two-year-old whose story touched so many people last year.

His efforts did not go unnoticed. Stephen has been nominated for a Best of Hartlepool Award.

But the modest town man said: “I don’t feel like I have done anything.

“Because I am a taxi driver, I have a lot of time on my hands during the day to get up to things. I do all this because I can.”

One Mail reader nominated him for honours and described his efforts for others as wonderful.

The nomination added: “Stephen has been fabulous. He raised money for Miles for Men, then he helped make Keisha Watson a princess for the day.

“Then he was her chauffeur to take her to the MetroCentre.

“After little Keisha, he helped raise money and organised the night for little Jacob. This man over the years has been a great role model and an outstanding fundraiser. He really deserves some recognition.”

Stephen joins a growing list of candidates for our awards but there’s plenty of time to nominate your own favourites.

The Best of Hartlepool Awards will honour those unsung stars who go the extra mile to help others. We know there are heroes galore out there who are worthy of awards. Tell us all about them.

Fill in the nomination form on this page or visit http://www. jpne-events.co.uk.

The Best of Hartlepool awards are being held in association with Niramax, and in which Specsavers are category sponsors.

The deadline for entries in the competition is Saturday, April 2. After that, judges will meet to draw up a shortlist for each of the categories listed. And then it’s on to the grand finale which will be held this year at the Hardwick Hall Hotel on Tuesday, April 26.