Hartlepool man Steven hailed as a '˜very special' role model

The 26-year-old has made a real impression in the town after raising £15,000 for charity and also organising free personal training sessions for children.

His big-hearted actions have not gone unnoticed as he has been nominated for a Best of Hartlepool Role Model of the Year award.

But Steven, who founded the Lab Gym in Hartlepool, admitted: “I am gobsmacked. I never knew anything about this.”

The nomination for Steven said: “He is a pillar of the community. Most of Hartlepool looks up to this young man even though he is only 26. He is so positive and uplifting and helps to keep Hartlepool alive.”

Among Steven’s many achievements, he has;

l Set up his own gym within the Horsley Buildings in Darlington Street but then immediately found ways of putting on free health sessions for children;

l Raised £15,000 for charity by doing an annual fundraising night. The Cash for Cancer event has been held for the last three years in Manor Club;

l Supported a homeless charity by spending 36 hours on the streets without food or water.

The nomination added: “He always thinks of others first and probably won’t even think he deserves a nomination. He is so selfless.”

And when asked why he wanted to make such a difference, Steven replied: “It is to help other people. Everything I do is to try and help the community.”

This year, the Best of Hartlepool competition is being held in association with Niramax and in which Specsavers, Stagecoach North East and Hart Biologicals are category sponsors. We are delighted to have every one of them behind us.

You might be a top role model or a fantastic fundraiser, a green champion or an outstanding sportsperson. Perhaps you are one of the town’s many outstanding children who have achieved excellence or shown great courage.

We also want to find winners in our sports team, community champion, community group and emergency services categories. And we want to discover the best neighbours, volunteers, carers and students. There’s plenty of time to put forward your favourites as the deadline to put forward entries is Saturday, April 2.

So all we need now is plenty of people to come forward.

To nominate send your name, address and telephone number, the name of the business or person you wish to nominate, along 
with their address, telephone number and email (if known)

State which category your nomination applies to (from the list of categories) 
and provide a description of the reasons for your nomination (no more than 300 words)

Post your nomination to: Nicola Meldrum, Alexander House, Second Floor, Rainton Bridge Business Park, Houghton-le-Spring, Sunderland. DH4 5RA alternatively email [email protected] or [email protected].