Young Citizen of the Year: Jodie Kushner

Young Citizen of the Year award presented to Jodie Kushner by President of Middleton Rotary Club, Jeffrey Lawton

2 More Image(s) In Gallery

Jodie Kushner was named Young Citizen of the Year at the Young Citizens awards night at St Anne’s Academy.

Jodie is a keen gymnast and has competed in various events with Middleton Trampolining Club but took a step back in her own efforts to coach disabled children and is said to have been "invaluable at integrating disabled students into the club".

Jodie said: “I’ve always been passionate about gymnastics; I used to look at the enjoyment my previous coaches gained from turning young children into talented trampolinists. I wanted to follow in their footsteps.”

Over 100 people attended the awards night, hosted by Middleton Rotary Club and organised by Sue Furby and the Youth & Vocational Projects Committee, including the Mayor of Rochdale, Peter Rush.

When asked about the contribution that the youth of Rochdale make to the community, Mayor Rush said: “It’s fabulous to see so many young children getting involved with the community; the national media portray the young in an unfair way. Events such as this one show there is a lot of good in this area.”

President of Middleton Rotary Club, Jeffrey Lawton said: “I’m always impressed by the projects that young people are involved with.”

Other nominees included:

• Callum Purcell, 14, Player of the Year with the Middleton Youth Band, nominated for his talent and general commitment to the band.
• Jennifer Russell, Middleton Youth Band Band Person of the Year. Jennifer is currently at Hull University studying for a degree in Geography and Geology but before moving to university, Jennifer was inspired to join the Middleton Youth Band and learned to play the Flugelhorn. 
• Steven Taylor, 11, a bass player who is the Middleton Youth Band Young Player of the Year. 
• Kallum Roberts, who has managed to coach trampolining to younger children despite suffering from autism. When talking about the nomination, he said: “I was pleased with it; I’ve found the coaching hard at times but the smiles of the children make it all seem worthwhile.” 
• Reece Taylor, 15, who despite being autistic, deaf and visually impaired has become involved with Middleton Trampolining Club and received an award for outstanding performance. Reece’s efforts proved to be a catalyst in the club receiving a Lottery grant. He is now an integral member of the group. 
• Megan Cosh, who is involved with the Autumn Group which aims to raise money for autism. She has raised over £100 by organising a talent show and non uniform day. 
• Jack Jolliffe, who is described as "awe-inspiring" by friends. He earned a black belt in Tae-Kwondo at age 9 and has won 64 national events. He also represented his country in the world championships. 
• Kevin Metzger, who despite having a three month lay-off due to a fractured pelvis, took part in a triple jump event and managed to jump 13.39m, which is a record for North England. Kevin has also recently been contracted to Burnley FC and is a keen musician who has just passed his level 6 piano exams. 
• Harry Miller was nominated for his sporting achievements. Harry, 9, won two medals at the UK Tae-Kwondo tournament last October. His first medal was for his patterns, the second came in the sparring, which was a great achievement as he was considerably smaller than some of the other participants. 
• Luke Robinson, who despite being diagnosed with Superventicular Tachycardia, has been volunteering and involved with charity work in the Langley area. He has played a role in the development of charity “Status 4 all” and managed to complete his education. 
• Josh Wilkinson, who is a Head Boy at St. Anne’s and has a passion for drama, has played a vital role with the school's drama productions and often participates in the school's community programmes.

All nominees were presented with Young Citizen awards.

Organiser, Sue Furby added: “The nominations were for dedicated young people, those who go above and beyond what is normally expected of them.”