On Friday 12 September colleagues from across Leeds Children’s Hospital attended The Kite Awards annual staff recognition event at Headingley Stadium. The Kite Awards recognise excellence, team work, innovation and compassion across all children and young people’s services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Nine award categories, curated by children’s hospital staff included awards for improvements in patient safety, going the extra mile for patients and families, inspiring colleagues, leading on innovations and research, and a ‘Rising Star’ award for colleagues who have joined the team recently and already made their mark.
Among those recognised were Nurses, Consultants, Resident Doctors, Allied Health Professionals, Housekeepers, Surgeons, Ward Teams as well as specific projects.
The awards were presented by the Leeds Children’s Hospital Senior Management Team: Colin Holton (Clinical Director), Laura Whelan (Head of Nursing) and Jo Haigh (General Manager).
The 2025 Kite Awards were supported by Leeds Hospitals Charity with additional contributions coming from Children’s Heart Surgery Fund, Candlelighters and The Millie Wright Children’s Charity.
260 guests attended the event including representatives from local charities and senior figures from across Leeds Teaching Hospitals. Clare Smith (Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive) gave an opening address before welcoming Yvette Oade (Chair of Trustees at Leeds Hospitals Charity) to the stage to thank staff and reflect on a year of achievements.
160 Kite Award nominations were received in 2025, all submitted by colleagues for teams and individuals.
Award Winners and Highly Commended
Flying High Award
Winner: Elaine Edwards (Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist, Cystic Fibrosis)
Highly Commended: Amber Canavan (Acting Ward Manager, Ward L30)
Highly Commended: Becky Mernenko (Advanced Clinical Practitioner, Children’s Surgery)
Keeping Patients Safe Award
Winner: Children’s Pre-operative Assessment Team
Highly Commended: Emergency Department School Knife Crime Initiative
Highly Commended: Ward L50 and Hepatology Teams
Delivering the Best Award
Winner: Laura Knight (Discharge Facilitator)
Highly Commended: Gill Ellis and Emma Frudd (Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioners)
Highly Commended: Ward L38 Housekeeping Team
Most Inspiring Colleague Award
Winner: Carin van Doorn (Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon)
Highly Commended: Nadine Clark (Renal Nurse Specialist)
Highly Commended: Lorraine Wickham (Occupational Therapist)
Rising Star Award
Winner: Connie Lewty (Staff Nurse, Ward L49)
Highly Commended: Farzana Rahman (Medical Secretary)
Highly Commended: Dr Katie Ethell (Resident Doctor)
Innovation Champion Award
Winner: Paediatric Intensive Care Unit ECMO and Perfusion Teams
Highly Commended: Jennifer Pemberton (Speech and Language Therapist)
Highly Commended: Haematology and Oncology Virtual Ward
Leeds Hospitals Charity Funded Project of the Year Award
Winner: 7 Days of Play project
Highly Commended: Family Support Trolley
Highly Commended: Acute Care Bags project
Special Moment in Care Award
Winner: Dr Bob Phillips (Consultant Oncologist) and Gabi Reynolds (Palliative Care Outreach Nurse)
Highly Commended: Ward L52 Team
Highly Commended: Paediatric Critical Care Team
Team of the Year Award
Winner: Ward L40 and Paediatric Gastro Teams
Highly Commended: Neurorehabilitation Team
Highly Commended: Ward L51 Team
General Manager and Awards co-host Jo Haigh said:
‘What a proud night for Leeds Children’s Hospital! It has been a real pleasure to recognise some amazing achievements and truly outstanding contributions from across our services. Our nine winners, everyone who was awarded highly commended and everyone who was nominated is so deserving of this recognition.
It’s particularly nice to see such diversity in the nominations this year, it feels like The Kite Awards has shone a light on roles, projects and achievements at all levels. We’ve heard about teams, individuals and projects that have excelled in their areas but what really stands out is the genuine care and compassion that our colleagues bring to their roles every single day.’
Leeds Children’s Hospital plans to deliver the Kite Awards again in 2026!
