(Image: Supplied)
STAFF who walked barefoot across red-hot embers to raise funds for mental health recovery have been honoured at an NHS awards ceremony.
The Early Intervention in Psychosis team, part of Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, won the Working Together Award at the trust’s You’re a Star Awards 2026.
The team, including Catherine Brown, Llani Rowe, Molly Smith and Mark Tweed, raised more than £9,000 to fund a 300-mile sailing adventure, Voyage to Recovery, for service users.
Their fundraising efforts included walking barefoot across red-hot embers to help make the trip possible.
Therese Patten, chief executive of the trust, said: "When I attend our annual awards ceremony, I’m proud each and every year to hear what our finalists and winners have achieved."
Their colleagues in the Early Intervention and Psychosis District team who supported the fundraising, won Mental Health Services Team of the Year.
This diverse team use their many different skills to help service users build trust in services and access events and community groups.
The awards ceremony, held at the Midland Hotel in Bradford and hosted by sports presenter Tanya Arnold, recognised outstanding care and innovation across the trust.
A total of 14 awards were presented, including categories for teamwork, individual achievement and living the trust’s values of care, listening and delivery.
Other winners included Josie Elliot from the Unplanned Care Team, who received the Unsung Hero award for adult physical Community Health Services.
Lauren Holmes, a staff nurse with the Vulnerable Children’s School Nurse Team, was named Teammate of the Year for Children’s and Administration Services.
The Volunteer Service team took home Corporate Services Team of the Year for supporting 102 volunteers who delivered nearly 1,000 activities and contributed 3,225 hours of service.
The West Health Visiting team, known as the ‘Wonderful West,’ won Children’s and Administrative Services Team of the Year for their commitment to continuous improvement.
Emily Pepper, a staff nurse in palliative care, won the We Care award for creating and gifting crochet hearts to bereaved families.
Karol Papis, senior practitioner psychologist in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, received the Thanks a Bunch award after being credited as a key factor in Newholme children’s home achieving an Outstanding Ofsted rating.
The awards were made possible through sponsorship from Sovereign Health Care, Whitaker and Leach Construction, and McAvoy Group Modular Space Solutions.