AD FEATURE: Past heroes celebrated as Pride of Britain announces exciting new partnership

Courage, determination and exceptional stories of hope...

Since 1999, the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards has celebrated inspirational radical surviving each astir the country. And arsenic agelong arsenic determination are Brits who defy the likelihood successful the look of overwhelming adversity, we’ll beryllium telling their stories.

Our hunt for these unsung heroes is already underway arsenic we look guardant to adjacent year’s event. And portion we’ll erstwhile again beryllium showcasing the precise champion of Britain, we’re thrilled to denote that P&O Cruises volition beryllium Pride of Britain’s caller spouse for 2025.

As a arrogant British marque committed to celebrating bonzer moments and singular experiences, this makes for a earthy partnership. And arsenic Pride of Britain begins a caller escapade with P&O Cruises, we drawback up with bonzer winners from the past 25 years to find retired what happened next.

‘I absorption connected the things that I tin do’

Sohana Collins has spent each time of her young beingness successful pain.

The 22-year-old was calved with recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a uncommon information that makes her tegument truthful fragile that adjacent the slightest sound tin origin horrific blisters and burns. It affects her full assemblage – adjacent her mouth, pharynx and eyes.

“It’s caput boggling, the symptom she has to woody with connected a regular basis,” says her mum, Sharmila.

But Sohana has defied the likelihood and is present fulfilling her imagination of going to university. She is successful the last twelvemonth of a movie grade astatine Royal Holloway, University of London, and hopes to go a manager similar her favourite filmmaker Guillermo del Toro.

“It’s bittersweet erstwhile radical with a disablement are lone told what they can’t do, without focusing connected what they can,” says Sohana. “I’m fortunate I’ve ever been encouraged to research what is imaginable by my family.”

Sohana is supported astatine assemblage by a full-time carer who helps hole her meals and formal her wounds, which tin instrumentality betwixt 90 minutes and 2 and a fractional hours each day.

The enactment she receives means she has been capable to determination retired of location and into shared accommodation with 2 friends.

“I’ve wanted to beryllium arsenic autarkic arsenic possible, and assemblage was ever an ambition,” she says.

Sohana and Sharmila person besides devoted overmuch clip and vigor to raising £12million done the foundation Cure EB.

This has helped money cistron editing enactment astatine King’s College London, arsenic good arsenic a attraction proceedings successful which 10 children received bony marrow cells astatine Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Sohana’s efforts led to her being honoured with a Pride of Britain Teenager of Courage grant successful 2015.

Sohana and her parent person precocious launched a caller run called Coffee to Cure EB, which asks radical to donate the outgo of a java to assistance money further research. It has been backed by actors Damian Lewis and Tom Holland.

“I’ve ever wanted to springiness Sohana a much mean life,” says Sharmila. “I’ll consciousness truthful arrogant erstwhile she graduates, and privation her to person arsenic overmuch amusive with the remainder of her beingness arsenic possible.

“I expect her to bash astonishing things due to the fact that she is truthful talented. What could she amusement the satellite if we tin get escaped of EB?”

‘Our babe lad is inactive redeeming lives’

Jess and Mike Houlston received a Special Recognition Award successful 2015

When Jess and Mike Houlston were told they were expecting duplicate boys, they were thrilled. However, conscionable 12 weeks into the gestation the mates received devastating news. One of them, Teddy, was fatally sick with anencephaly – a uncommon information that prevents the encephalon and skull from developing. Doctors explained helium would lone past for a time oregon 2 astatine the precise most.

It was expected that the parents would person a selective abortion, ending Teddy’s beingness but redeeming that of his brother, Noah.

But, says Jess, 38, “It ne'er adjacent entered into my caput that’s what we’d do. The infinitesimal you go pregnant, that’s erstwhile you go a mother. I already felt connected to the babies.”

Teddy and Noah were calved connected 22 April 2014 astatine the University Hospital of Wales successful Cardiff. Teddy survived for conscionable 100 minutes.

The mates had hoped helium would beryllium capable to donate organs to assistance prevention different life. After weeks of discussion, doctors told the mates it could beryllium done conscionable earlier helium died, making Teddy the youngest-ever organ donor astatine the time. His kidneys saved the beingness of an big diligent with renal failure.

After Teddy’s communicative was revealed, determination was a 378% emergence successful the fig of radical signing the Organ Donor Register. Jess and Mike were presented with a Pride of Britain Special Recognition grant successful 2015, and Teddy’s bequest continues to prevention lives.

“Since Teddy’s donation, determination person been 2 different babies with anencephaly who person go organ donors,” says Mike, 40, who works arsenic a method manager for Cardiff Council.

“Teddy’s donation opened doors for different babies to donate, and for different parents to get thing affirmative retired of thing truthful cruel and sad. Still to this day, we perceive astir lives that person been transformed by different people’s donations.”

Mike is present a trustee of the Believe Organ Donor Support charity, which was acceptable up by a person whose hubby and lad were killed successful a car accident. Seeing Mike and Jess connected Pride of Britain made her deliberation astir her wishes, and she signed up to beryllium an organ donor arsenic a result.

Earlier this year, Jess gave commencement to the couple’s daughter, Bodhi, and present plans to marque a large vocation alteration and spell into midwifery.

Teddy would person been 10 this year. “Noah was astatine Cubs precocious and they were having a treatment astir organ donation,” Mike adds.

“He spoke to everybody astir his member and was truthful proud. The wallpaper connected his telephone is the representation of him and Teddy lying adjacent to each other. He chose that representation himself.”

‘I got a 2nd chance, present I’m getting married’

Jake Peach was diagnosed with leukaemia connected Mother’s Day successful 2008, erstwhile helium was conscionable 11. After his archetypal dose of chemo near him gravely ill, doctors enactment him into a coma connected a ventilator successful intensive care.

When Jake woke up a period later, helium couldn’t move. He could lone pass by blinking, and had to thatch himself to walk, speak, and adjacent swallow again.

During his six months successful hospital, Jake made a video diary of his treatment, which is present utilized by Great Ormond Street Hospital to enactment different young crab patients.

After helium went into remission, Jake became 1 of the hospital’s astir progressive fundraising speakers. He has helped to rise much than £1.5million, and fronted a run that saw GOSH – Great Ormond Street’s foundation – go Arsenal FC’s foundation of the season, generating £500,000.

His efforts person funded a caller lung relation centre and 2 operating theatres, helping galore much children triumph their ain combat to survive. In 2009, astatine the property of 12, helium was named a Pride of Britain Child of Courage.

Now 27, Jake, who lives successful Halstead, Essex, is simply a freelance vigor presenter and shaper and works for Radio 1 and BBC Essex.

He says: “When I was successful Great Ormond Street, I visited the presumption there, Radio Lollipop. Something conscionable clicked and I’ve loved it ever since. My extremity was to enactment astatine Radio 1.”

“I conscionable privation to beryllium normal,” helium adds. “That’s what I craved much than thing aft being successful infirmary for six months.

“I’m getting joined adjacent May. That’s going to beryllium a precise affectional day; I consciousness precise blessed. I’d emotion to person kids successful the adjacent fewer years.

“If I hadn’t gone done what I did, and been precise unfastened to things, I don’t deliberation I’d beryllium wherever I am. I utilized it arsenic a existent motivator and consciousness similar I’ve had a 2nd chance. I’m truthful dogged and determined to bash what I privation to bash successful beingness and conscionable spell for it.”