11:29am Friday 16th May 2008
By Hayley Korn
Exemplary young people from Watford and Three Rivers have been presented with prizes for their community work at an awards ceremony.
Hundreds of people attended the Hertfordshire Final of SkillsTrain Young People of the Year (Yopey) to watch 20 finalists, aged between 15 and 25, receive more than £6,000 worth of prizes for being positive role models for young people.
Emma Spiegler, 25, of Ovaltine Drive, Kings Langley, was a runner- up for setting up her website for children of addicted parents.
Emma, who grew up with an alcoholic mother, decided to help other young people living with addicted parents by offering advice and support through forums on her website, coap.co.uk.
Speaking after the ceremony in Hertford County Hall, where she received £500, including £250 which will go towards the website, she said: "It was a fantastic evening with lots of people who have done such amazing things.
"I am so pleased to have come runner-up and will donate half the money to the National Association of Children of Alcoholics and half the money will be used to go on a training weekend to learn how to use art to help young people express themselves."
The second runner-up, David King, 22, of Watford, volunteers with a Watford-based mental health charity, called Guideposts, where he encourages young mentally ill people to socialise, and fundraises for Royal Marsden Cancer Hospital.
He will donate £250 of his prize to Guideposts.
The £50 surprise prize went to Jamie Knife, 17, who secured £100,000 to transform the playing field at the youth centre in West Hyde and Maple Cross, near Rickmansworth.
He said he was not expecting to win a prize and enjoys watching other people make use of the playing field.
Messages of support from Prime Minister, Gordon Brown and his wife, Sarah, were read out by two of last year's winners, Hannah Webber and Laura Bell, both 11 from Abbots Langley.
Tony Gearing, founder of Young People of the Year, who attended the ceremony, said: "We have held 22 Yopey awards ceremonies in three years and this is the strongest field yet. Everyone is a winner for giving young people the fairer image they deserve."
For more information on Yopey, visit www.yopey.org.
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