10 people who did the city proud in 2024

It’s the people who put the heart and hope into Liverpool and make it the special place it is, and throughout the year we’ve featured some of the best of them in The Guide Liverpool.

From fundraisers to volunteers, to carers and more, the city is full of people who did the city proud and, while we can’t mention them all, here are 10 we loved in 2024 …

Actress Lucy Wareing brings Mary Poppins joy to care homes

Proving that she’s practically perfect in every way, Maghull actress Lucy Wareing revealed how she was bringing the joy of musicals to care home residents by performing as Mary Poppins. What started as a one-off show took off when the elderly residents, many dementia patients, sang along to the film’s famous tunes and enjoyed it so much she was then inundated with requests for an encore from homes across Merseyside and Lancashire. 

Read more here.

Teenager Khan Odita wins national award 

Khan Odita, from Toxteth, won first prize at the prestigious National Crimebeat Awards after transforming a fly tipping site into a beautiful green space. Khan was only 14 when he set up the Mulgrave Street Action Group (MSAG) to help improve his local community and after organising litter picks, skip days and promoting responsible waste disposal, he brought together local residents – and successfully applied for a £30,000 grant from Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s Community Environment Fund – to create the ‘UrbanScape’ garden.

Read more here.

… and here.

Mum Tess Grace launches campaign to save other families from cancer heartache

After losing her 24-year-old daughter Millie to bowel cancer in October 2021, Tess Grace wanted to do everything to stop other families going through what hers had. Social worker Tess is raising awareness of bowel cancer, telling Millie’s story in schools, colleges, universities, youth groups, and sports clubs to get the message across that you’re ‘never too young’, and fundraising for the Marie Curie Hospice in Woolton where Millie spent the last weeks of her life.

Read more here.

Everton coach Jack Dowling completes 26 marathons in 26 weeks in memory of his brother

Blues performance coach Jack Dowling set himself the tough challenge to undertake 26 marathons in 26 weeks in honour of his late brother Tom who died from bowel cancer in March. Jack not only completed all the marathons, he smashed his original fundraising target of £32,500 – the cost of one Macmillan Cancer Support nurse for 26 weeks – to collect more than £72,000. On October 1 – Tom’s birthday – he decided to run 26 minutes every hour for 26 hours and his fundraising total currently stands at £104,849.

Read more here.

You can donate here.

Kickboxer champion Lee Charles marks career high in Gladiator II blockbuster

We enjoyed the celebrations when Rock Ferry kickboxer-cum-actor Lee Charles appeared in his dream-come-true role as Slovak in Ridley Scott’s record-breaking Gladiator sequel. As a fan of the original film since he was a child it was a career-high for Lee, who not only appeared throughout the Gladiator II movie but was the first fight opponent for Paul Mescal’s leading character Lucius. 

Read more here.

Artist Jennifer Hart cheers up the wards – and patients – of city children’s hospital

When she was volunteering in the new Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, young artist Jennifer Hart couldn’t help but notice how bare it was, especially in comparison with the old building, so she set about changing that. With permission from those high up – and help from the young patients – she gave up a day a week for most of a year to paint colourful characters like Mario, the Lion King, Spider-Man, Lilo & Stitch, Mickey and Minnie, and more on the doors windows of Ward 4C. How lovely is that?!

Read more here.

Chef Richie O’Connor cooked up a colourful fundraiser for Clatterbridge

Father-of one and Everton fan Richie O’Connor shocked everyone when he had his hair, beard and eyebrows dyed red in the opposition’s colour – and had LFC shaved into the back of his head! Not a moment of madness though, because the Ellesmere Port chef did it all for a good cause, to raise money for Clatterbridge Cancer Charity. Richie was moved to do something and raise funds after losing two work pals to the disease. 

Read more here.

Mum-of-three Judy Baigent joins son on intrepid Arctic adventure

With a Kilimanjaro climb, a trek across the desert, an Alps challenge, marathons and more under her belt, Wirral mum Judy Baigent isn’t shy of adventure. But this year she pushed herself to her limits to complete her toughest feat to date, braving -20°C temperatures for a gruelling 149-mile husky-driven trip across the Arctic Circle. She made the journey with middle son Ollie, and they raised more than £1,500 for Claire House Children’s Hospice. Who knows what she’ll dream up next …

Read more here.

Sarah LeGuen made a massive gesture to save a stranger’s life

Beauty therapist Sarah LeGuen from Maghull donated stem cells to a stranger in the US to ‘pay it forward’ after her own mum recovered from ovarian cancer. Her incredible gesture meant that a woman similar in age to her mum, Debbie, got the chance of life or more time with her family – a precious gift Sarah, who owns Blush Studio salon in Aintree, understands only too well.

Read more here.

And last – but certainly not least – if anything demonstrates kindness and generosity and why we’re so proud of our city, it’s the way it came together when one of its most cherished charities was in danger of closing. So along with applause and thanks to all those people who have inspired us and made us honoured to be Scousers throughout 2024, we cannot forget, not one person, but … 

Everyone who stepped up to save Zoe’s Place 

News that Liverpool baby hospice Zoe’s Place was being forced to close shocked everyone in October, but instead of accepting its fate, the people of the city refused to believe it couldn’t be saved and set about raising £5 million in 30 days to secure it a new home. Comedians, singers, sports stars and hundreds of ordinary people did extraordinary things so the charity could continue to support babies and young children with complex illnesses or disabilities, and their families.

Take a bow every one of you!

Read more here.

For the latest news in Liverpool click here.